A Westgate mum-of-two has taken another turn on her creative journey with an opportunity to display her designs at London Fashion Week next month.
Carole Thompson, who has previously run her own catering business, written a book of verse and manages model daughter Stephanie, is one of 15 designers invited to take part in the LUX runway and photoshoot event at Madison, St Paul for London Fashion Week on September 17.
Carole, 53, says she has always enjoyed art and would draw with her artist dad when she was young and so, during covid, decided to turn her hand to clothes designs.
She said: “After I wrote my book I started doing art work again. It was during covid and I had nothing better to do and wanted something I could do from home. I started drawing and painting and thought the designs would work on T shirts and hats.
“From there I had so many ideas that I would have to get up in the night and write them down so they weren’t forgotten by morning.
“I had some published in fashion magazines.
“Then I saw something about the fashion week and asked what it was all about. I was asked to send information and I showed them my website and was invited to the event.
“It is for high end fashion which isn’t what I do but I do have something for that evening. What I do is fashion that you can dress up or dress down, wear as every day clothing with trainers, or go out with heels and a bag.”
Carole says her flat is too small to hold stock so she works with a US firm that she sends her designs to and it is then added to the clothing she has chosen and made available to order online on her Cee Tee Designs website.
To take part in the London Fashion Week Carole has to pay for a £2000 designer package and has set up a fundraiser in the hope that people will help her.
She said: “It is a huge opportunity to be up with the big people like Luxs London, Lipsy London and Conde Nast (publishers of Vogue). There is a chance to get involved in a big networking event afterwards and I can have a stall there so people can see my work and buy things or take a card to look online.
“I think it’ll be good for me and it is good for Westgate.”
Carole is taking 10 of her own models, including daughter Stephanie, to the event and says she hopes it is a good experience for them too.
The fashion week event will host 500 guests including a mixture of fashion personnel, entrepreneurs, social media influencers and journalists.
To take part Carole needs to raise funds by the middle of August.