About Me
Welcome,
My name is Thomas Andrews and from an early age I have had two dominant interests, the first being Formula One (Motor Racing), and the second being design & engineering.
Secondary school is the first time you get to explore a variety of subjects in detail before choosing your GCSE subjects.
Now, from my above paragraph you have likely assumed that I chose Resistant Materials as a subject which consists of creating a product from metal, plastic, wood, etc; a typically male dominated subject, that is the first step on the path towards a career in engineering.
I’m afraid you have assumed incorrectly, I actually chose Textiles as a subject which consists of creating a product from fabric or yarn; a typically female dominated subject, and is often the first step on the path towards a career in fashion.
I would never have been considered fashionable at school, often finding mufti-days; school days where you can wear casual clothes in place of school uniform; as a massive inconvenience because as a teenager in my school year it was definitely “not cool” to wear tracksuit bottoms, a hoodie, & running trainers. Ironically this seemed to be the fashion of choice for teenage boys in the school years that followed my one!
I much preferred wearing school uniform for school and different clothes for my other activities; I was one of the few students at school who wore their school uniform correctly; shirt tucked-in, top button done up, and tie in a double Windsor knot, with my black shoes polished regularly.
At the time I enjoyed Textiles more than Resistant Materials, because I felt there was more design freedom in Textiles; that your designs could be more creative, elaborate and intricate.
My interest in Textiles did not directly translate into an interest in fashion in my teens; my designs mainly focused on items found in a home, such as, cushions & blankets.
Taking pride in my appearance was very important in school and later in the office. In my first couple of years working in an office, my wardrobe was very plain consisting of a plain white shirt combined with black, charcoal, or navy trousers; when I attempted to be more creative in my choice of shirt colour and pattern, I struggled to understand why an item looked good on somebody else but not me.
Being curious and inquisitive I discovered the world of Colour Analysis and Image Consultancy.
Quickly, I arranged an appointment for a full style consultation with a Colour Me Beautiful image consultant. Where I learnt that the reason an item of clothing looked good on someone else and not me, was because our natural colouring; hair colour, eye colour, & skin tone; were different, meaning the colours we can wear our very different. Additionally, we covered fit, patterns, and style in relation to my body shape and natural colouring.
Equipped with my own personalised clothing encyclopedia, I slowly started to replace the items of clothing in my wardrobe when they were worn out and needed replacing; ensuring the replacements complemented my natural colouring and body shape.
Plus a few new additions where I felt the benefit greatly outweighed the cost; these were often items to help me combine colours for a better look. For example, a green coloured jumper to combine with a plain white shirt is a far better look than just a plain white shirt.
Suddenly, I was being complemented regularly on my appearance, whether in the office, attending a social event, or participating in sport; which if I’m honest took me a while to get used to.
In the working world I felt my appearance was the final piece of the puzzle, alongside my excellent communication skills and technical abilities to become a complete package. Quickly enabling me to jump pay scales from an entry level salary to a six-figure salary in two years; during this period I also achieved a childhood dream of working in Formula One with Alpine (Renault).
Having achieved my personal objectives in the corporate world, I was looking for a new and enjoyable challenge aligning with my personal interests and a desire to help people improve themselves leading me to train as a Colour Consultant and Personal Stylist with Colour Me Beautiful in 2023.
I look forward to meeting you and assisting you with your own personal style journey, so that you too, can look and feel good wherever you go!
Thank you very much,
Thomas