I grew up in Glasgow and failed university and now help run a major fashion label.

A fashion executive has told how she went from being a failed student to working with some of the world’s most famous designers.

Stephanie McCartney grew up in Glasgow’s East End.

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She always had an eye for fashion, but when she first went to college in 2009, she admits she didn’t take it too seriously.

But failure was the wake-up call she needed: now she’s at the helm of mega-brand Alexander McQueen and has collaborated with brands including Gucci and Prada.

Stephanie said: “It’s overwhelming and an incredible privilege to work for a brand I never thought I would be able to. work for. Little Stephanie would never say that was even in the cards.”

The now 32-year-old spent her formative years in Baillieston.

As a teenager, she managed to secure a place on the fashion design course at Kelvin College in 2009.

But things turned out differently than planned.

Only child Stephanie said: “I never, never, never tried, I really didn’t take it seriously. I would have preferred to go with my friends, I got into it with my bare hands. teeth.”

The young student saw it as his job to put ‘stupid things’ first failure her first year of college left her devastated when she had to to leave the lecture.

She said: “I prioritised friends, shopping and crazy things over my studies. I was still quite immature. Things got even harder when my father became seriously ill.

“There were many times when I wasn’t there because I wanted to be there for him.

“Having to leave Glasgow Kelvin College after just one year was the biggest wake-up call I’ve ever had. It was the first time anyone said, ‘you can’t go on, you haven’t done enough and it’s over’.

“It was so devastating. The absolute shame and embarrassment of having to tell your parents is something I never want to experience again. I owe everything to them for giving me a second chance.”

Six months later, a grateful Stephanie, then 17, was given the chance to try again thanks to university teachers who accepted her application for a fashion degree. company class.

She said: “I just needed a place where my potential was recognised and I owe everything to them. Every teacher said ‘of course you can try again, we know you can do this’.

“I had let myself down, I had let them down, I had let my parents down. I wanted to prove to them that I could do it and I wanted to prove to everyone that I could do it. I wanted to do fashion and I stuck to my guns. guns.”

Stephanie worked towards her HNC before entering the final year of a Fashion Management degree at Robert Gordon University. Her graduation led Stephanie to push herself to apply for an internship at Pret a Porter in London, which she secured.

She said: “The shock was unbelievable. That little girl who had failed before never wanted to fail again in her life.

“That feeling of validation was so overwhelming, I couldn’t believe it. It was one of the most emotional things that has ever happened to me.”

Once that was over, she landed a job at e-commerce giant Farfetch, before moving on to work at the world-famous Dubai Mall in the United Arab Emirates. Emirates.

After a while there she started to top function at Harrods, where he collaborated with the most sought-after designer labels.

Early last year, she caught the attention of Alexander McQueen’s bosses, where she remains to this day as the company’s senior global E-Concession and marketplace manager. Her dream job is to lead a team of the label’s five e-commerce departments around the world.

Grateful for her years at university, Stephanie advises young Scots to trust themselves and know that to dream are more accessible than they think.

She said: “I would tell the younger Stephanie and other students to trust themselves, have confidence in what they have to offer and know that their dream is much further than they think.

“Raise your hand, volunteer and show yourself, because much more is in your hands than you think.

“The most important lessons I learned at Glasgow Kelvin College would have been learned much later. The college experience reveals what you need to work on, how you actually function under pressure, or how you deal with new things. You can make mistakes.”