ESTILA edit
ISSUE 25
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Welcome to the issue 25 of ESTILA Edit!
INSPIRING STORIES OF CHANGE AND PURPOSE I don't know about you but I find autumn not the easiest season. Even though surrounded by beautiful colours, my mood and motivation suffers greatly. That's why I decided to do this Estila EDIT differently. I compiled my favourite interviews from the past 24 magazine issues with the most inspiring women and British brands into 21 exclusive energising and motivational articles, plus some new bonus, never published articles! Because each story is very unique and shares words of wisdom, I also, for this purpose, left the content page out. The idea is that you read through them all at your own pace. Hope you like it! Love,
Karolina xx Karolina Barnes editor in chief
Cover: artwork by Natalie Barnes
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Win this art ‘Leake’ Open Edition Giclée Print by PickArtHome’s Street Art Collection. This photo was taken in London, UK, 2008. This large piece of street art was photographed in Leake Street. "I couldn’t take my eyes off this striking female face." PicArtHome founder Closing date: 31.10.2017
ENTER PRIZE DRAW
This offer is for one Giclée print only and closes on 31.10.2017. T&C apply.
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HAVE YOU GOT A STORY TO TELL? We are looking for inspirational life stories, products and emerging brands in interiors, fashion and lifestyle. If you have a story to share, please get in touch at editor@estila.co
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Kate Whitfield designer and founder
An Artful Life
It was an extremely difficult and upsetting decision at the time but I really couldn’t continue my job with my circumstances (health and home life). I only made the decision to quit once I had come up with the plan to set up a little homeware store. This new venture inspired me, and gave me the interest and positivity to turn a slightly forced move into a welcome one. By the time my last day came I was eager to get going! The 'little homeware store' now has a great customer base with a curated collection of almost 300 items, and An Artful Life design studio is now also properly up and running with a fantastic restaurant project currently on site at Battersea power station. But it is hard and it can be pretty stressful. I won’t lie, it’s a constant juggling act and I often wish for a time when in my house man / wife can swap roles and I just leave the house every day without having to think about where the kids are going and getting back in time to pick them up! However, having your own business works great with family life as it gives you the flexibility that you need, to pick and choose when to be around for them, and get the odd chore done during the day so it doesn’t all pile up at the weekend! I do know that I work many more hours than the children are in childcare for (first thing in the morning and last thing at night usually), but when you love what you do it’s a pleasure and I honestly have no problem at all with Mondays! You may feel you’re loosing financial security at times but you are definitely not loosing any freedom. You are gaining it in so many ways. On the financial side, we were lucky-ish, in that when my partner and I sat down (before I decided to leave my ‘proper’ job) and calculated where we would stand financially, we worked out that we could just about manage the vitals on his salary alone (bearing in mind we have twins so we have always had to pay a lot on childcare for me to work anyway). 6
This would mean no niceties, no holidays, no new clothes. It was tough for a while but if you know that worst-case you can keep going, anything else can be seen as a bonus. I also ended up freelancing for my previous company one day a week right from the outset, so I always knew I had a little money coming in, whilst having the freedom to set up An Artful Life. It has now been three and a half years and I love it. I'm very proud of what I have built in this time and the brand of An Artful Life gets clearer to me all the time. I also get immense joy from all the lovely relationships I make with artists, designers, suppliers, customers/ clients and fellow creatives There’s a phrase which I always repeat - which I’ve probably got totally wrong but goes something like - it’s better to regret something that you do, than to regret not doing it at all. I very much agree with this as at least by doing it you know you’ve tried, whereas if you never do that thing, you’ll always wonder... (and regret it more I think). I can’t speak for each individual and their situation but if by trying something different and it all went horribly wrong, there’s probably not many circumstances where you can’t turn around and go back to where you were if you really needed to. Therefore it’s really not such a risk. Although in reality you probably won’t ever want to because you’ll be enjoying your new job and life much more than you ever were. In changing what you do, you also extremely quickly meet a ton of very like-minded people in very similar situations which really helps. And there is a very real support network out there (especially between women for some reason) in the creative world / working mums / independent women.
WORDS OF INSPIRATION
on life & business
"It's better to regret something than to regret not doing it at all."
ANARTFULLIFE.CO.UK 7
Libby Hart womenswear designer and brand
Libby London
I worked in finance for a long time (I spent 8 years on the trading floor selling asset backed bonds, working my way up to become a Director in structured finance) yet had always wanted to run my own business. There was an entrepreneurial side waiting to get out. The more senior I became, the harder I found it to buy work appropriate but stylish clothes at affordable prices. I investigated the idea of developing a clothing line for a long time and after endless research my initial designs were so well received, I thought, “I have something here�. I wanted to create a brand that perfectly served the modern working woman and there was a genuine gap in the market.! Leaving behind a career in the city was an incredibly difficult process to go through. There was no guarantee that the Libby London business would work and I loved my job in finance but had a really strong feeling that my idea had legs. I initially found it very difficult to work without the support structure of a big corporation. The fear of failure was terrifying and I knew that once I was out of banking for more than a year there would be no going back. Getting the brand out there and generating sales was a challenge I needed to address quickly. Determination and total, utter dedication on a level that I would never have imagined. In the early days, we held corporate pop-up shops every week in various banks or law firms around London as marketing an online business is expensive. I still hold similar events now as it is a great opportunity for me to interact with our customer face to face.
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It’s interesting to see what people select and why; their feedback is invaluable. A lot of the customers I met in the early days are now our most loyal and have followed our journey from the beginning. Brace yourself. You have to be prepared to survive without an income for 2 years. Rent anything you own, sell your car and pare down your spending to an absolute minimum. Focus on the end goal.
WORDS OF INSPIRATION
on life & business
"Focus on the end goal and be prepared to survive for the first two years at least. Rent anything you own, sell your car, pare down your spending to an absolute minimum."
LIBBYLONDON.COM
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Denise Troy founder
Wunderkid
I’ve always had the creative itch. Whether it be choreographing a music video or illustrating a children’s book, I find all creative outlets to be incredibly cathartic and food for my soul. Most people who know me refer to me as the girl with four pots on the stove because I’m always doing a million things at once. I’ve always operated this way and I find myself more productive when I’m doing many things rather than being singularly focused. While I am passionate about many things, my biggest focus for this year is to learn how to quiet and calm my mind. I have trouble sitting still and finding peacefulness in life’s simplicity and I’m realising more than ever how important and necessary this is. I launched Wunderkid and had a little girl (Stella Jameson) last year, so 2015 was a big year to put it lightly. I believe my mission in life is to empower others and help individuals discover their true path. I started Wunderkid because I saw a real gap in the market for meaningful support for young artists and their journey. Wunderkid is a new creative social enterprise that aims to address the rising costs of higher education and the difficult accessibility younger artists seem to endure on their educational journey. With each sale, Wunderkid contributes to the artist’s college tuition fund. Our mission is to empower exceptionally talented young artists locally and internationally by providing a digital platform that allows them to sell their art. I have always been a dreamer and as much as I love my little one, I knew I needed to keep an identity for myself separate from that of the role as mum.
