Column: Where fashion meets interiors: Building a career across borders

Monthly Column By Freda Shepherd

I grew up in Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong, in a family of eight living in a small apartment. Life was modest, yet full of purpose. From the age of six, my weekends and school holidays were not for play – they were spent in my father’s garment factory. That factory became my first classroom.

Every detail captivated me: the chalk gliding across fabric, the crisp slice of heavy silver scissors through layered cloth, the hum of sewing machines late into the night. I watched flat rolls of cotton, silk, woven, and knitted textiles transform into garments ready for shipment across the world. I didn’t realise it then, but I was learning the language of materials, texture, layering and composition – the same principles that also shape interiors.

I worked alongside my father’s team and absorbed the discipline behind creation: precision, process, and craftsmanship. Every step mattered, and these early lessons shaped my approach to design.

As I grew older, I discovered a new passion – aesthetics. I loved styling mannequins, selecting combinations, and composing visual stories through clothing. It was in that moment I realised I was not only drawn to making garments, I was drawn to creating beauty, in whatever form that may be. I became fascinated with balance, proportion, and harmony, using design to convey emotion and narrative.

Over the next two decades, fashion became an integral part of my identity. It gave me structure, resilience, and a profound respect for craftsmanship. My work took me to Los Angeles, Dubai, Russia, Panama, Australia, and Vancouver, where I built networks and expanded opportunities. Later, I moved to London and entered the field of interior design. Many questioned this transition – fashion and interiors seem to occupy different worlds. To me, they speak the same language.

A space, like a garment, should envelop you, and just as a garment needs materiality to give it shape and dimension, interiors need that same attention. Behind every project or space designed, is discipline. Just as the careful process that turns materials into something meaningful, design is about emotion and the narrative we choose for that environment.

Today, as co-founder and Director of the design atelier Shepherd&, my work continues to be rooted in transformation. Whether working with fabrics, materials, furniture, or spatial environments, the principle remains the same: design should create an experience.

Thank you to Freda Shepherd for sharing her story so openly. It’s a privilege to launch this new series with such an honest reflection on creativity, craftsmanship and the experiences that shape a designer’s perspective.