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Nicky Walgate knew from a very early age that retailing and fashion was something she really wanted as a career.

Her career so far has taken her from her teenage years as a 'YT' trainee at Dorothy Perkins at Debenhams in Hull through working at the London offices of the Burton (now Arcadia group) before returning to her native East Yorkshire to set up her own boutique to offer women exclusive fashions at affordable prices.

Although she tried a variety of jobs after leaving Sydney Smith school it was only when she started as a trainee at a local department store that she was really bitten by the fashion bug but prior to that had been influenced by the likes of the pop stars of the day including Madonna.

Moving up through the ranks, Nicky worked in many aspects of the retail industry and although was fully conversant with some of the processes, it was always being 'front of house' working with the customers which offered the most satisfaction. She says that working in the fashion environment has to be something you really enjoy as it requires a high level of commitment.

Nicky spent two years working in London but mostly behind the scenes and her key role was to ensure that the company's brand image was being maintained at the shops' stores across the UK. From working on the shop floor she'd was then rubbing shoulders with the directors of the company, working with buyers and merchandisers.

Although Nicky loved the excitement of London, the role was physically demanding and took her away from her family and so when the opportunity to move back to East Yorkshire came she took it to work as a field officer.

Nicky brought a variety of photographs to show us. The main image shows Nicky dressed for a 'bad taste night', organised by a friend who often this organises this type of event. Nicky is dressed in a vintage purple dress, which ironically seems to have come back into fashion. The waistcoat belongs to her mum which she wore in the 1960s, but kept because she couldn't bear to be parted from it.

Nicky and her father on her wedding day

She describes her marriage of two years to Richard as being very important to her. He has helped her through the heartache of starting her own business and made the decision to help her whilst she got the business going The couple went to St. Lucia to be married and Nicky describes the event as "Lovely".

Her other picture was a memory of a holiday abroad which she particularly enjoyed and was 'dressed up' for a big night out.

Nicky abroad

Returning to her career; after moving back from London, she was able to invest in her new business using some of the capital raised from the sale of her flat. It's been a steep learning curve starting the boutique called Crave in Hessle. She describes how bringing the different aspects of starting the business together led to some sleepless nights. She says running the boutique is extremely hard work and aims to offer a personal service by advising on body shape and fashion. She says many older people now take much more of an interest in fashion. It's a trend she says has increased a great deal over the last fifteen years.

In addition to running the shop, Nicky is also involved in organising fashion shows at schools which has led to many requests from charities to put on shows, all with the aim of helping to raise money for charities.