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Motherhood is without a doubt the most demanding and intense job I’ve ever had and sometimes I think I’m crazy for trying to do anything more than that. I hope that Stella (my little nugget) will grow up seeing that her mum is fearless when it comes to pursuing her dreams and I hope she learns strength and empowerment. I think the hardest part of starting your own business is the uncertainty. As a type A personality, I love schedules, order and a healthy does of stability. Taking the leap to start a business, you’re pretty much doing away with all of that. I think if you’re passionate enough about your business and really believe in its potential, you dig deep and find some sort of inner knowing that affirms the importance of risking it all. This risk is really beautiful and something to be celebrated. As scary as it sometimes can be, if you return to that inner guide, somehow you weather the hurdles, the insecurities and the self doubt.
WORDS OF INSPIRATION
on life & business
"If you're passionate enough about your business and really believe in its potential, you dig deep and find some sort of inner knowing that affirms the importance of risking it all."
WUNDERKID.CO
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Marcella Renna ceramist and artist
Marcella Renna
After a short career as a lawyer I realised that I was a circle in a square world and I wasn't cut at all for formalities, suits and ethical compromises of this kind of world. I wanted to get out but I didn't how, where to start or what to do. I was always passionate about images and imagination so I moved from my small town in southern Italy to Milan to study Communications and Digital Design at IED (European Institute of Design) and A.F.O.L achieving a MA in both subjects. That led me to work in the fashion and graphic industries until my "encounter" with ceramics. While assisting an Italian artist on his collection I discovered the fantastic, dusty and colourful world of ceramics. I committed myself to learning as a much as possible from other artisans such as Puzzo's family in Milan and continued to learn from Massimo Gentili and the fantastic friends and artists who work at his magical ceramic studio in Tuscany. I then found myself living in one of the most exciting places in the world, London, where I worked for 3 years in Pert Weigl's artist shared studio. After my return to Italy, I set up my own studio where I work mostly on my graphic ceramic collection of jewels and objects that mix together my graphic background and clay. There were two big reasons that made me to change the direction of my career path. Firstly, I didn't like the ethical compromise behind the lawyer career. I've always been very naive and thought I could save the world from evil. When I realised that letting somebody guilty with minimum penalty was part of the job, I felt I'd have had many conscience problems along the way.
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Having said that, I still would have liked to defend human rights in a positive way. Secondly, I felt I couldn't express myself with words as good as with images. Definitely I had to learn to work alone. I love sharing knowledge, experiences with other people, simply speaking of things to clarify my thoughts. I set up my business all by myself since I couldn't afford to pay a manager, a consultant or any employee. I have many suppliers of course but all the decisions have to be made by me. This is very hard; you never know if you're doing it right until the market answers. I’m kind of like a sponge; I love seeing things, natural things and things made by other people, designers, artists, artisans, illustrators. I absorb all I see and reshuffle it. For sure I’ve been influenced by Japanese artists Takashi Murakami and Yayoi Kusama. Their work is meaningful and playful at the same time, and I like how they contributed to fashion. I’ve been influenced by Swedish design too. I love how they use clean lines, simple shapes and thick, full colours. I also have a ceramic hero, Katharine Morling. I use very much black and white so I was wowed by her porcelain sculptures that look like black and white 3d drawings and by the fact we both love butterflies.
WORDS OF INSPIRATION
on life & business
"Working on your own is hard. You never know if you're doing the right thing until the market answers."
MARCELLANRENNA.COM
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Georgia Vaux accessory designer and brand
Play Purse
As a child I would spend hours in the museum gift shop eyeing up all the novelties and souvenirs, and spending my pocket money on vending machine toys. That aesthetic has stayed with me and has very much been the inspiration behind Play Purse. As well as working as a graphic designer I have also been involved with fashion and accessories design. In the early 2000’s, together with my friend, Louise Scott-Smith, I founded a fashion-led homeware company called Lovelylovely (stocked in Liberty of London and Selfridges). I gained a lot of production and sourcing experience that proved very useful when it came to researching the manufacturing of Play Purse. In my collection of novelties, I’d kept since childhood, were two in particular that intrigued me: a toy silver watch and a toy beaded coin purse. I was working on a collection of clothing and accessories that had a playful twist and wanted to do something with these. By chance I met someone who specialised in leather printing and had the idea of creating a grown-up version of the plastic toy watch. Next was the toy purse. I thought it would be cool to have a grown-up version - just the same, but bigger. I started to do some research and found that you couldn’t even buy the purses new anymore, just vintage ones on eBay and Etsy. I wanted to find new purses so that I could find the details of where they were manufactured but couldn’t find them anywhere. I think they stopped manufacturing them about 20 years ago. I had to start from scratch sourcing the fabrics and getting moulds made for the beads. It took 2 years of development until they looked like the originals.
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The lengthy process of developing the purses took over from the rest of the collection I had been working on and soon it was all about Play Purse. These little toy purses seemed to really hit a nerve with women and I wanted to bring them back and make them for grown-ups. There were constant challenges, and of course plenty of mistakes to make. But I persevered and we worked through the various issues until all the details were right. Once I was happy with the sampling I knew I had to be brave and start the manufacturing process. At some point you have to take a leap of faith. I think the biggest challenge for me is accepting that growing a brand takes time, and I am very impatient. Doing it on my own is also a daily challenge, there are so many elements to this and I am only just beginning to develop some business sense. Play Purse is sort of outside fashion; you don’t have to be fashionable or a follower of fashion to enjoy a Play Purse. I’m very much in favour of ‘Slow Fashion’. It is pretty much impossible as an independent designer to keep up with the ongoing seasonal demands of the fashion industry without huge amounts of funding. I like the idea of a more purposeful and eclectic fashion movement and think it is a far more manageable business model for independent designers. I think my advice would be to be mindful of the pace of fast fashion (there are even micro-seasons now!) and work with the new Slow Fashion movement. I mean, my toy purse from when I was a girl is still in fashion!
WORDS OF INSPIRATION
on life & business
"I like the idea of more purposeful fashion movement rather than fast fashion. Be mindful of the pace of fast fashion." PLAYPURSE.CO.UK
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Corinne Webb furniture designer and brand
Frame & Cover
It all started with being taught to knit as a child by my Nan. I got completely addicted and my love of art and design started from that moment. From a childhood hobby, I ended up taking a textiles degree specialising in weave. I adored the feeling of different cloths and the possibilities seemed endless and enthralling. I was in heaven! Following on from my degree days, I cut my cloth with the big boys - designing at Marvic Textiles, Altfield and Laura Ashley. It was at Laura Ashley that the seeds of my own business idea started to take root. I took a course to train to be an upholsterer and remembered how much I loved to use my hands. I also met some inspirational people and gained a deeper knowledge in sustainable materials. The environment and how we treat it has always been something close to my heart. This is what inspired me to start my business and redress the balance between design and the environment. Frame & Cover is all about sustainability, traditional techniques – and passion! Our chairs are handmade to order in the Midlands using traditional upholstery techniques; the wood used for the frames is FSC-certified beech and we are equally fastidious in our approach to upholstery. The materials used inside the chairs are made entirely from sustainable materials - no foam, polyester wadding or anything that isn't or can't be fully recycled. Instead, environment-friendly materials like coconut fibre, sheep's wool and Hessian are used. They feel and smell so good. I design all our fabrics and they are digitally printed, which means even the printing process is environmentally friendly, without sacrificing an ounce of quality. All of the semi plain fabrics that we use on our cushions and chairs are created using sustainable fabrics. Every part of a Frame & Cover product has been scrutinised and designed with the environment at its heart.
