With enthusiastic passion, Penelope Bolkovsky has a love for designing quality clothes and achieving 100 percent customer satisfaction. “I love waking up to a job that I love! I couldn't possibly live happily without this passion I have for my work.”

Penelope lives in beautiful Sydney, Australia, where she designs and creates everything for her Penelope Red collection. “I design, pattern-make and create every garment in the Penelope Red line, so one of my achievements is my quality standards. I have been sewing for a long time now; each and every garment is a chance for me to learn more, and this experience shows in my designs.”

At eight years old Penelope knew she wanted to be a fashion designer. “I would always rip off the Barbie clothes and make my own from scraps of fabric. I believe I was born to be a fashion designer!”

Penelope thrives on the idea that fashion is an expression of every individual; a way to walk into a room, and without a sound, show people who you really are. “Fashion is how I express myself; how I show people that I am happy, confident and talented! It is how I show the world what I am about! Fashion is my way of saying, 'Look at what I can do!'"

She feels that having a customer fall in love with one of her designs is a huge accomplishment as a designer. “It may sound like a small thing, but every time a customer of mine leaves me with a huge smile on their face, it means that I have accomplished something. I have made them feel like a million dollars, and it is all because they love my designs! What more could a designer want?”

Penelope finds inspiration from many things, including movies, books, history, music, traveling and art exhibits. An art exhibit of Central Asia inspired a recent line in her Penelope Red collection.

“Penelope Red is about glamour, sophistication, with something a little extra, what I call Penelope Red panache! I love fabrics, colour, prints and boldness; my designs are always eye-catching, and usually have contrasting fabrics to highlight the silhouette of the figure. I admire the hourglass figure, so my styles are based around this.”

She also finds inspiration from encouragement she receives from the very people who buy her clothes. “So many of my customers, who I have met in the past few years, have been phenomenal! They have surprised me, supported me, and encouraged me. I truly love meeting them, and sharing my ideas and passion with them.”

Penelope feels that standing out among all the other designers is the biggest obstacle for any independent fashion designer.

“The biggest struggle is getting your name out there! There are so many designers for people to choose from. How do you make your designs, your ideas; your business stand out from the rest?
I ask myself these questions all the time!”

View Penelope’s blog and portfolio on UsTrendy.com.