Graduation Tales: How The Loss Of A Son Changed Ellen’s Life
Ellen Hembrow has started her own business after getting a first-class Honours degree in Fashion from the University of South Wales
LOSING a son when he was just six weeks old was, not unsurprisingly, a turning point in Ellen Hembrow’s life.
The death of Ethan turned out to be the catalyst for a total life change that has seen the 36-year-old Cardiff mum of three turn her back on a career in engineering, and instead complete a degree in Fashion Design at the University of South Wales (USW).
She’s now started her own fashion company – Llên Hembrow (a name that’s an amalgamation of her Welsh and Danish roots) – and is looking to expand on the collection she made during her studies, which, she says, focuses on the modern gender-fluid society, and ‘the generation yet to come’.
The change in Ellen’s life is something she couldn’t have predicted when she left the University of Glamorgan in 2002 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
“I went through the traditional route, going to university after leaving Corpus Christi school in Cardiff, and then trying to get a job after finishing study,” she said.
“At the time it was difficult for women to get jobs in engineering in Wales, so, after a few years, I decided to return to study – starting a Masters in Environmental Engineering at Glamorgan in 2005.”
Having married husband Wayne, who she met while on her degree course and who is also an engineer, Ellen discovered she was pregnant during the first year of her post-graduate course.
All was fine until she reached 29 weeks into her pregnancy, and doctors discovered she was suffering from eclampsia.
“I was taken in and Ethan, although 11 weeks premature, was delivered as there was a danger to our health,” Ellen explained. “He was fine at first, but at six weeks old he had complications and died.”
The loss was obviously devastating to Ellen and Wayne, but it was a turning point in her life.
“After getting over the initial shock, I decided that was the time to leave engineering behind and start my life afresh. I wanted to look forward, not back, and do something different.”
Having given up work on doctors’ advice, Ellen went on to have three sons – Sonny, nine, Bruce, seven, and Caleb, five – but four years ago decided it was time to look at a different career that would fit in around her family.
“I wanted to do something – and, having three boys, I wanted to show them that it’s good having two parents working,” Ellen said.
“I’ve always been interested in fashion – since I was a teenager, if I couldn’t find what clothes I wanted I would make them myself.
“The course at USW really appealed. It’s close to home and has a year out in industry, so you can get some real-life experience while you study.
“The students in fashion were also very different from those on the engineering course. I was the only female doing engineering, but there were only two males on the fashion course.”
Ellen’s now looking forward to putting her learning into practice.
“There’s actually a lot of similarities between engineering and fashion, You’re still making something, using processes, it’s just a different form in the end,” she said.
“The training in business and professional strategies on the course has also given me an understanding of how to get my company off the ground and to get the branding right.
“I’m looking forward to using all I’ve learned at USW to build up my business.”
Spotted something? Got a story? Email News@News.Wales