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I wouldn't say that I've completely lost the fear – but I think it’s the fear that empowers me. I face any insecurities head on, which helps drive the business forward. When I have a wobble, I take a moment and remind myself why I started Frame & Cover: which is that I wanted to design products that were beautifully designed but also had integrity and good provenance as well as the freedom that comes from working for yourself. It’s a great motivator. I put a lot of work into finding suppliers and manufacturers who are willing to do small runs and use materials that are new to them – but better for the environment. Prioritising my plans and projects within the business was a steep learning curve. I was so excited to be living my dream but had to stay focused on what was going to move the business forward. Juggling producing new product, selling existing product and promoting the business is something I’m still learning.
WORDS OF INSPIRATION
on life & business
"Fear empowers me. I face any insecurities head on. I'm learning everyday - every challenge is a learning curve, so I embrace it. "
FRAMEANDCOVER.COM
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Keri Jamieson handbag designer and brand
KeriKit
The journey so far has been long, fraught, sometimes upsetting and even lonely! – Too honest?? Ok so there have also been great achievements too but I think it’s important that entrepreneurs understand setting up a business is by no means easy, cheap or even rewarding at times. That said if you keep focused, work really hard and never give up you will make headway eventually. We had a really tough year at the start. The first range, while beautiful was too expensive for an unknown brand and using Italian leathers really pushed the prices up and meant sales were slow. However, mistakes are there to learn from them and as long as you are ready to adapt then next time you will get it right. Our new ranges have been really well received and we were thrilled to start selling with Nordstrom recently. We smashed our targets and sold out of most styles in under a month. The UK market is more challenging as there is more competition but we are focusing on building up our UK stockists and hope to be stocked with a well-known retailer in SS18. After the sweat, tears and outright slogging, these successes taste even sweeter. So many bags today are a beautiful fashion statement but often compromise on practicality. KeriKit bags are impeccably stylish and yet they’re actually functional; with an innovative internal layout and designated pockets for the daily essentials of businesswomen and mothers alike. KeriKit aspires to empower women with their own fashion identity whilst remaining organised, ensuring each bag adapts to any lifestyle. A KeriKit bag isn’t just an accessory; it’s your faithful companion, helping women everywhere to look and feel good, whether out at work or working out, at a dinner date or play date.
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I think financial worries have certainly been the most daunting. From having no children and a well-paid job to 3 kids and no income in just 3 years, my husband Scotty and I have felt the financial whiplash of the change. Funding the KeriKit business ourselves on top of our family has proved a real pressure. The worst thing about money worries is the frustration it makes me feel, because I have so many ideas and I can see the potential of the business and the directions in which it can grow but financing certainly acts as a restriction on all of that and dampens my creativity. However, although at a slightly slower rate to my ideas, the company is growing nonetheless and I need to focus on that. My ideas are in the pipeline and it's going to be a great year for KeriKit. The fear of failure used to constantly haunt me – I would frequently compare myself to other business and feel frustrated that I wasn’t at the same stage as them, or even worse, that I never would be able to compete with them. I used to have a negative thought which would then spiral until I was irrationally venting my worries to my husband at 4 in the morning. This constant comparison to others was so unhealthy, but thanks to the Headspace app I learnt to practise mindfulness, which was such a help. It taught me to put full-stops in my thoughts so they didn’t turn negative or irrational. Now I work on daily affirmations to have a more positive outlook, which has been so beneficial for both my business and my personal life.
WORDS OF INSPIRATION
on life & business
"I work on daily affirmations to have more positive outlook, which has been so beneficial for both my business and my personal life." KERIKIT.COM
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Alys Bibby-Wood florist and founder
Blomst
An exciting, challenging and creative one! It started in 2015 autumn soon after I had our daughter Betsy. I love the career path I had chosen but wanted something in addition that allowed me to develop further my creative side. Floristry has always been an inspiration to me and flowers were something my Ma and I loved. My interest in flowers has always been there, but 2015 offered a turning point for me. I started by offering to make arrangements for friends and family, visiting flower markets and experimenting with different styles and types of flowers. I decided to set up my stall at the weekly E17 Village Market (Walthamstow Village) and it went from strength to strength. The stall ran from April 2016-December 2016 and in January 2017 I set up the first Blomst pop-up shop, which was a six month opportunity. We moved to Walthamstow from Hackney and I felt that there was a real gap in the floristry market. I wanted to fill that gap and so the Blomst (Danish for flower) journey began, my love of flowers spurred me on I went for it. The response has been phenomenal and this interest and encouragement has helped to make Blomst what it is today. Blomst has travelled so far over the last fifteen months and has so many supporters and friends, which helps immensely. My customers say my floral style is pretty unique. I use seasonal flowers and always aim to be quite adventurous in my arrangements. I like to use flowers that are a little less well known and my style is often described as rustic yet romantic. A style, which gets lots of compliments from our customers, and our uniqueness is always commented on. We also offer a flower subscription service, delivering flowers weekly, twice a month or monthly. A great floral luxury at an affordable price. 20
It is definitely an ongoing effort and I wouldn't say Blomst has made it yet. I am keen to work on more large-scale events, shoots and weddings to name a few. I also want to challenge some of the more formal rules we still have about celebrations and commemorations. I am always honoured to have the opportunity to help families celebrate the lives of their loved one who have passed away and we have created some amazing floral tributes using objects that had been so important in their lives. A great example was a funeral of a former toy maker whose handmade wooden trains and trucks were the centre piece of the coffin tribute. As someone who loves a challenge and to keep learning, there is a lot more on my Blomst to do list before I think we will have made it. Don't get me wrong lots of things have been ticked off and we have achieved so much, but there is still more miles to travel on our Blomst journey. The joy of developing an idea in discussion with a customer and to see initial thoughts turning into an incredible floral presence is very fulfilling and powerful incentive to keep on challenging the Blomst team.
