AS a teenage fashion model of the Twiggy era, Gene Sutcliffe was a starlet of the catwalk who simply relished the opportunity to wear beautiful clothes.

More than three decades on, Gene remains at the cutting edge of haute couture and travels Europe to bring the latest looks back home to East Lancashire.

Paris, Dusseldorf, London and Milan are just some of the exciting destinations which appear on her hectic schedule - but she wouldn't want it any other way.

Managing director of the Accrington-based shop which has carried her name since 1970, Gene shows no sign of slowing down even though her life was rocked last year with the shock passing of her husband and business partner, Alan.

Alan died while the couple were away on holiday, but Gene remains totally committed to her shop, her staff and her customers.

"Losing Alan was obviously a devastating blow," said Gene. "We had been married since the sixties and we started the business together. I was working as secretary to the chairman of a local cotton mill and doing freelance modelling in the evening while Alan was a company secretary in Manchester.

"We decided that with his accountancy background and my interest in fashion, a clothes shop would be the perfect business for us and we bought a small outlet on Abbey Street.

"We called it 'Gene' and I did everything from buying, through to window dressing and selling while Alan kept his job and helped out with the facts and figures. Things went well from the word go and a couple of years down the line as we expanded he came on board full time. When neighbouring property became available we snapped it up and our floor space has increased twenty fold.

"When Alan died, I know many people thought I would probably see it as a an opportunity to sell up and retire. Those people obviously don't know me. I am a strong person and a committed Christian and both those factors - backed by the unswerving support and loyalty of the staff - left me in no doubt about continuing."

But, much more than that, Gene also decided it was time to move forward - and go younger!

"I identified a need to appeal to the younger market by stocking top-quality fashions for women in the 25-40 age bracket. In essence, we are providing a store within a store, with more than a third of the shop now devoted to designer ranges aimed exclusively at the younger woman. We are the largest Betty Barclay outlet in the north of England."

Gene is confident that the move toward attracting a younger customer will dovetail perfectly with her existing business: "We have a very loyal customer base; indeed, some ladies have been with us from day one. They can rest assured that all the elements that have helped us to win our reputation - quality, service and offering something that little bit different - still apply as strongly today as ever.

"We are simply building on what we have already achieved and see all of this as a very exciting development. Women of all ages are getting younger and that's a fact. They are far more aware of their appearance and their sexuality and we endeavour to reflect that in the clothes we sell."

Gene was born and raised in Accrington - one of her classmates at Hyndburn Park School was ex-teacher-turned-comedian Jim Bowen - and she still lives in the town.

Daughter Caroline worked in the family business for a while before branching out to become an international marketing manager within the global drinks industry.

"Caroline is a career woman who lives in London and does very well," said Gene. "Will she come back to the shop one day? Perhaps, who knows?

"I am very fortunate to have a superb team around me, from my personal assistant Carol Wilson to the shop manageress Christine Walker and more than a dozen staff across all departments. I wouldn't like to add up the total years of service involved, but without them, I would not be here today that is for sure."

Gene reckons the fashion market is more competitive than ever and feels a 'sale culture' has affected the way women shop for clothes these days, but she also remains convinced that a bright future lies ahead for those who can identify the opportunities.

"When I travel around the fashion shows I never shop for myself; I am there to imagine how the clothes I am viewing will appeal to our customers."

"We have ladies who come from Cheshire and Cumbria - even across from the Isle of Man - and there are times when I might buy an item with a particular individual in mind.

"Doing the foreign shows sounds very glamorous, but it is a pressurised environment and can be very hard work. I always try to buy better than the previous year and appreciate that mistakes can be very costly.

"I like the clothes we sell to be special, but cringe when I hear the word 'exclusive' for that sounds like an excuse to be expensive. I want to offer quality clothing that also represents good value for money.

"Everything we do is geared up to making women feel good about themselves and when a lady leaves the shop with a huge smile on her face, we know we have achieved that goal. The travelling and the shows are fine, but satisfying customers remains the real buzz for me."