In a fashion landscape of greys and blacks, Helen Greensmith is not afraid to stand out

Show me a fashion-conscious girl who doesn't love a scarf. Practical (it keeps your neck warm) and chic (it adds a dash of colour and personality to even the dullest outfits), it is also endlessly versatile.

"You can wear them in your hair, I've seen some people wearing them as belts as well," says Helen Greensmith. "You can wear quite a boring outfit then put a scarf on and immediately it jazzes it up. I've got quite a dull dress on, but I'm wearing a scarf that brings the colour out and makes it more interesting."

The 24-year-old designer is the woman behind Helen Ruth. "I just preferred using my middle name - it seemed a bit more quirky," she says.

A first class honours graduate in textiles and surface design from Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen, she now designs the most exquisite silk squares and wool throws with evocative names like Marie Antoinette, Masquerade, Secret Garden and Titania. The colours range from the vibrant reds and purples in a square featuring dozens of matryoshka dolls to the ice-cream shades of the Pearl scarf, decorated with vintage jewellery and cameo brooches.

"A lot of my designs are inspired by toys and dolls and using imagery from childhood, like Alice in Wonderland and that kind of thing," she says. "I loved stories and fairytales as a child."

A personal favourite is her Carnival design, "just for the colours", she says. "It's a really fun design. I also love the Sally scarf, which is reminiscent of my childhood and long-lost pets and toys."

Because she lives in Aberdeen, and her parents live in the nearby countryside, her more recent designs make a nod to Scottish fairytales and folklore. "I've been looking at deer skulls and nature, the birds and flowers," she says.

And, with her flash of bright red hair and vintage sense of chic ("I like bright colours - you can probably tell - mixing and matching different colours and patterns has always been my thing") she certainly stands out in the Granite City. In 2008 she won the first Como Text Print scarf design competition, which took her to Italy for a week's symposium. "It was a national competition where all the art schools in Britain were invited to design a silk scarf based on your university. I wasn't expecting to win, so it was very exciting.

"I got taken round all the print studios and that led to going back there for some work experience. That's where I got the passion for scarfs and print and developed my techniques and style.

"I'm actually a bit dull today," she adds, slightly ashamed of her knitted dress and thick tights. "I was going for a bit of a warm theme because I was feeling cold. I'm always wearing bright scarves though."

She's not the only one. Her pieces of "wearable artwork" are increasingly sought-after, and she has been featured in Selfridges' Wonder Room as well as being available on the Boticca website, a favourite with style-savvy stars such as Lady Gaga and the Gossip Girls. A newly launched online marketplace for unique pieces of jewellery, bags and accessories, each item has a story to tell. "Because Boticca is international, that's really exciting because people can see my scarves worldwide. As far as I know, no stars have bought any yet. I've been going only a year or so, so it's still early stages, but I'd like if they did."

She's also working with a dress designer in Banchory, on bespoke bridal and evening wear. "It's all using couture fabrics - top-end stuff," she says. "I've always been interested in fashion and maybe using my prints in garments is something for the future.

"But at the moment," she adds, "I'm just developing the scarf side and hoping to be recognised as one of the top independent designers in the UK."

All things considered, it looks as though this girl is headed for a happy ever after.

Links: www.helenruth.co.uk and www.boticca.com

• This article was first published in the Scotland on Sunday on November 7, 2010