WORDS OF INSPIRATION
on life & business
"As someone who loves a challenge and to keep learning, there is still a lot of work to be done. But I absolutely love what I do. I am always honoured to have the opportunity to help families celebrate lives." BLOMST.CO.UK
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Meg Cope shoe designer
Zaccys
My journey starts back in my childhood, aged 5, when my father’s cousin was living with us whilst she was studying fashion at Central St Martins. I thought her sketches were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I have always been a little obsessed with design and fashion and was extremely fortunate to have a mother that was not only infinitely patient but also a whizz with a sewing machine. She indulged my desire to design my own clothes, whipping up various creations and even customizing school uniform to my specific requirements! However, I chose to follow another great passion of mine – medicine - inspired by my father and my grandfather. It was sheer determination and the support of my family that drove me through medical school and into the competitive world of eye surgery. There I found enormous satisfaction and a real love of my daily work. It was an incredible privilege to be a doctor, to have that uniquely close relationship with patients and to develop skills that could make such a difference to people’s lives. I was a doctor for more than 20 years and a Consultant Eye Surgeon for 10 of those. However, my life changed direction completely with my son’s illness and I am now following my creative instincts once again in setting up my own niche luxury shoe business. Zac was diagnosed with leukaemia on Valentine's Day 2012 and our lives were certainly turned upside down. The treatment he required was very intensive in the first year and we spent a great deal of time in hospital. This was followed by a further 2 1/2 years of ongoing treatment. During these long years it was more about daily survival, the logistics of looking after my other two children and trying to continue a normal balanced family life with extended family and friends, without whom we certainly would not have coped.
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Throughout my career, family has always been priority for me but my fundamental relationship with medicine was altered by these years of Zaccy’s treatment. I no longer saw hospitals in the same way. I felt the care and energy I had left in me needed to be reserved for my children and family. I no longer felt I had the empathy and desire to care for patients in the same way. On a practical level I also couldn’t envisage returning to my previous working schedule. I always enjoyed my work most when I felt most capable at it - returning to surgery after such a protracted break wasn’t something I relished. I believe the ‘silver lining’ of Zac’s illness was that I got to spend more time at home looking after my children. Simply being able to give them breakfast in the morning, take them to school, to collect them again and help them with homework or their worries was a real luxury. I finally got to see what I’d been missing during all the years of juggling a demanding job with various childcare arrangements. Ultimately I also felt emboldened by our struggles through Zac’s treatment, it made me realise more than ever that you only have one life, you really do have to make the most of it, take risks and follow your instincts to make your life the one you really want to live. Since my first child was born I have been juggling motherhood and a career. Just like the many other working mothers, it sometimes seems to be an impossible challenge that requires daily compromises and can be exhausting. The demands of setting up a new business are quite different, in that most of the time I have been able to dictate my working hours. I can fit my schedule around the children’s school hours and work again in the evening once they have gone to bed. My trips abroad have been difficult. I have felt extremely torn, but between my wonderful mother and long-suffering husband (around on garden leave) they made it possible. The downside to starting a new business is the tendency to never switch off. I have realised it is also essential to set aside some time to relax.
WORDS OF INSPIRATION
on life & business
"I have realised to set aside some time to relax, while working on my business." ZACCYS.COM
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Rachel Southern lifestyle blogger
The Ordinary Lovely
I first found out that I had a prolactinoma when we were unsuccessfully trying to conceive. It was discovered after a few tests and an MRI scan (I don't fear very much but I'm petrified of MRI scans) and I was told that depending on how I reacted to treatment, and if the tumour could be shrunk sufficiently, there was a possibility that I might not be able to have children. While we wanted children, this wasn't the blow that you might expect. I find it hard to mourn what I don't have so my attitude was more along the lines of, 'Okay, so what now?' I had a long list of countries to visit so I thought our lives would head in that direction instead. However, some six months after starting treatment, I found myself pregnant with our first son. And then two years later, my second son was on his way. We were, and are, so lucky. It was actually the Swiss maternity leave which made me re-evaluate my professional life (we were living in Zurich at the time). A mere fourteen weeks leave is so tough on both mothers and children and my request for a further few months unpaid leave was turned down. An hour or so after that meeting, I handed my resignation in. I loved the company and really liked my job but not enough to hand over a 14 week old baby to a stranger. Plus, I seem to have children who are not all that keen on sleeping so I don't know how I would have managed to stay awake in the more sombre budget meetings. Originally, I set up my blog after the boys were born because I love to write and also because it was a way to keep up with social media trends (my background is Finance & Communications). I planned to go back to work when the boys started school and thought that it would be a great way to keep learning while also having fun and doing something to keep my brain ticking over.
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And it was so nice to write about our adventures and all my little craft and interiors projects rather than the automotive world. It's now turned in to my job and one I get to do from home so I'm really so thankful that I first set it up ... even though I still cringe at the thought of other people actually reading it. At first, my blog was simply a fun hobby so was very much slotted in to spare half hours here and there. Needless to say, I wasn't the most consistent blogger. A year on, with a little more time on my hands, I started to take on paid commissions on my own blog but now I also write and take photographs for different brands and companies. It does require some serious juggling, I'll be honest. My eldest son is now at school and my youngest goes to nursery for two hours every afternoon. I've become adept at calculating, almost to the minute, how much time I have in a week versus how long each task/piece of work takes me. I don't always get it right and I work five evenings out of seven, but as I LOVE my job, for the most part, it's a joy to fit in. I realised very early on that it's impossible to get much more than an email sent when the children are home, so I don't even try. It's annoying for them, stressful for me, so I'm careful not to take on too much that our time together is impacted. My youngest starts school full-time in September so that's when I'll have more time on my hands ... and will hopefully work fewer late nights. I had zero insecurity about losing financial freedom while I started my blog. In fact, it never crossed my mind. All the money that comes in to our home is family money, regardless of who earns it. When I was asked to complete a three year work assignment at the European headquarters of the company I worked for, my husband gave up his job so that we could go together and he didn't work for the first 18 months we were there. The money coming in to our home was never 'mine' just because I was the one with the official job. He had to run around a new country sorting out all of the bureaucracy that comes with moving, and all in a language that he had very little ability to speak. He had a tougher job than me. Likewise, when I resigned to look after our children and start my blog/freelance career, it was much tougher than going to an office every day. The hardest jobs don't always come with the biggest pay packets and both of us recognise that. PIECE OF ADVICE: Going things alone can be quite daunting and you can't walk in to the next office to talk things through with a colleague. There's a wealth of information online and so many groups and forums you can join. Go for it!
