Spend just a few moments in the company of Chanel Joan Elkayam and you can't help but feel inspired by her positivity and determination. In just a couple of years, she launched her own fashion brand, showcased her work in New York, Paris, Milan and London, and dressed her first celebrity client.
It's a list of achievements that would be the envy of many. But when you consider that she was studying for her A-levels at the same time, it's even more remarkable.
The 25-year-old grew up in Tameside with her younger brother, Joe, raised by mum Ester. She dreamed of working in fashion from a young age.
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"When I was 16 I said to my mum, do I need to wait to get a degree and get a masters and then start my own business? She said to me if I think that I'm ready, and I think I can do it, then take the risk, go for it and do it," Chanel says.
"She gave me a small amount of money and said go for it. I created my first collection and I set up my own show in Prestwich. Looking back it's just amazing where I've come from and where I've got to now.
"It was a really small show - my friends were the models, my friends did the make-up and hair. I didn't know anybody in the industry, I just took that risk and started something with the hope that it would become a big thing one day."
It was the start of a soaring rise through the fashion industry for Chanel. Her designs in Prestwich were spotted on social media, and she was invited to showcase her work at Manchester Fashion Week.
There, a photojournalist had posted her work online, which caught the attention of the directors of Paris Fashion Week. She was invited to show what was only her second collection at one of the biggest events on the calendar in March 2016.
"It was such a big thing for me," said Chanel. "It was like 'wow, OK, this is amazing'." After Paris came New York Fashion Week, followed by Milan, then London - where she did a show each year before the pandemic. "I had to balance so much," said Chanel.
"My GCSEs, my A-levels, school, homework - and at the same time I was showcasing in international shows. I got 100% in art, 100% in graphic design, and I managed my time so effectively that I was still able to achieve really good results at school.
"I did separate sciences as well and I was really invested in it. I didn't put that aside for this, I made sure that I had everything - my qualifications as well as starting my own brand - because it's important at the end of the day. It's amazing to think I was able to do that."
That relentless focus helped Chanel get to where she is today. She describes growing up in a family that wasn't wealthy, with Israel-born mum Ester raising her and Joe as a single parent, and rising above the 'mean' jibes of others at school.
In the early days of her work, she was a 'one-man band' - learning the skills of marketing, advertising and networking on the spot to make the most of her opportunities in the fashion world. "It's important, where I came from and where I am now," she adds.
It was during Paris Fashion Week that Chanel learned she had been accepted onto a womenswear course at Central Saint Martins, one of the world's top universities for fashion. While she also produces looks for men, she specialises in womenswear, and her collections are usually inspired by strong women.
"I visualise and imagine a theme and a vibe and a mood that I want to give off from the collection," she says. "I want the audience to feel something through the show.
"It's important to me that the collection has a good story behind it. Usually I'm inspired by independent, powerful women that have done something amazing in history, and after that I collect my ideas on a mood board and visualise this woman that the collection will be about.
"From there I go searching for fabrics, get swatches, see what works, colour palates, all that kind of thing - and then start production, the best part." Chanel says she constantly introduces new things to her work, to make sure it is unique.
"I don't follow trends. I want my work to stand on its own and be really timeless."
As well as making her work stand out, Chanel has tried to ensure her designs are showcased in catwalks which are as diverse as possible. Models to work with her include transgender activist Munroe Bergdorf and Kate Grant, who has Down's Syndrome.
Chanel's early work included a collection inspired by the first female pilot at New York Fashion Week, before putting a modern twist on royalty from across Europe and China in her Paris Fashion Week designs. But it was a poignant collection at Milan Fashion Week that stands out for Chanel.
She paid tribute to her grandmother, who had recently passed away. She was a Holocaust survivor who fled Tripoli in Libya - which was under the fascist Italian regime of Mussolini - for a new life in Israel.
"Her story just shows me bravery, determination and courage," Chanel said. "She ran away from the Nazis, and to run away from something like that and leave everything behind, to go and start a new life, that showed me so much, it really inspired me."
Chanel says it was a 'really emotional occasion', with her work showcased alongside emotive music. "People in the audience were crying," she adds.
The designer also finds inspiration from the two cities which have had huge influence on her, Manchester and London, which she splits her time between. Chanel said: "I find when I go to London the architecture inspires me just because of the way it is - it's more elegant and striking, more classy in a way, in certain parts of London.
"But Mancunians are so much nicer aren't they? I'm inspired by both places really. This is my home, and that's my home away from home."
Chanel was still a teenager when she was first approached by a stylist to work with a celebrity client. Now, she has dressed a host of famous names and is no stranger to a red carpet, something she still sees as a 'thrill'.
Actress Alex Kingston, 1980s pop sensation Sinitta and Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse are just some of those she has worked with, alongside reality TV stars Zara McDermott and Frankie Essex. "There has been quite a lot, and it's nice," Chanel says.
"I'm invited to red carpets myself, as well as dressing people for the red carpet. Being invited to Cartier events, Victoria Beckham's Christmas party, it's really nice.
"I feel really proud of myself that I've stuck through it and I've been determined all these years, and kept going, achieved so many things that when I was 16 I was just dreaming about. I feel really happy about that."
In just a few years, Chanel's meteoric rise through the fashion world appeared to have no limits. But there was one thing that stopped all of us in our tracks.
"Our last show was the week before lockdown," said Chanel. "Literally just before, I was so grateful that I managed to do that show."
"In the beginning, I felt like a brick wall had hit me in the face," she says. "No red carpets, no fashion, everybody was at home, it was just a crazy time."
Chanel had also just been offered a place at the University of Manchester to study a PhD before the pandemic hit. But while the world stayed at home, Chanel saw another opportunity, launching home accessories label Elkayam Home.
She said: "I thought, everyone's at home, so everyone's going to be buying things for their house. But later on in lockdown I just embraced the fact that we didn't have that much to do, and just took time to relax, a break from the really fast paced fashion industry."
Chanel also found another hit by producing facemasks during the pandemic which were made out of scrap materials from her work. It's just one way she tries to make use of every piece of fabric she works with, ensuring none of it ends up in landfill.
It's an important stance in an industry which is often criticised for its footprint on the planet. Chanel, who has also raised thousands of pounds for charities at home and abroad, is now gearing up to host her first show since lockdown.
She said: "It's stressful, but there's that energy about preparing for a fashion show that I just love. There's a lot of work involved - there's the PR, the guestlist, everything you need to take into consideration.
"Also I make sure that I know my guests by name and by face so I know who they are, so I have to learn all that before a show as well." Chanel added: "The thrill for me is when I see my work on the catwalk - that excites me.
"People are seeing my hard work, they're liking it, they're feeling something from it." Already named in the Forbes '30 under 30' for arts and culture in Europe, Chanel has also been nominated for a Women of the Future award, with the winner to be revealed on Wednesday (November 9).
Chanel takes pride from messages she receives from others who she has inspired, particularly young girls. She took a bold step at a young age to embark on an exciting career in fashion - and has never looked back.
Her message to anyone with their own dream? "Do it, take that risk, go for it, do something you've always wanted to do, and love what you do.
"I wouldn't change a thing. It's been an amazing journey."
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