WHILE most people believe moving to London is the best way to build a successful career in fashion, one Glasgow blogger is challenging this view.

The creative brains behind lifestyle blog Thank Fifi, Wendy Gilmour is taking the fashion world by storm by firmly remaining in her Scottish home.

The 31-year-old, who lives in the West End, has been nominated and shortlisted for several style awards, both in the UK and internationally, showing that Glasgow is just as style-minded as the south of England.

She launched the website in 2011 and has worked with fashion brands including Guess, TK Maxx and ASOS, as well as the Blythswood Hotel.

But Wendy can't be given full credit for the success of her blog.

Mr K, her six-year-old Finnish Lapphund, appears in every style shoot and has won a pet of the year award for sporting his own fur coat on the site.

Wendy is a graduate of Glasgow school of Art and marketing manager for city interior company, Bluebell Gray, and her style often combines art and fashion.

She said: "I love colour, both in my artwork and fashion. It's uplifting to wear and paint with.

"I think there's often a crossover, however subconsciously, in what I wear and my artistic creativity."

Disdaining Glasgow's "bad rep", Wendy loves the city's architecture, and uses it as a backdrop for the photoshoots on her blog.

She said: "Glasgow always gets such a bad rep from the rest of the UK that it doesn't deserve.

"A lot of people comment on my blog and ask where I'm being photographed because they don't realise it's Glasgow.

"Glasgow is full of amazing architecture and I love to use it in my blog, showing the world how beautiful the city can be.

"It also heightens the beauty of the photographs."

Wendy said Kelvin Way, in the West End, is her favourite spot because "no matter which way you look, there's an amazing backdrop of parkland or architecture".

The blogger is also a fan of the city fashion scene, and believes there is a much friendlier, creative and supportive network here than she ever found during time she spent in London.

She said: "There are a lot of fantastic new things coming from Scottish and Glaswegian designers at the moment.

"There's also a great sense of camaraderie in Glasgow when it comes to fashion.

"In London, there's so much competition that no-one ever wants to help each other out.

"Glasgow has such an inclusive hub of pop-up shops and fashion events, it's a great place to live for fashion."

The success of Thank Fifi comes, Wendy believes, from her effort to continue this camaraderie in the blogosphere.

She said: "I try to make a point of making sure I reply to people's comments on the blog as much as I can.

"When I first started out it was so encouraging when someone jumped back to my blog to say something nice. I want to give that to other bloggers out there."

Wendy has been photographed at London and New York fashion weeks and has featured in magazines including Vogue, Elle and Harper's Bazaar.

She has also been shortlisted for prestigious awards, including Communicator of the Year at the Scottish Fashion awards.

When Thank Fifi was only six months old it was shortlisted for the Marie Clare blog awards and was the youngest blog in the category.

She said, "I was also a semi-finalist in the Vixen blog awards which is an international blog award based in Norway,

"I couldn't believe that people across the world were actually reading and loving what I was doing."

"It just shows you could be from Glasgow, London, anywhere to blog successfully.

"If you're thinking about starting a blog, just go for it. Jump in at the deep end because if you don't, someone else will."

Follow Wendy at www.thankfifi.com