Brave Ricki earns
Fashion designer with a passion for zebra print defies the odds to launch her own label while battling rare Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which leaves joints prone to dislocating
BY JULIE-ANNE BARNES STRIKING a pose in her own designs, Ricki Gault has more reason than most to be scared of strutting down a catwalk.
One wrong move could land the 20-year-old fashion graduate in a cast for weeks.
Ricki, from Glasgow, has a rare condition called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and has to take a cocktail of drugs to keep pain at bay.
Even walking in heels could be enough to cause a serious injury.
But Ricki has used her condition to inspire her own designs and has just set up her own fashion label.
She said: “I can dislocate my own shoulders which used to be a party trick. I’ve had to stop doing that though, because it’ll just make things worse in the long run. This is not going away. There’s nothing doctors can do to cure it.”
EDS is described as a connective tissue disorder and affects every patient in different ways. For some, it means extreme fatigue and hernias and for other people, it can leave them with serious heart disease.
Despite her struggles, Ricki has managed to complete a degree in fashion design and production with retail at Glasgow’s Kelvin College, who deliver the course in association with Manchester Metropolitan University.
And she is hoping to use her own experience to raise awareness and inspire others.
Ricki said: “Its been a tough year trying to juggle my studies with my condition but I’ve managed it. There were days where I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it any more but I was determined to finish it.
“By designing my collection to raise awareness for EDS, I felt an even bigger urge to succeed and complete my final year. Some days the pain and fatigue was unbearable but I’m extremely happy I didn’t give up.”
Ricki’s condition means she can’t do what other 20-year-olds do and she has to manage her symptoms as best she can. She can’t dance the night away or run for the bus and some days she struggles to get out of bed.
“I can’t go out all night in heels,” she said. “I’ve been on nights out and torn ligaments. I ended up in a cast for almost nine months once.
“I lifted my left leg and the pressure on my right ankle just made it snap. A lot of the time if I’ve hurt myself,I’m checking to see if it’s torn ligaments or if something is actually broken. I can’t run or sprint. When I was young, I used to play football and the coach noticed that when I ran, I fell. That’s because my knees would lock.
“I crack my knuckles about 100 times a day. I know most people get told not to and that it’s a bad habit but with me, I need to crack them or they won’t move properly. It’s the same with my back. I need to see a chiropractor regularly for it.”
Ricki first noticed something was wrong when she sprained her ankle as a child. While the injury healed quickly, the bruising stayed for weeks.
Doctors diagnosed her with hypermobility syndrome but she knew that didn’t fully explain her symptoms.
She said: “I was on cocodamol from age of eight to 14. I had to go to a specialist pain clinic because my GP couldn’t prescribe it due to my age. When I went for physio after I