ABBIE Ditton dreams of a life in fashion, and now she's proven she has the skills to make that happen.
Miss Ditton, 20, of Narellan Vale, won the gold medal in the national WorldSkills Australia competition in garment design last week.
``I was so shocked,'' she said. ``I had to actually sit there and wait for my name to come up [on the screen] just in case I didn't hear it right.''
Miss Ditton competed for three days at Darling Harbour's Sydney Convention Centre, designing and making patterns and sewing five garments.
She went to TAFE ``thinking I was going to be a big fashion designer'' but wants to teach, too.
``My five-year plan is eventually to get my qualification to teach and run my own business on the side,'' Miss Ditton said.
She prefers a collaborative approach with people she designs clothes for.
``If I make things for people they tell me roughly what they want, then I'll design a few things and show them and I sort of work with them then.''