Ayr - Beggs Factory

I was lucky enough to stay with my family for an extra day as I had a factory visit in Ayr which is about 2 hours away from where I was in Livingston so first thing Tuesday morning I boarded a train and headed to Ayr. The factory there is incredible, we got a behind the scenes tour to see how all of our goods are manufactured and the factory also produce for the likes of Louis Vuitton and Hermes Paris - its a bit surreal walking around with piles of Louis Vuitton blankets and scarves just sitting there! Its such an interesting process - techniques and machinery are still in use from hundreds of years ago. Everyone was so lovely and welcoming and Ayr itself is a really sweet quaint town. At 6pm we boarded a flight back to London, I have been in the office for 3 days now and am re-packing tonight to head to Spain for a week with some girlfriends where I plan to do nothing but sit on a beach and sip cocktails! Oh la la!

Scotland Family Wedding / Reunion

Last weekend was a bank holiday for England so I booked an extra day and had four days with my family in Scotland. My cousin David got married to his partner of 12 years and it was the first time the whole family had been together since I was 7 years old (minus my parents and brother of course but they sent a message to be read out at the speeches which was really nice). We danced all night long, my legs were sore for days after!! It was my first Scottish family wedding and everyone looked so smart in their kilts - even though I have never lived in Scotland it all feels very natural when I'm up there with the traditions etc and its just great to spend time with everyone. On Sunday my Auntie Ali had a big family BBQ at hers, even though most of us were struggling from the night before it was a great BBQ with lots of food and more drink....! I love getting away to Scotland, at the moment I visit around four times a year and will be up again in November when the All Blacks are playing there so will squeeze in some family time as well as NZ time!

One Year at DAKS

Wow - I can't believe that I have been at Daks for a whole year now! I have had such an incredible year here and have been given so many amazing opportunities - still pinching myself really. I never thought in a million years that I would end up in the fashion industry - it was never my 'thing' but now I just can't get enough of it and am officially hooked! I work with such a talented team who are also now great friends of mine so I couldn't be happier. When I think to back to living at home and hearing stories of designers in London that get to travel to Italy and Paris during the year it just sounded like a movie to me - I mean, I only did see it in the movies - and now thats my life, even writing this now I'm pausing and thinking, wow. The mornings where we get in a black cab and head off to the V&A to see an exhibition or wake up after a nap at a hotel to get a 6am cab and head to Somerset House to work backstage at the fashion show - those are the movie mornings.

I've been working towards this since I started my diploma in computer graphic design when I was 16 years old and ten years down the line I am so proud of my journey through the design world, I really can't imagine any other way of living, I am constantly learning and growing and I just can't seem to get enough of it.

Next month is London fashion week yet again followed by a trip to Paris to the textile fair - I'm staying on for the weekend to have a mini break while I'm there - I never seem to get over seeing seeing the Eiffel Tower its just so breathtaking so were planning a picnic in the park near by as well as exploring the markets for some vintage finds. Before all of this I'm off to Scotland for my cousins wedding then off to Spain for a week of relaxation - all my holidays consist of traveling over chilling so I'm going to take some books and just chill out. I really feel like I could just sit at the beach and stare at the ocean for a week straight!

There are so many exciting projects coming up at Daks over the next year so I'm ready to go into year two with just as much excitement and enthusiasm as when I first started here - I look forward to updating you all with future projects!