THEORDINARYLOVELY.COM
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Grace Bonney author and founder
Design*Sponge
Initially my book was supposed to be a DIY encyclopedia, but I lost enthusiasm on that idea. There are so many great articles, guides and videos out there already that you can find anything and everything online and offline, too. You can easily go on Pinterest and find tutorials and step-by-step guides. Even though my publisher isn’t in the business market, I pitched them an idea, I had in my mind for some time, about featuring inspiring women who own a creative business. They agreed to the concept on terms that the book will have the same deadline as the original DIY book. It meant that I had only two months to put “In the Company of Women” together. I really wanted to write a book that would make women inclusive in business. In 2014 I realised one thing; that majority of women in business were perceived as one type of woman - young, straight and white. Working with some amazing women through Design*Sponge over many years, I knew that there are so many women outside of this stereotypical assumption. I contacted over 120 women with the proposition of an interview within a very tight deadline and over 100 came back to me. I interviewed women between the age of 19 and 94, from various ethic backgrounds, religion and the scale of their businesses. From young media titans and mother and daughter fashion houses to inspiring painters and poets. These businesses show how diverse these women are. The ultimate goal these women seek is to be happy doing things they love doing. Some didn’t enjoy their work at all, others were looking for a better work / life balance. Some women found it hard to stay motivated and were looking for better personal growth and fulfilment, while others we unhappy with juggling their family life whilst holding down a full time job. They reached a tipping point where they realised that doing something they like doing has far more benefits than staying in the same situation. 26
Another common thing, they all have, is that they all are role models. They are not necessarily famous or well-known, but through their actions and their stories they inspire other women. Those moments I spent listening and learning from these women have provided me with enough inspiration for decades to come. They also have inspired me to change the way I run my own business. PIECE OF ADVICE: I realised that no one has it all figured out. There is always a trade-off. You have to accept that you can’t have it all. There never will be the perfect balance. It’s always about give and take. And, the sooner you realise that “having it all” doesn’t exist, the sooner you can move forward. But there is more. We also have to let go of expectations we put on ourselves. Seeing failure as a positive rather than a negative. In the design and creative world failure is something everyone is trying hard to avoid. On the contrary, in technology failure is seen as a necessity. So many entrepreneurs started and failed businesses from which they learned. Failure puts them on the right path as a result. Women should see failure as an opportunity to learn. Personally, I always want to hear the “failure” stories because they can be so interesting and informative. Getting a negative feedback is something not many of us want to hear, but learning to embrace criticism pushes us to achieve more. Be authentic and be yourself. This goes back to women who inspired me in my own journey. They really showed me that I can be myself in whatever business environment.
WORDS OF INSPIRATION
on life & business
"You have to accept that you can't have it all. There never will be the perfect balance. It's always about give and take."
DESIGNSPONGE.COM 27
Lucy Knights founder of womenswear online store
Born at Dawn
Ever since I was 16 and got my first part-time job in a boutique, I’ve always been drawn back to fashion retail. I love the buzz and how every day is different. Following my Business degree in Sheffield, I moved to London to complete a Retail Management graduate scheme. I then became Manager at GAP’s flagship store on Oxford Street before moving over to Harrods and spending 8 years there driving their womenswear sales and strategy. After always dreaming about having my own business, I finally took the big step of launching BORN AT DAWN after having my second child. BORN AT DAWN is a womenswear website and home shopping service that brings focused, effortless style with a personal touch. Mostly Scandinavian and French inspired brands, it offers an alternative from the mainstream as our pieces are more exclusive and not widely available. Our collection is made up of beautiful, easy-to-wear wardrobe heroes that are versatile and can be worn multiple times and in different ways, taking you from day to night. Online personal styling advice is available via email and we also offer a “Night In” experience in selected parts of London and Essex for customers that prefer to touch and feel the product before buying. A chance to book in an evening for us to bring the collection to them so that they can invite your friends over for a catch up, have a glass of prosecco, receive expert styling advice and shop, all in the luxury of their own home. So far jumpsuits have been performing best for us. BORN AT DAWN’s customer base is mostly busy women. The feedback is that they like them because they offer a complete outfit for the days when they don’t have too much time to think.
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I personally love jumpsuits because you can mix them up too. You can get lots of wear out of them by styling them in different ways, for instance changing your shoes, jacket or accessories. I gave myself a year to research and plan so I could make informed decisions which helped me feel like I wasn’t rushing into it. I also joined networking groups and attended events which meant that I met many other women in similar situations to me, following their passions and building their own businesses. Because of this, I have never felt alone. I had many people I could share knowledge with and bounce ideas off. Seeing them on a mission, working hard and launching their own businesses inspired me incredibly. It was great to have the year to plan the business and learn so much but now that I know all the possibilities and different things I could be doing to drive the business; it can make me feel overwhelmed at times. I can be quite hard on myself. I have to remind myself that when you are a small business and when you are balancing it all as a mum with two small children, you can only do so much. It is important that you prioritise well as you can’t do everything all at once, you have to take one step at a time. I’ve learnt to trust my gut instinct. When you’re working for yourself and outside of a big company, I feel like you become much more aware of it. Of course you need to combine it with research to help you make well-rounded decisions, but the only times I’ve found myself in situations that I wasn’t comfortable in are the times when I ignored what it was telling me.
WORDS OF INSPIRATION
on life & business
"I've learnt to trust my gut instinct. The only times I've found myself in situations that I wasn't comfortable in are the times when I ignored what it was telling me."
BORNATDAWN.CO.UK
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Kim Winser founder of womenswear brand
Winser London
I set up Winser London in 2013 to fill a substantial gap in the womenswear market for truly high quality, well-cut clothes at a surprisingly affordable price. I wanted to build a brand that is all about style and I wanted it to be stylish; whether you were 20 and starting your career, whether you were 50 and sitting on a board or whether you were at home doing dog-walking or taking the children on the school run. I wanted it to be stylish for real women and for busy women. Other brands were taking the value out of the garments and putting it into profits or into supporting their expensive business structure. I wanted to do something the complete opposite. I wanted to create a brand where all the value went into the products so there was no money wasted in between. No middle partners, no agents – no money wasted between the fabric, the cut and the design and getting it to the customer. I love that we are a real brand, working hard for real women. I like to watch what’s going on globally. I watch to see if customers are buying the same styles, colours, sizes, whether they are multiple buying. The great thing about building the business to be online is that you learn so much about your customer. That’s why we changed the name of the “Miracle Collection” very early on – because we had so many women saying these dresses absolutely do miracles for them. So we decided to call the collection “Miracle”.
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I’m absolutely driven that I would love every woman to be really happy being herself. If we, at Winser, can give a little bit of help in terms of helping with the clothes, the styling, the dress, the packing - helping in any way to make a woman feel as good as she can just from the clothes, then I’ve done a job. For me, I love giving a little bit of confidence. PIECE OF ADVICE: Know your customer and respect that customer however large and successful your business becomes. Listen to her and give her what she wants. Without your customer your business is worthless. Employ the best talent in the industry. I look for everyone to be better than me in their area of expertise and make sure the team is well balanced. Always look to the future. I see the past as stepping stones to build a strong future. Be yourself and always give more than you take in life, whether it be to customers, the team that work with you, or the young talent of the future that we meet each day.
WORDS OF INSPIRATION
on life & business
"I like to watch what's going on globally. I watch if customers are buying the same styles, colours and sizes, and whether they are multiple buying. You can learn so much from that."
WINSERLONDON.COM
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Deborah Campbell womenswear designer and founder
DCA and Future Female
Working in fast fashion for 18 years and getting disillusioned with cheaper prices year on year fuelling more and more consumption made me realise this business model was not sustainable and instead of being part of the problem I wanted to be part of the solution. Setting up a sustainable brand is more than a dream realised, it’s a call to action to be the change we wish to see in the world. The challenges of setting up a sustainable brand are immense. Creating best practice using fabrics that are ethical and sustainably sourced and produced is difficult due to high price and minimum quantity restrictions. Sourcing fair trade factories that will work with a startup has also been tricky. I have had my fair share of brick wall moments with factories going bust in our first 6 months, which nearly closed me down, and fabric turning up wrong. However, the "over the rainbow" moments like being in the window of Anthropologie and getting into John Lewis makes the challenges all worthwhile. Our signature is striking print inspired by art and nature. We create wearable art that offers women one-of-a-kind designs. Our lovely customers tell us that when they wear our prints because the compliments from friends make them feel great. We work with fabrics made from recycled plastic bottles. We donate 20% of our profits on our T-shirts to The Phoenix Foundation, which is a charity raising money for children suffering burns as a consequence of war. We are planning other collaboration with charities on our mainline as well as our T-shirts.
