Shona Forrester

Shona Forrester works as a fashion designer for knitwear company Eribe in the Scottish Borders. Her designs are sold across the globe and the company won British Small Business Award in 2008 and 2009. But is being a fashion designer as glamorous as it sounds? We spoke to Shona to get the gossip from behind the scenes.

Can you tell me a bit about the work you are involved in?

I work for Eribe Knitwear as a Knitwear Designer, working on our in-house range ‘Eribe’ and also talking with International Fashion houses, that we design and produce for. I also help to promote and sell our collection and ensure our customers are well looked after.

Out of all the work you have been involved in so far, what are you most proud of?

I visit Tokyo and the USA every year and always feel really proud to see the Eribe collection being stocked in the most amazing select stores such as Saks 5th Avenue, NYC.

The strangest experience I have had would have to be appearing live on TV on a Japanese shopping channel, helping to sell our range. It was completely bizzare as there were no cameramen, only robots!

What does a typical day of work look like for you?

No two days are ever the same. I live in Edinburgh and travel to our studio at Galashiels in the Scottish Borders. My work changes throughout the year with the sales seasons. There are months when I travel to Paris, London, New York and Tokyo, meeting customers. I also visit trade fairs to choose new yarns for the coming season and attend fashion shows when launching our new collections. When I’m in the studio, I juggle talking to customers in their different time zones, drawing up designs and quality checking orders before they are sent out to our customers.

When did you first start to take an interest in the fashion industry?

I have old school jotters with stories I wrote about wanting to be a fashion designer when I grew up. It didn’t seem like a possibility for me until I spoke to my Dad’s friend, Jim Boyd, who was a textile designer at Johnstons Cashmere, about his job. His stories of travelling all over the world and creating something that was really accessible to everyone got me thinking!

How did you get into it? Was it hard to get into?

When I was 16, I managed to arrange work experience at Johnstons Mill in Elgin, shadowing a designer and I decided, at that age, it was the job for me! My art teacher had to give me a bit of a reality check and really helped me get focused on putting a decent portfolio together. I didn’t have a great deal of confidence in my artwork and I realised the competition I was up against to gain a place on a textile course, so, in my final year at school, I worked my socks off. Following my end of year degree show, I was lucky enough to be offered a graduate placement as a Design Assistant at Eribé Knitwear. This meant a portion of my salary was paid by the government for 1 year. I was then offered a contract when the year was completed.

What training have you done?

I studied at Heriot Watt Textile School in Galashiels for four years, specialising in Fashion Knitwear in my second year, and gained a BA. Hons. in Textile Design.

Is there anyone who has really influenced or inspired you?

I like people who don’t take fashion too seriously. I design for Paul Smith and love the humour he injects into his collection; his head office is full of his favourite toys and books from his childhood. Rosy Eribe, our company founder, is full of energy and is amazing to work with and a continual inspiration to me.

What are the challenges and joys of your work?

The challenges are meeting the tight deadlines and making sure our collection hits the shop at the right time for the new season launches. It takes good communication skills both with customers and the producers of our knitwear, to get this timing right. I’m lucky to be able to design with luxury yarns and fabrics, but I always put pressure on myself to push for the best possible quality. Our technicians work very hard to achieve the highest standards but it is my job to advise them when improvements need to be made, which often involves a lot of tact! It can also be tough, working long hours to set up a fashion show and to then try your best to be calm and collected and ready to promote the collection to your customers.

The joy has to be opening a box containing our new range and finding it exceeds our expectations. We all get so excited in the studio when something really special arrives!

Would you recommend it to others?

It can be a bit of a roller coaster! If you’re not afraid of hard work, like travelling, have a thick skin, and love Fashion, I’d say go for it!

What advice would you give to young people interested in pursuing a career in fashion design?

Get work experience, if possible in a few different companies. This will show you the highs and lows of the job and help you decide if it’s for you. It’s also something to put on your CV.

Anything else to add?

Don’t get too caught up on top grades. It’s what you can put into practice in the work place that is important. Two of our employees did a work placement with us prior to being offered employment. It was the great work they did that made them employable, rather than their grades.