FOR Helen Bird, looking for fabrics means buying old Chinese cloth at auction houses, rummaging through stalls at English village fairs, visiting antique shops in remote parts of the country and hoping that friends and family will find exotic material in the Middle East to add to the mixture.
The attractive brunette will admit it is tedious and often futile work, but for the type of clothing in which she specialises, there is no other way.
Until recently, Bird was one of thousands of hopeful young designers in England struggling to find financial support, locate buyers and make a name for herself. But she managed to beat the odds and secured a stand at the prestigious London store Liberty's within weeks of first being noticed by them. Her first collection almost entirely sold out, and bookings for next season are underway.
Not bad for an artist who couldn't get accepted into any of the degree courses for which she applied.
''I guess they didn't know where to place me. If I had walked in with a punk haircut and nose-ring, it would have been easier. I was rejected because my portfolio was too varied. It was humiliating, so I decided to go it alone. I knew I had to pursue it,'' she said.
Bird's success with an eclectic furniture and jewellery line made her decide to go into fashion; all, she said, involve ''pulling old bits together.'' The jewellery was sold to small shops in the Stratford area where she owns a cottage.
