How and when did you set up the label?

It’s been going for nearly three years now. I kind of set it up by accident off the back of my masters graduate show, and then I’ve been developing it since. It’s been quite a slow organic process, getting used to the idea of being an artist and selling clothes. It still feels like early days; I’ve learnt so much since graduating. When you’re at uni you’re in a bit of a bubble.

Why knitwear?

I come from a textile background, before doing my masters I always specialised in textiles and I’ve always had a real love of different textures and fabrics and pushing them. I ended up specialising in knitwear – it wasn’t planned, I didn’t watch my grandma knitting and choose knitwear! It just kind of happened. It was something I experimented with and found you could do a lot with. I think for me, I wasn’t really following the techniques but seeing what else I could do. It’s about pushing the boundaries of your own designs. The knit part is the initial process and then I see how I can push it with my weaving techniques and the cording and embellishment once it’s off the machine.

How is knitwear changing?

At one point, knitwear was something that was part of a collection, you had your twinsets and your v-necks and whatever, but now there’s whole knitwear collections and you don’t even notice. I think it’s great that it’s gotten more modern. Its not just autumn/winter and Christmas jumpers anymore, it can be spring/summer or even swimwear. It’s becoming more recognisable. I do look back at old style knit patterns I was given by my Irish aunties for their Arran jumpers; it’s great to look back and see the tradition and techniques, but for me it’s about newness.

What techniques are you currently using?

I’m recognized for the wax cord, the original technique I came up with. That’s what my graduate collection and the two after that worked with. I took a break from it and did a collection with Jayne Pierson. I’d like to reintroduce the cord work in different ways, I left it for two seasons so it’ll be exciting to bring elements of it back.

What’s the inspiration behind the current collection?

This collection is based on Nomadic imagery. I’m interested in the merging and clashing of colours. That’s led me to look at more patterns and I’ve really been pushing colour this season. I’m known to be more monochrome so I’m really experimenting with it.

It seems like you have quite an experimental take on fashion?

I couldn’t do it any other way. I’m very experimental. It’s easy to follow a trend but to me I’m always pushing and looking for something new. I’m always thinking of the fabric first before I even think about the silhouette. I couldn’t do a bog standard plain knit. I think I’d get bored.

What are your plans for the future?

A lingerie company has approached me. They produce lingerie to wear with all types of garments. In the collaboration, “Derek lawlor for Nicole de Carle”, I’ll be designing a range of knitwear among the lingerie collection; it’ll be interesting to see how it works out.

Words: Shannon Mahanty

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When and why did you start designing?

I think I was very young. My mum was also a designer and went to art school in the 60s. When we moved to the US, I was ten and my mum worked for Saks Fifth Avenue doing in-house design. I was always interested in it and my mum taught me to draw very early on. I also made clothes for the band I played in during my twenties. At the time, it was a natural progression of what I imagined our music would look like if it were a style. I didn’t consider that it was called ‘styling’ or that I was doing anything specific. Back then we didn’t even have the internet or a website so our look live was very important to set us apart from other pop bands in the early ’90’s.

Explain the themes and concepts behind your fall collection.

It is about a character called Modrun. Modrun mourns the loss and fear of instability and change. She is blown backwards into her future. To keep nature at bay from her ruined city she must rebuild the skeletons of history. Her mind exhibits trauma, she is on the edge of technological transformation, beauty and horror. Inspired by organic shapes created with perfect symmetry and balance, she pays homage to nature as the ultimate architect. She takes on a brutal harmony, exploring the dark side of nature. Modrun balances her past by understanding the future. She evolves, displacing time and fracturing light. Fragments of fantasy become her reality, truth becomes fiction as she learns to love herself.

What collection are you most proud of?

It has yet to be designed! I am never happy with it!

You were in a band. How and when did that develop? Will you continue to explore music?

