Born in 1945 as an only child to refugee parents, Tanya Sarne spent the first two years of her life in a children's home while her parents searched for suitable accommodation. After leaving Sussex University in 1967 with a degree in History, early career choices included a stint as an actress, work as a fashion model and a script reader for Universal Films. In the mid-1970s, when her first marriage collapsed, she started selling alpaca jumpers from Peru to support her children. Thus began her involvement with fashion. She launched Ghost in 1984 and it became the 1990s' biggest independent fashion brand, famous for its outrageous parties and clothes that made women feel confident about themselves. The brand is now owned by Touker Suleyman.