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The mission at DCA is to create contemporary season less style, supporting and showcasing the many hands that touch our collection by paying a fair wage enabling a brighter future for the makers of our collections. To me, it’s really important that we support the "many hands" that make our collection because we should treat the people who work on our clothes with respect and ensure they are paid fairly so they can maintain a sustainable future for their families. The people who make our clothes are as important to us as our customers. They are human beings with great talents and we should celebrate this. It is vast network employing millions of people and it has been impossible to monitor the makers and their rights. Many mainstream stores claim they are doing good work and have best practices set up, and indeed some are succeeding. However, because little or no regulation exists in the monitoring of or even benchmarking best practice there are many makers exploited by poor working conditions and poor pay. The more the consumer is aware of poor practice, the better. Fashion Revolution are paving the way for consumers to ask "who made my clothes". This works on two levels, it forces the retailers to answer and it allows the consumers to have a voice. In addition, the brands doing good work can support the campaign and show it is possible to be transparent and offer ethical fair trade best practice in the work they do by showing the factories and workers in a bid to offer transparent supply chains.
WORDS OF INSPIRATION
on life & business
"The more the consumer is aware of poor practice, the better for our future." DEBORAHCAMPBELLATELIER.COM
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Elina Gough founder
Artsnug
There is no better way of putting it than that I fell into it two years ago. Back in Autumn 2014 I was working as a creative strategist for some of the world’s most loved brands. While this was a career I had consciously chosen and carefully crafted ever since graduating from a business school, I was getting increasingly itchy to break free of the corporate world and start something of my own. The opportunity presented itself in the form of Start Up Weekend Art hackathon and despite any formal education or background in art, I didn’t think twice before applying and putting my idea of turning London coffee shops into independent galleries forward. This then became ArtSnug v1.0 and the beginning of my journey into learning the nooks and crannies of the art world and how to build a sustainable business. Buying artwork can often be an intimidating experience - not only you do have to know where to look and have time for it, but also you are often left feeling like you should have some insider’s knowledge of what’s good and what’s not. With ArtSnug I wanted to do things differently, which is why my mission from day 1 has been to make art more accessible to more people – both in terms of how they see it as well as how they find and buy it. Originally with exhibitions in coffee shops and now with pop-up shops in corporate offices in London, ArtSnug is bringing art to people in environments where they are in charge and don’t feel pressured to make the “right” decision.
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The search for new artists is something that always runs in the background of everything else that I do and the sources range from art fairs and craft markets to online galleries and social media. When selecting artists to work with the only two criteria that I religiously follow are whether the artist’s work instantly caught my eye and whether I think it would fit into the mix of artists I already work with. I am purposefully trying to keep the mix as eclectic as possible, avoiding duplication of styles and approaches. To me, art has always been the secret ingredient that makes a house a home. It is also probably the easiest (and often the cheapest) way to give your home a refresh. The golden rule to keep artcessorising your home fun and affordable is to treat it as an ongoing process rather than a mission. If this has been the year of figuring out what ArtSnug v0.2 was, next year is all about growing the business. So you definitely can expect to see ArtSnug popup shops cropping up around many more offices in London. In addition to this, I am also working on a side project that would see stretching collaboration with ArtSnug artists into a different territory of artcessorising homes. So all in all I am very excited about what future holds for ArtSnug and me.
WORDS OF INSPIRATION
on life & business
"I wanted to do things differently. My mission has always been to make art more accessible."
ARTSNUG.COM
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Nadia Newton textile designer and founder
Penelope Hope
Growing up I was artistic and creative but also dyslexic, so found some subjects at school quite challenging. My mum helped nurture my creativity, being an arts and textiles teacher herself. In fact, it was my Mum who bought me my first sewing machine when I went off to Art College and years later; it was the same machine I used to bring to life the first Penelope Hope prototype cushions. After A-Levels I completed an Art Foundation Course and specialised in Fashion Design. I was going to continue and do a degree in Fashion Design but change my mind and enrolled to do a four year BA (HONS) Retail Management Degree instead. This was a great course as it covered so much of the business side of retailing and running a company. The third year involved working within the retail industry- I luckily got an amazing job in the Lingerie Design Department of Marks & Spencer Head Office. I got to design a silk nightwear collection that got made and sold in stores across the country- and I was only 21! This certainly fuelled my desire to work in design. I went back to University to finish off my degree and came away with a First Class Honours. I then worked for Marks & Spencers again in Buying & Merchandising and then moved on to work for Specsavers in Retail Marketing. I took a career break at this point to have my three children and starting dreaming up my business plans! I always has dreams of doing something really creative and running my own business. I used to make clothes and corsets in my teens and twenties and did think I might set up my own fashion label but then once I got married and we bought our own home, I started making blinds, curtains and cushion covers and loved looking through interior magazines. It was then I realised I was more interested in the Interior Industry than Fashion and felt there was a gap in the market for a bold and bright fabric and cushion brand. 36
I have subsequently completed several re-upholstery courses, studied Textile Print Design at Central St Martins and enrolled on many online design-related courses to further my knowledge and skill. With the support of my family I decided it was time to take the plunge and set up my own business doing what I love. It has taken a lot of hard work, late nights and constant learning to get to where I am now but I’m very excited about the future and where Penelope Hope is heading. Admittedly work/family is a huge juggling act! My older two are at infant school and the youngest is at nursery 4 days a week. I drop them to school, head to my studio and then at 3pm I run up the road to pick them up again and I’m back on Mummy duty until bedtime. I don’t begrudge the long hours (and late nights) I spend working on Penelope Hope as it’s my passion and I’ve been desperate to put my energy into something I truly believe in and love doing. My kids mean the world to me, they have brought so much laughter and purpose into my life and I’m pleased that now they can see me in another light than just the Mummy who cooks them tea and cuddles them when they hurt themselves but also the Mummy who designs the most awesome colourful cuddliest cushions! I would say to anyone to trust your instincts and to just go for it. A lot of well meaning people will discourage you or try to put you off but if you’ve got the fire in your belly and ready to put some hard work in then just go for it. You won’t look back. Bringing up children is hard but it shouldn’t stop you pursuing your own career path. I do sometimes wish I had set up my business before having children. However, if I’d done that I wouldn’t have had some of the career experiences I’ve had which has made me who I am today.
