About me

At 18 I started a stall at Portobello Market, London, selling vintage clothing. Then I moved quickly into customizing vintage items. I studied English Literature and Design Technology at Middlesex University, but, I left at the end of my second year

In 2001 I started my Label "Franny B". As well as selling from Portobello I sold customised clothing in Top Shop's Bazaar section in Oxford Circus. It was a good experience but, at the time, there was not enough room to be expressive.

In 2003 my clothing was chosen to be worn by Sarah Jessica Parker to front the commercial for the final series of Sex and the City.I had national and international coverage and was inundated with work. I have worked with New Look, touring their flagship stores and customising jeans their denim range. I have also had a collection at Miss Selfridge online. My clothing has also been sold in boutiques worldwide.

Past clients have included Dolce and Gabanna, Paul Smith, This Morning , Javine and Meg Mathews. And for television, as well as Sex and the City, I have customised clothing for Footballers Wives, Family Affairs,T4, Hollyoaks and As If to name but a few. I have, in the past, worked in consumer corporate Public Relations. I have mentored young designers and worked voluntarily with young people with special needs

I have worked as a stylist, a freelance artist/prop designer for photography shoots. I am still head of an arts and fashion group, aptly named the Funky Junktion.

I am the author of 'DIY Fashion, Customize and Personalize' published in 2010 by Laurence King and distributed worldwide. It has been translated into Spanish and Japanese since its launch.

More recently, I have taught fashion recycling at The Vintage Festival, I have been an expert demonstrator at Britain's Next Top Model Live and I have lectured and graded students at London College of style. I have also run a very successful pop-up arts and recycling shop in North West London and appeared as an expert alongside Katherine Higgins in BBC's 'Put your money where your mouth is' and on BBC3 Counties radio to give advice on recycling clothing.

Skills

My 20 years in Portobello Market and freelancing as a fashion customizer and designer taught me skills such as retail sales, wholsale buying and selling, stock taking, profits and margins, customer relations and deadlines., Whilst writing my book I learnt how to research, write proposals and research the books in the same field, demonstrating the qualities and down falls of each. I have drive and commitment . I am good at finding solutions to problems and I am logical and methodical in my thinking. I am good at explaining plans ideas and designs to other people and empathising with other peoples' projects and briefs clearly., As an artist and designer, I am and have been hands on in all the projects that I have been involved in, whether it be styling, painting murals, set designs, customizing or lecturing. I can plan, design and complete a project from the start right through to completion.