IT was fitting that fashion designer Betty Jackson was accompanied by fellow designer Wendy Dagworthy when she collected an honorary doctorate at Huddersfield University this week.

When a young Betty Jackson embarked on her career, Wendy was her own mentor – and now Betty Jackson’s new role will see her provide some inspiration to a new generation of designers.

She worked as Wendy’s design assistant in the early 70s before she went on to form her own company in 1981.

Fast forward through a successful career and the 62-year-old is using some of her experience to help others as they embark on their own journeys.

Lancashire-born Betty saw Huddersfield students working in the university’s fashion studios and passed on a few tips and shared some anecdotes.

And she took some time out to talk to the Examiner about her own career and inspiration.

Wearing a black suit from her own autumn/winter 2011 collection, Betty recalled a time when a top designer visited her as she learnt her trade at the Birmingham College of Fashion under designer Zandra Rhodes.

“I remember Zandra Rhodes first coming in, she was very inspirational and she had her own business too, so we knew she was someone to listen to.

“It was very exciting and she was, of course, unbelievably glamorous.

“I remember the first project she gave us to do was an outfit for Julie Driscoll’s stage show. It was an exciting time.”

From there she went to work with Wendy Dagworthy, once described as the “high priestess of British fashion”. In 1981 she went on to launch her own company, Betty Jackson Ltd, with her husband and business partner David Cohen.

It was, perhaps, a little easier then.

Betty explained: “I think it is much more difficult now, especially in these times and climate, but I was passionate about it and worked very hard.

“I am quite sure that coming from an area like this gives design students the best start, they have to know about the process of creativity – it’s a vacuum of education, experiments and experiences.

“You can be a great designer, but you can’t do it on your own, you have to be creative and learn from textile designers, pattern cutters and seamstresses.

“I don’t believe colleges should just turn out designers when there is so much more to learn.”

If Betty were to go back in time and find herself among the new intake at Huddersfield University, she believes she would still embrace fabric in the same way she did back in her early days.

“I fell in love with fabric at an early age,” she added. “For me that love affair has never faded. There was never any question that I would do anything else.”

Versatility is essential to designers – her career has seen her stand before The Queen as she collected an MBE and design the eccentric outfits for outlandish Absolutely Fabulous characters Edina and Patsy.

Betty remains inspired by fashion – she is comfortable with her designs and is always looking ahead.

“I start the next collection immediately after finishing the last. Generally I think it’s in a designers’ blood, it gets under your skin. I’ve always been inspired by fine artists, for me that is always the starting point.”

Like many top London designers, Betty has branched out and now designs a collection for Debenhams under the Betty Jackson Black label.

“There may be an economic crisis at the moment but it doesn’t mean there is a creative crisis, we have to find new ways of reaching people,” she added.

The first Betty Jackson Black range was launched in 2005 and she refreshes the collection for the autumn/winter and spring/summer seasons.

Betty said of her relationship with the store: “They’re a fantastic team and it gives me a chance to reach a different market.

“They are very supportive of what we put out and they have such a presence on the high street yet offer so much to many people.

“For some women they may be nervous coming in [to her shop] or the expense might be an issue, but this gives people a chance to experience what we’re about.

“It is a different range, instead of making six of everything we make 2,000 for the high street, so costs and the fabric are different, but we still want people to have the opportunity to try something different and Debenhams offers that.”

While she toured Huddersfield University’s fashion studio she met two students, Abiya Younas and Nicole Goodwin, both 4th year fashion design students, and saw them learning the basics of fly-zip sewing. She told them she was “hopeless” at it as a student.

Nicole, who would like to set up her own label, said: “It’s exciting because having someone like Betty involved with the university shows that we have the links with the industry and top designers.”

The designer has overcome serious disability to rise to the top of her profession. Birth complications left her with a dislocated leg, which had to be amputated when she was a child.

Betty is the creator of the M&S Autograph collection.