English woman drops out of college, starts business as dressmaker with unique flair

A woman with an eye for design is using her abilities to make unique dresses for a specific type of customer. 

Scarlett Hawkes, 28, is from Liverpool, England. She dropped out of college because she felt she wasn’t being taught what she wanted to learn. 

Hawkes said she’s been sewing since she was 14 years old and went to college to study womenswear before eventually dropping out, said SWNS, the British news service.

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"I felt they weren’t teaching me the things I wanted to be taught," she said. 

Hawkes said that from a young age, she loved sewing and creating unique items. 

After dropping out of college and traveling a bit, she returned home to Liverpool in 2020 when she decided to pick up sewing again. 

With the help of videos on YouTube, Hawkes began sewing different items together that she found at home.

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"I ended up cutting my mom’s old clothing [and] I decided [that] I wanted to go into sustainable fashion," she told SWNS. 

Hawkes said that she set up a shop on Etsy. She was making patchwork outfits for purchase when she had the idea of making a clothing item out of an old hand towel that she loved. 

She recalled the moment, saying she "had a Heinz ketchup tea towel from eBay and thought, 'Let’s incorporate it.'"

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From there, Afrayed Upcycling was born — Hawkes’ own clothing company. 

The designer said the ketchup-inspired dress was a hit, noting that "people absolutely loved it." 

Today, Hawkes purchases old hand towels, also referred to as tea towels, from eBay and other vintage sites at about $8-$10 each — and makes custom designs for customers everywhere. 

Additionally, customers can also send their towels to Hawkes, and she will make a design for them — something Hawkes said she loves to do. 

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"A lady recently wanted a 1960s towel for her 60th birthday, [so] we did a chili on her dress," she told SWNS. 

Hawkes sells her dresses for about $150 but charges extra for customizations. 

Additionally, she now sells jackets, which start at about $115. 

Hawkes told Fox News Digital that she can make up to 18 towel dresses or garments each month and said that this business is now her full-time job. 

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She added, "I absolutely love what I do."

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