A TALENTED Wickford fashion designer could soon be hitting the catwalk with her haute couture creations.
Gemma Fanning is in the running for this year's Vogue Young Vision Award after being head-hunted by the magazine's online boutique, Muuse.
The 23-year-old, of Caladonia Lane, Wickford, is now through to the voting stage of the international competition.
She is currently in 27th place, but needs more votes to take her into the top ten out of more than 300 fashionistas.
Gemma, who studied at St Bernard's High School for Girls in Westcliff, said: "I am definitely still in shock about it all. I am just a little Essex girl in a competition with lots of Spanish and Italian names from all over the world, it is quite funny.
"I just try really hard and that is all I can do."
Gemma graduated from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London with a first-class honours degree, studying women's wear and print.
"I dressed up this doll as myself to go to the interview for Saint Martins, and it worked, they loved it," she said.
Gemma's work was spotted on her website and at an exhibition by Muuse staff, who e-mailed her suggesting she entered the competition.
"I was designing ever since I was little but they were really awful, I kept some just to laugh at them," she said.
"I have always been a bit weird. I used to wear the weirdest outfits to school, I dyed my hair red before it was even in fashion.
"I would say my style has always been about crash – I love to crash colours and designs together so it is more like a painting, and if you take the pieces apart they also stand alone."
Gemma has interned at a number of fashion houses, including Jonathan Saunders, to build up her experience within the industry.
She said: "Working at Jonathan Saunders was definitely one of the best things I have ever done – he loved the fact that I am from Essex as well.
"I am really proud to be from Essex, even though I live in London now I still watch TOWIE to see all the old hangouts I used to go to.
"You can never dislike where you have been brought up because it has made you the person you are."
Gemma plans to do Masters of Arts at Saint Martins and then move to New York for a year before starting her own label.
If she wins, Gemma will be featured in Vogue magazine and get a place in the Muuse designer community on their website, Muuse.com, as designer of the month, which will enable customers to buy her items tailor-made from the boutique.
Visit www.gemmafanning.com and follow the link on the homepage to vote for her. Voting closes on November 20.