WORDS OF INSPIRATION
on life & business
"Bringing up children is hard but it shouldn't stop you from pursuing your own career path." PENELOPEHOPE.CO.UK
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Nicola Taylor artist and photographer
Nicola Taylor Photography
The story of how an artist comes to their career path usually begins with the author telling us how much they loved to draw as a child, and how they never wanted to do anything else.. BUT THAT IS NOT MY STORY. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed painting and drawing as much as any child does, but I never had the sense that I was any good at it. I think many of us can testify to being instilled with a belief that art was something you didn’t need to work at. You were either good at it or you were not. You either had it or you did not. And I …did not. For the first seven years of my professional life I worked in the financial services industry. But, by the age of 33, I was struggling both physically and emotionally. After years of 60 to 70 hour work weeks (in the “soft and cushy” part of the industry), leaving was a choice only in the sense that it is a choice to step off the railway track when a train is bearing down on you. When I left that career, I had no real plan about what I would do next. I only knew that the train was coming and it was time to jump. My job hadn’t given me the luxury of time for reflection, but it had given me a bit of savings, so I decided to spend a year doing the things I loved and use that as starting point for my next step. So I travelled, I wrote, I became a yoga teacher… …and I took a photography course at the London College of Communication. During that course, inspired by the incredible people around me, I created the first of the “Tales from the Moors Country” images. The series was designed to be an anthology of visual stories, a kind of visual interpretation of the Choose Your Own Adventure books. (Please tell me you remember those.)
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The images would show one scene from a story and it would be up to the viewer to decide what came before and afterwards. They were deliberately ambiguous and faces were often obscured, so that the viewer could use their own imagination to fill in the story. It was an interesting project, but not commercial, and my teachers were interested in commercial photography so they didn’t really know how to help me take it further. They suggested I get involved with fashion photography. Some of my favourite photographers worked in fashion, people like Tim Walker, Paolo Roversi and Eugenio Recuenco and I adored their theatrical and narrative images, but I knew I wouldn’t be happy in that world. So I began selling prints of my work at local art fairs. And something really unexpected happened. I met women who loved reading, who were moved by beauty and intrigued by creativity, but who felt they didn’t have enough of it in their lives. Perhaps they were busy with a career or a young family and they didn’t have time to indulge themselves with stories anymore. They were happy, but they couldn’t help but feel that they had lost a little part of themselves somewhere along the way. And I found that my work, because it was an open-ended story, was encouraging them to use a creative part of their brain. A part that maybe they hadn’t had the opportunity to use for a while … at least not just for themselves. And they loved that experience. Just as being around the artistic souls at the London College of Communication had fed my own creativity, experiencing my work was feeding theirs. I had used the process of creating the images to heal myself, but I realised that others could get some of that creative experience too, just by looking at them. I hadn’t seen it coming, but I felt incredibly proud and fulfilled that I was able to offer a little kernel of creativity to women who were in the same situation that I had been in. I understand all too well how creative fulfilment can become a footnote to a footnote at the end of an interminable to-do list. And I understand how bad things can get when it falls off the bottom entirely. I have learned from personal experience that it’s not just artists that need creativity in their lives. Everyone does. When I left my job in the City, what I had needed so desperately was a more creative outlook on what my career could be and, in turn, what my life could be. Creativity breaks down unhelpful ingrained beliefs (one of mine was that I wasn’t an artistic person) and helps us look for different options. It is practice for the problem solving we must do in everyday life. I very much hope you enjoy my “Tales from the Moors Country” images. If they tell the kind of stories you love, I hope you will carry them along with you on your own creative journey…in whatever form it takes.
NICOLATAYLORPHOTOGRAPHER.CO.UK
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Fiona & Karen interior design brand
Interior Design Collective
Over the last few months Karen and I have been scouring the country to hand select the UK’s creative designers to form our Interior Design Collective. We have been searching for designers whose own work and ethos echo that of the IDC. Our paths first crossed on Instagram and we initially were chatting about the interior design industry, benefits and pitfalls of being freelance and the struggle to keep up with the growing demand for design work. We both really wanted to break the stereotype that interior design is only for a ‘select few’ and we both realised there was a huge gap in the market for professional, creative and accessible interior design across the whole of the UK. Our response to this was to set up an Interior Design Collective. Our mission at the IDC is to celebrate independent interior designers working in real homes, with realistic budgets, creating unique interiors nationwide. We’ve already passed on clients and enquiries between our close knit group and shared knowledge about suppliers, discounts and trades. The collective “hive-mind” has already proven its worth in just the short time we’ve been established and we’re really excited by its potential. We are showcasing talented designers who offering professional, inspirational and flexible interior design. On our website we profile each designer and where they are based, making it easier for you to connect with someone close to home. We’re not an agency so all contact is made directly with each designer. Our aim is to grow and develop the collective so that the IDC become synonymous with the very best in UK interior design. 40
To offer support, inspiration and further opportunities by working together. Our customers are people looking for accessible, client-led interior design, people who are trying to find the right person to help them design their home. Our services are also for the design creatives. As well as showcasing the work of our amazing designers, we also run a private online platform, offering a positive and effective form of communication for our freelance community. Creating a brand new website and private online platform takes quite a bit of organising. Karen and I are both working full time running our own busy interior design studios, so it hasn’t been easy fitting it all in! We’ve had such an amazing response to the IDC launch with new member enquiries and new business contacts, that this has again taken quite a lot of energy and time to manage, but it’s all been really positive and very exciting. Be prepared to put in the hours. Creating new design concepts, managing projects and sourcing all takes a lot of time and commitment. Working in your home and working in someone else’s is completely different and involves a whole new skill set. Your job is to translate exactly what a client wants (even though they might not know) and turn that concept into a reality. There is a lot of work involved before you get to start playing around with any cushions!
WORDS OF INSPIRATION
on life & business
"We want to break the stereotype that interior design is only for a select few. Our mission is to offer professional, creative and accessible interior design service to the market, while showcasing talented designers." INTERIORDESIGNCOLLECTIVE.CO.UK
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Julie & Craig Featherstone tailor and menswear brand
Featherstone London
I realised I had an interest in fashion as a teenager. I attended fashion college, where I excelled. It was funny as I was the only boy in the class but all the girls would ask me to teach them to sew. I realised I was actually very good at it. I then gained an apprenticeship with another Savile Row trained master tailor called David Chambers – I was his only apprentice so he taught me how to make everything which is really unusual in my trade as most people specialise in one thing. A decade ago I decided I had to venture onto Savile Row and when asked what I could make, my reply was ‘everything’. They thought I was joking. My knowledge and experience in tailoring meant I quite quickly made my way up the ladder and within 3 years became company director for one of the most established tailoring shops on the row. Julie, on the other hand, had an interest in Journalism from a very young age. She did some work experience with a local newspaper and got 2 articles published. She realised a career in the media was a good route for her. She went to university and did a marketing and advertising degree, and was good at the business modules. She joined Sky News in 2001 and quickly progressed on the production side and now works for Sky Sports, but her goal has always been to be her own boss. Sustainable and ethically sourced clothing is at the heart of what we do and all of my bespoke garments are designed and made in the UK. With a Featherstone London bespoke suit, it has to be the best for me to put my name to it. I created Featherstone London because most tailoring houses on Savile Row are owned by people who aren’t tailors and don’t understand the craft the way that I do. I know what I am capable of and truly want to produce the best tailored suits in the world.