I had emigrated with my parents to the US and lived there for 10 years from the age of 10 so most of my schooling took place there. It was a real eye opener for a young person from a countryside village in Wales! We travelled from New York to Texas in a Greyhound Bus over 9 months and saw a lot of the country. My world had been turned upside down just before we moved by seeing David Bowie on Top of the Pops in the first ever video, “Ashes to Ashes”. The whole glam, punk movement had heavily influenced my older sister and I felt I had seen the light so it was a bit traumatising to move at that time to Texas, of all places. As I moved from middle school to high school to senior high school, music continued to play a huge part in my existence and it was always in my plan to get in to a band but while I lived in Texas with un-like minded people, that was never going to happen. Having met and spent some time with The Cure and Robert Smith in 1987, I felt inspired to move back and go to university in the UK. While studying BA(Hons) Drama at Kent University I met Tim, who studied philosophy and before that Marika, who worked in publishing, we all shared musical loves and we all inspired each other, so much we started writing songs together. That started the ball rolling in 1992 and from there we had 3 independent single releases before signing a 6 album deal with EMI in LA by the legendary Robyn Godfrey-Cass.

Finally, if you could design anyone’s wardrobe, who would it be and why?

I love, love PJ Harvey!

Words: Jack Mills

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All of your collections seem to have a bold theme, what was the particular theme behind your AW12 collection?

Yeah, there’s always such a strong theme. Like this one was everything dark to do with fairy tales. With every kid’s fairy tale, like Sleeping Beauty or Lord of The Rings, there’s always this dark army growing, so I just wanted to create one. This whole collection was truly self-indulgent, my first completely independent line away from The British Fashion Council and NEWGEN. I felt free to do whatever I wanted and it was very exciting. From the elf ears to the crazy war hammer trainers, we pulled out the stops for everything.

So, what was the inspiration behind your theme this time round?

You’ve got to start somewhere. Mine was coming up with the theme and an idea. I don’t know all these things just come to me and I just thought well, I love creating all this sort of mad stuff and how can I tie in War Hammer and Zelder and Dungeons and Dragons.

Did you like all that sort of thing when you were younger?

Yeah, I loved War Hammer. I never played it but I was always looking in windows and all the guys who play it are super nerdy. They literally get a ruler out and they battle and they take it really serious. Obviously, I wasn’t into it that sort of way. Their names are hilarious; there’s one called something shaggeth. It’s just jokes really.

Did you have any challenges with the collection?

Yeah, well this one was extremely couture and made by hand. My whole teams hands are usually covered in cuts and edge-dye and leather, all of the black it goes into little cuts and your fingers so by the time it comes to a show they all look like little goblins and the same with me. This one was even harder considering the materials that we used. I could use whatever I wanted; leather, pony skin, fur. So many textures. You would never usually have a completely pony skin bag because of the sheer weight of it but we just didn’t want to spare anything. The idea was how can we make everything look evil. Probably the hardest we’ve ever dealt with.

What’s going to be happening for you in the future?

I want to work in a big fashion house and I have been approached by one but can’t say just yet who it is. That is like the dream. I feel like it’s happening. I’ve worked for some incredible people already like Kanye [West]. It’s amazing because it means that I can see my dreams form. Money has always been a problem, even when you have good jobs. Things get more expensive season by season so it always feel like you are just coasting and can’t make any more. Where as if you have something like that going on, you can realise your dreams.

W you not feel like you were quite controlled working In House?

This is an adventure. I have no idea how it’s going to work. All I know is that I have a vision and they approached me because they love what I do so hopefully, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem. They’ve pulled me in for a reason. They need rejuvenation and that’s defiantly something that I can give.

Words: Millie Cotton
Images: Amina Nolan

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After working in the textile industry for 10 years, what drove you to start designing your own clothes?

After completing my degree in fashion design at Esmod Paris, I initially decided to work in the fashion and textiles industries so that I could gain enough experience and maturity to create my own brand. I was only 21 at the time, and, in my head, I’d set myself the target of launching my own line by 30. Working with textiles gave me a real insight into the importance of materials and fabrication, but it was at Solstiss (a French company renowned for its production of lace) where my obsession with lace, which is central in all my collections, began.

Who or what inspires your designs?

My main sources of inspiration come from street style, classical ballet, the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements, intricate lacework, and, of course, travelling. Above all though, I design clothes so that women can feel themselves in them; so that they feel both feminine and comfortable.

What sort of person do you aim your clothes at then?

Yes, the woman in my head is between 30 and 50, and not only appreciates fashion, but is willing to source out more exclusive pieces to mix in with her wardrobe staples. This woman could go crazy for a lace-infused sweater by me, for example, and then team it with a basic pair of trousers.

Which celebrity would you most like to see wearing one of your designs?

