A boutique owner and designer are teaming up to create the best of North-East fashion. Women's Editor Christen Pears reports.

WHEN the models sashayed down the catwalk at a recent charity fashion show at BALTIC, jaws dropped at the stunning outfits created by international designers including Valentino and Julien MacDonald. But it was the work of Newcastle-based designer Hazel Foreman that really attracted attention.

The 42-year-old hairdresser has no formal fashion training but her new collection, H by Hazel Foreman, is already attracting the attention of buyers across Europe. Unfortunately for them, but fortunately for the fashion-buying North-East public, she has struck an exclusive deal with Dusty's Daughter, the designer retailer based in the MetroCentre. The silver-clad dummies in the window provide a tantalising taste of what can be found inside.

Dusty's Daughter was opened last year by 24-year-old entrepreneur Jeanette Davies, who is keen to promote local talent. When she opened the shop, she stocked mainly casual labels, but the range has evolved in line with customer demand and most of the stock is now evening wear.

"We actually started with a lot of big brands but people want something different, something a bit unusual. If you want the big brands, there's a choice of stores. You come here if you want something different," she says.

"We carry mostly small, exclusive London labels but we do work with a few designers from the North-East, including a couple of girls from Northumbria University's fashion school, and now Hazel."

Hazel has always designed and made clothes for herself and her friends but never thought about selling them commercially until she spotted an advert for Dusty's Daughter, asking local designers to get in touch.

"Really it was just a hobby. I did put some stuff in a craft fair at Gateshead Flower Show and I had a lot of interest but it really started to take off when I got into Dusty's Daughter," says Hazel.

She makes all the clothes herself in her conservatory at home in Hazelrigg, near Newcastle, but she's in the process of converting her garage into workshop. She's also preparing to give up her hairdressing job.

"It's a big step but I have to do it to keep up with demand. I'm working all night at the moment to get things done," she says.

H is one of Dusty's Daughter's best-selling ranges, something Jeanette puts down to the superb fit.

"The clothes go from a size six to 20 so everyone can wear them and Hazel also does a bespoke service for larger ladies, adapting her designs to give them the best possible fit," she says.

Although her range is constantly expanding, Hazel has a core of designs that includes mini skirts, wide-legged trousers and an ingenious top that can be worn seven different ways. What makes the clothes unusual are the sumptuous fabrics she chooses - soft golds, hot pinks and funky prints - and she only ever makes a few pieces in the same fabric. They appeal primarily to the 17-20 age group, although there are plenty of customers in their 30s.

"H is wearable. The clothes aren't so outrageous that you can't wear them like a lot of designer stuff. Even at the fashion show at the BALTIC there were some beautiful things but Mrs Normal in the street couldn't wear them," explains Jeanette.

But for Jeanette, selling Hazel's collection is about more than fashion.

"There's definitely an ethical issue. Everything people buy now is manufactured abroad. British manufacturing is in decline and I'm trying really hard to keep work at home, especially in the North-East," she says.

"It's also about women in business. There are very few of us so I'm really pleased to be able to support someone like Hazel."

Hazel has always been artistic. Before becoming a hairdresser, she ran her own interior design consultancy, and enjoys painting oils and water colours, but she has no fashion training.

"That doesn't bother me," she says. "A lot of people even tell me they're glad I didn't go to college because that could have trained my own style out of me. I just do whatever I want. I don't have any rules to follow."

And it certainly shows in her designs. They're unusual, eye-catching and you certainly won't have to worry about coming face-to-face with someone wearing an identical outfit.

"I don't want to do the same as everyone else. The clothes I make are different and I think people want that more and more," she says.