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My focus is on quality over quantity and the only way I can actually achieve this is through going solo. Tailoring needs to get away from the stereotype of being old and stuffy. I bring a fresh approach for the modern man. Many people choose brand names over quality and I want to prove that traditional clothing and craftsmanship can still look stylish if the person creating the suit has the right eye for it. Julie was working with an anti-trafficking charity called Sport for Freedom. I was helping them organise a gala dinner and some of the facts I was hearing really shocked me. The amount of children and women that are trafficked to work in factories in such awful conditions, just so that large brands can manufacture cheap ‘disposable’ clothing is appalling. People wear them once and literally throw them away. Did you know that fashion is the second biggest polluting industry in the world! I want to educate people to think about where their clothes came from and who actually made them. If more people focused less on the price tag and more on the facts, some of the large high street chains wouldn’t be in business today. We all have a part to play in creating change and stopping these atrocities. Generally our customers are gentlemen who really want to look and feel their best and whilst a bespoke suit is a luxury garment that comes with a premium price tag, my customer understands and appreciates the craftsmanship that goes into it. Knowing that you are wearing a one-off piece made specifically for you and no one else, makes that garment more valuable and as unique and individual as the person wearing it. When I make a suit, I put a small label inside with their name and the date it was made. It’s your own piece of history. You can’t put a price on that.
WORDS OF INSPIRATION
on life & business
"We want to educate people to think about where their clothing comes from and who actually makes them." FEATHERSTONELONDON.COM
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Louise Dear artist
Louise Dear
I've always been very creative since I was a small child. I grew up with a very flamboyant mother who was always adorning the walls and furniture of our Hampshire country home with flowers and magical creatures. As a teenager I had an eccentric and eclectic style. I made my own clothes as I could never find or afford what I was after. I also made clothes for friends and later went on to study fashion at Medway College. I also had a passion for travel and bought a vintage ambulance. I painted it honey pink and set off to see the world, continuing to make sketchbook journals and build temporary structures. It wasn't until my daughter was born in my late twenties that I settled down and returned to full time education. This was the time I discovered my own art ‘per se’.. I'm fairly eccentric and quite a rebel. If an arrow in a car park points one way I'll go the other! I like to think outside the box and I love change, therefore I'm always pushing forward and thinking of new ways to do or achieve something. I love the raw materials in my work and am always experimenting with new ways to use them. I'm brave and not afraid to try something new …in fact I thrive on it.
Colour is everything. It has the power to invade our senses and completely change and lift our moods. I travelled extensively in Rajasthan in India and this highly influenced my vibrant palette. I have been known to get teary as a sunbeam streaks across the room, or luscious pink flowers captivate and seduce me. I strive to share these passionate emotions.
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I carry a tiny sketchbook and a pencil case full of exquisite coloured pencils and pens with me everywhere I go. My advice would be to just start doing it for yourself. Keep anything you do hidden if you are shy. Think of it as a visual diary. Don't try and copy exactly, just allow your hand and the materials to lead the way. Art is an expression of the heart and soul rather than the head. Be free and play… Don’t be restricted by what you believe to be the rules ... There are no rules. My grandfather was an amazing craftsman and my grandmother always said she didn't have an artistic bone in her body. Yet she was an amazing cook and bake incredible pies which she decorated beautifully. Everyone has an artist tucked inside it’s just a question of releasing your passions. Be brave and be bold. I find inspiration everywhere, from the back garden to the National Gallery. I am filled with inspiration everywhere I look, and with everything I see. I am particularly inspired by my surroundings, my family and most of all my daughter. I love a jaw line and the curve of a shoulder or neck. I find it intriguing that a simple movement or pose can convey so much. I have a need to seduce you. I also have many artists whose works I adore. I love Lisa Yuskavage' s sexy trussed bottoms and soft focus seductresses. I also adore Murakami's world of super flat, and his incredible contemporary twists on the ancients. Another favourite is La Chappelle 's sexy plastic hype-reality and airbrushed beauties with a comic twist.
WORDS OF INSPIRATION
on life & business
"I like to think outside the box and love change, therefore I'm always pushing forward." LOUISEDEAR.COM 45
Fanny Shorter textile designer and brand
Fanny Shorter I grew up in Winchester in the school my father taught at. We lived in historic buildings surrounded by every date of architecture from the school's C14th beginnings up to the present day. My mother had a keen interest in art and art history, and our houses were always crammed with pattern, ceramics, fabrics, pictures, wallpaper. I think my interest in surface design stems all the way back to these houses and my childhood. I always knew I wanted to pursue a career in design but it took me a while to find exactly what it was I wanted to do and to be honest it's still a work in progress, perhaps it always will be. My degree is in illustration and I worked as a freelance illustrator for 4 years after graduating doing surface and stationery design for different companies until 2011 when I moved to London and started my own business. By then I was already printing textiles and loved the hands on aspect of creating a physical object not just the initial surface design. I really value being involved at every stage of making from design to printing and making. They're possibly or probably the most important aspect of it. I love the initial stages of designing a print. There are always so many possibilities. I draw a lot to begin with and then use the designs to dictate what kind of repeat pattern might work. Over the years my work has become braver, certainly with my use of colour. I was so scared of colour to start off with and I still struggle with subtlety. I also wrestled with shaking off the illustrator's mindset of needing a brief or a reason for a design and this has enabled me to relax and just produce the work I want to produce and it's still changing all the time. Gardens, history, English houses, costume, stories, colour, nature, maps, walking, exploring, seasons. Inspiration can come from anywhere or nowhere.
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Garden of the Gods is a new collection of hand-printed interiors fabrics. I visited the Greek island of Corfu four years ago and read Gerald Durrell’s delightfully funny, autobiographical book, My Family and Other Animals, describing his childhood there, lying on my front on a rocky beach in the September sunshine. His evocative prose, despite being first published 60 years ago (anniversary this year- ideal but unintentional), completely focused my Corfiot experience. I looked for what he vividly described: the colours, the plants and animals, the temperature and textures and found pockets of the landscape and life he remembered, still there if occasionally marred by a large boat of burnt tourists or an abandoned motorbike. This collection was inspired by both my short time on Corfu and Durrell’s books and named the ‘Garden of the Gods’ after Durrell’s title, both for the island and his third book in the trilogy. The designs themselves draw on Corfu’s flora and fauna as described by Durrell and aim to replicate the colours, atmosphere and characters (both human and otherwise) so richly expressed in his writing. The colours we’ve used reflect the Mediterranean motifs: deep, clear blues, verdant greens and bright turquoise, dusty chalk and terracotta, with a smattering of citrus and geranium (pigment name picking is pretentious but pungent: you get the idea).
WORDS OF WISDOM
on life & business
"Over the years I have become braver in my work, certainly with my use of colour. I used to be so scared of colour and even now I still struggle with subtlety."
FANNYSHORTER.CO.UK
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