Where my love of all things African print began.

I'd always grown up with African print but I always associated it with 'African' events such as African weddings, birthdays, anniversary celebrations, and the like. That all changed when I was at a black tie event about 10 years ago or more  when I saw a woman wearing a sari to the event. There I was in a scratchy pink number from Debenhams. I looked okay but felt very uncomfortable as the boning was digging into me. It then occurred to me that if this lady could wear a sari to such a formal event, then I could definitely wear African print. This was undoubtedly a seminal moment for me. Thereafter, I set about finding a tailor who could make African print dresses but in a style not unlike those often seen in magazines such as 'Grazia' and 'Hello'. I remember the first time I stepped out in a western-styled African print dress, not at an 'African' event, just at an event.  I looked great and, more importantly, felt comfortable.  Years later, when I decided to learn clothes making (among other textile based courses) with a view to starting my own small business, there was only ever one kind of fabric I was going to sew with and that was African print.  I am so glad that I did.