I’d love to dress a celebrity like Gwenyth Paltrow, Cate Blanchet, Meryl Streep, Natalie Portman, Eva Green, Audrey Tautou or Aung San Suu Kyi.

So tell us about this season’s SS12 collection. What do you love about it?

This season’s collection is heavily based on Art Deco architecture. All the pieces from the collection are named after a building, designer or painter of the Art Deco style, such as the Chrysler top, which recreates the triangulation central to Art Deco designs.

And how important are sportswear influences to your designs?

It’s ballet that most inspires me, but I don’t feel that I’ve fully explored all it has to offer yet. I started dancing when I was 6 years old, and carried on until I was seven months pregnant. I haven’t danced since I gave birth, and I do miss it… I just love the elegance of principal ballet dancers: their capability and the movements and expressions they use to tell us the story they’re portraying. That’s what I want to recreate when I design, a story behind my clothes that the person who wears them takes on and can mould to themselves.

Who are your favourite designers at the moment?

I really love Jean Paul Gaultier – there’s always a definite focus to each of his collections. You either like it or you don’t, but I like that he never leaves people indifferent. Also, Alexander McQueen’s Haute Couture collections completely enthral me.

And what plans do you have for the future?

I’d like to expand the brand’s presence in department stores and indie boutiques. And then perhaps open my own store, and create a range of shoes and maybe a childrenswear line.

Words: Samantha Southern

The post SARAH SUMFLETH talks Art Deco, lace and street style appeared first on Wonderland.

All images: Amina Nolan

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Where did the name Confezioni Crosby originate? 

Confezioni Crosby merges my Italian origins with the American history of the brand. Confezioni is an old-fashioned Italian word that means tailor-made, and Crosby is the name of the street in NYC where we live and work.

Can you define any aspects that are distinctively Italian or American in the collection? 

It’s difficult to separate the two as they are so simultaneously connected in the garments. Styling and colour-palette are predominantly Italian, while the silhouettes and mood of the collection are more American. The Italian origin of the design emphasises attention to detail and adds a certain flair to the brand. In contrast, the American manufacturing heritage conveys a know-how of solid construction and durability synonymous with work wear.

Confezioni Crosby is the brainchild of you and your partner Jonathan Joory, how do you strike a work/life balance? 

Confezioni Crosby has grown so naturally that it’s now part of our everyday life; that’s probably why we don’t feel like it’s work. Although, sometimes you do find yourself talking about the collection when you shouldn’t, that’s when we have to look at each other and say “this isn’t the time” [laughs].

We’ve spotted an essence of WWII style – are we on the right track?

The WWII reference was fairly intended. If you want to find inspiration for women’s work wear, then there’s no better period of history to look at than the 1940s, when a great deal of women went to work in factories; it’s a natural consequence to find reference in that aesthetic.

Did you enjoy working with Fanny and Bill Gentle on your SS12 Look Book?

Bill and Fanny are a very talented and creative couple. We started working with them when creating the first collection and have remained friends every since. This look book was shot in Montauk, a place that we all love. Hopefully we’ll collaborate again in the future.

Would you ever consider a menswear line?

Yes, I would absolutely love to design a Confezioni Crosby line for men. We started designing for women as we enjoyed the challenge of transforming something apparently masculine into something very, very feminine. The challenge with menswear would be transforming original workwear into something accessible for everyday life.

How do you strike a balance between functionality and fashion?

When designing, I start with original workwear pieces and try to understand their essence. I take what I think is fundamental about the garment and translate it into a fashionable shape, whilst keeping the presence of the original idea.

One final question – are uniforms really that sexy?

I’m glad that you’ve asked this question. I honestly don’t focus on the sexual appeal of uniforms, but it’s surely a strong component that emerges spontaneously. Uniforms are appealing because they’re simple, smart and give the wearer an immediate distinction.

Words: Charmaine Jade Ayden

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Photos: Amina Nolan

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All photos: Hatnim Lee

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Collection: Katie Eary AW12
Directed by: Vicky Lawton
Fashion Editor: Way Perry
Hair: Gow Tanaka using Bumble & Bumble
Make-up: Adam De Cruz at the Book Agency using Shu Uemura

The post Katie Eary for WONDERLAND appeared first on Wonderland.

All images by Hatnim Lee

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