AFTER a year-and-a-half of saving, shoe-mad Sarah Watkinson-Yull is to laun-ch her first range of footwear.

The Charlbury 21-year-old is bidding for fashion glory after launching her collection through yull.co.uk on Monday.

Miss Watkinson-Yull, whose designs were showcased during Oxford Fashion Week, saved £10,000 to launch the collection during a year at Lansdowne Chemicals, in Carterton, the family chemical export business.

She said: “I saved up to launch the business and I would encourage any young people to do the same if they really want to make something work.

“It’s very easy to put things off and then before you know it you have children and a mortgage and you can’t do it. If you really want to do something then you should go for it.”

She said: “University is not the be all and end all.

“I am running my business now and studying business in London at the same time. I don’t have much time off or a busy social life but making these sacrifices will be worth it in the end.”

She studied at the Fashion Retail Academy, in London, after attending boarding school in Dorset.

She said: “At the academy I learned about shop layout but I always really wanted to start my own company and work in fashion.

“I knew that I was good at designing and being creative and I love classic shoe designs.

“Spending a year selling chemicals was not exactly what I wanted to do, but I did learn about importing and exporting as well as finding out about business ethics and this has been very useful for my own business.”

She said classic shoe designs were her inspiration, with Coco Chanel her favourite designer.

Four pairs of the £65 shoes have already sold to family and friends.

Miss Watkinson-Yull is currently studying business management at Westminster University.

She added: “I have studied economics and business and this really helped with putting my business plan together and working out costings. I would urge anyone who wants to start their own business to do the same, as it’s quite hard to learn everything as you go along.”