Tipawan Skoglund of Tippy Bows makes some of Greenwich Market’s most quirky and original handmade accessories. ‘Tippy’, who moved from Thailand to London in 2002, has traded in Greenwich since 2009, hand-sewing her distinctive bow ties, hair ribbons, bibs and baby accessories for a dedicated clientele.

Tippy first turned her hand to creating apparel when she was just ten years old, living in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai. Her first creation was a colourful pair of pyjamas fashioned from a fabric that caught her eye. Tippy’s Mum insisted she hand sew everything, as she was still too young to be trusted with the family sewing machine. And, from such basic beginnings, her lifelong flair for design was born.

After moving to London and working in high-end fashion retail in Knightsbridge, Tippy studied interior design then fashion, at the University of Arts London then St Martin’s College respectively. Looking for a paying outlet for her fashionable instincts, she originally opened a stall selling off-the-peg fashion and accessories. However, she soon learned that people prefer unique, creative pieces to mass-produced factory fare. So, she tentatively designed, cut and displayed her first bow ties.

Tippy’s keen eye for customers’ tastes, together with the speed at which her creations flew off the stall, have guided her cutting hand ever since. Now a profusion of bow ties, in everything from Union Jack to West African patterns adorns her stall. So, too, do scrunchies, hair ribbons, headbands, purses and babies’ bibs in a joyful riot of colours and patterns.

The playful style Tippy has made her signature has attracted plenty of attention, and not just from her regular customers and tourists. Recently, a steward at Wimbledon brought his uniform necktie to her stall, asking if she could turn it into a bow tie to wear as he officiated. It was no trouble for Tippy, and she and her daughter were rewarded with centre-court tickets for two days!

Tippy is now finding this kind of bespoke creation takes up more of her business. It’s not unusual for a prospective bride to choose a fabric and commission her to create all the accessories for the bridal party, ensuring they match fabulously on the big day. And, if customers don’t already have a fabric in mind, Tippy has plenty of delightful, British-made designs for them to choose from.

While Tippy could once call on her daughter to help with the stall she’s run for 15 years, her girl is now all grown up, and has her own work to get on with. That makes Tippy Bows a true one-woman operation: Tipawan designs, cuts, sews, markets and sells everything that carries her name. At the Market, if she’s not front-of-stall chatting cheerily with her customers, she’s tinkering away behind her trestle, finishing off the latest creations for display.

Greenwich is very much the centre of Tippy’s life now. First, she discovered a way to turn her creative instincts into a flourishing business at the Market; then, she moved into the area she’s come to know and cherish. What was originally a weekend concern now trades seven days a week. With luck, Tippy’s Bows will adorn Greenwich Market’s fashion scene with fresh, fabulous designs for many years yet!