Zandra Rhodes says her 'exotic' mum was her idol

Kent fashion designer Dame Zandra Rhodes says she first fell in love with fashion because of her "exotic" mother. "She must have been, I suppose, my idol," she said. The designer, 83, was speaking to the BBC about the launch of a new digital archive which documents 150 pieces of her work. Dame Zandra has spoken out about the "importance" of having her legacy remembered. Students across the world will be able to access a large part of Dame Zandra’s collection, which is being photographed by the University for the Creative Arts (UCA), in Farnham, Surrey. “It’s very important that my legacy gets remembered. "Time goes so quickly that you suddenly realise these things get forgotten.” she said. 'Medway was my grounding' First realising her passion for fashion from her “eccentric” mother, Dame Zandra studied at Medway College of Arts – now part of the University for the Creative Arts. She said: “[My mother] was so exotic. When she came to open day at school, I’d say ‘please don't come looking different from all the other mothers’. “The other mothers probably didn't even have make up and there she was looking like a fashion model. She must have been, I suppose, my idol." Dame Zandra has designed garments for celebrities including Freddie Mercury and Princess Diana, but has always remembered where she begun her career. “Medway College or Arts was really my grounding. It was where I learned to draw, where I learned to see things imaginatively, where I learned to do prints," she said.