You started out in the fashion industry as a model – how did you come to be a print designer?

I’ve always drawn since I was tiny. Then, when I was travelling the world as a lonely model, I took a journal with me and filled it with sketches. I enjoyed the modelling lifestyle for a while, but I was never really that into it and never really that good at it. So when I made some friends from art school I ditched modelling full-time to pursue that. I much preferred art school to the Chinawhite party scene that typified the modelling world at the time.

How did animal and botanical prints come to be the defining motif of your designs so far?

I’ve always been inspired by nature. Growing up in Scotland, we used to holiday in our caravan along the west coast. I dreamt of one day owning my own caravan and realised my dream when I purchased a 1960s Cheltenham to contain my final degree piece for Chelsea Art School. This is where my obsession for cats broke out. My degree piece was called ‘The Catavan’ with over 30 design prints dedicated to cats. Not an inch was left bare. It was so much fun to create, but sadly my Catavan was stolen from outside my Hackney studio…

How are the scarves produced?

Well, the process starts with my drawings. I normally use pen rather than pencil for a stronger line. I then manipulate the drawings on Photoshop and Illustrator, adding colour and positioning the images in a design I’m excited about. The designs are then sent to be digitally printed here in the UK and are finished in east London, and I collect the samples on my bike to save on postage!

Who are your inspirations?

I recently went to see ‘The Eye Has To Travel’, about Diana Vreeland’s life. Wow. She’s amazing! I don’t think I want to be like her, but she is fascinating to watch and to listen to. I would love to be able to talk that slowly and precisely and rule every room.

Silk scarves can carry connotations of older women, or a bygone era. How do you like to see your products worn today?

I’m obsessed with the 1970s, everyone wore a scarf back then. I own a magnificent book from that decade called ‘The Naughty Look’, that shows hundreds of ways of using a scarf, most of which are pretty awful. But I like that a scarf has so many uses. A perfect silk square where you can display your personal take on life. I’ve framed a few, and I wear them on my head or round my neck. I think everyone should own a scarf.

The scarves come with a poem each and have witty names – is a sense of humour important to your designs?

There were parts of the fashion industry I was happy to opt out of when I stopped modelling. I think when people take themselves too seriously they can become a little boring and shallow. I didn’t really want to go back into that world again, but here I am on the other side. I want to design and create objects that make people smile, and a kitten riding a unicorn on a sea of tie-dye makes me smile.

You can purchase Silken Favours scarves from Liberty or from www.silkenfavours.com.

Words: Olivia Gagan

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You’ve said that your AW12 collection was influenced partly by African wax prints seen at your local market – where else do you hunt for inspiration?

My inspiration ranges from people I see waiting at the bus stop, to ceramic sculptures made out of soap I saw at the Saatchi a few weeks ago.

You worked at Temperley after graduating – tell us about your experiences there?

Working at Temperley was amazing. I learnt more about the industry in the nine months that I was there than I did in the three years that I was at university. I have definitely adopted the classic femininity of Temperley and the fabrics I use are inspired by what I was working with when I was there. I also really aspire to building a brand as successful and as committed to its British roots as Temperley one day.

What element of designing do you enjoy the most?

Shape and structure are probably the most important elements of design for me. I have to say that I enjoy the shape making/ pattern cutting element of the design process the most. It also really helps me to understand how things are made and really informs my design process later down the line.

Which other designers are you inspired by?

The answer to this question changes all the time but right now I’m very intrigued by Dries Van Noten. He continuously delivers beautiful, well-cut collections that always consist of interesting fabric combinations, texture and colour. You can just tell that every detail has been carefully considered and executed to perfection.

How have you seen your designs evolve as you’ve become more experienced?

When I first started at university I tried to be as innovative and avant-garde as possible – I never really thought about wearability. Since having some exposure in the industry I have now learned to try to incorporate the innovative with the commercially viable. It’s not always easy but when it’s done well, I think it’s a real skill. I’ve also become a lot more experimental with colour and fabric combinations. In my current collection I combine African wax print with Chantilly lace; that would have never happened three years ago!

Who would you love to dress, that you think would embody the spirit and aesthetic of your brand?

I would love to dress Chloë Sevigny. I just think she’s bloody cool! She does feminine glamour with an edge very well.

What do you like most about working in the fashion industry, and what frustrates you?

I love the pace of the industry. It is constantly moving and changing, and as most designers work better under pressure, it’s a great environment for creativity to thrive. I get frustrated by the lack of ethics in fashion; from interns working for free for months and months to illegal sweat shops. For an industry so big, influential and so necessary I find it hard that so many people who work in fashion are exploited.

Do you have a long-term game plan? Where would you like to be in five years’ time?

Long term, I really want to see my brand grow into the international fashion market. I would like to introduce menswear in a couple of years and I really want to open a factory here in the UK. I’m committed to British manufacture and would really like to see the garment and textile industry revived in the UK.

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The Parlour Press collective – namely, Caitlin Howard, Mandi Goodier, Sophie Lee, Lucy Vann and Libby Scarlett – all live and work in London and Manchester. They met at an exhibition where they were all showcasing their own books. The story of their serendipitous meeting, according to Scarlett, goes something like this: “By the end, we’d drunk beer and were all a bit in love with each other – and lots of people were being enthusiastic and nice about our books. So we vowed to do more together, and make a collective out of the five of us.”

The Reading Room idea sprang from a desire to create a place to discover new books in relaxed, unusual settings. The group had become tired of the traditional world of vast book and zine fairs, where huge amounts of material are on display. “They’re important in building a community and getting instant feedback, but it’s really frustrating when you’ve made this book that you’ve poured yourself into and you audience overlooks most of what’s there [at the fairs]. The commercial element was also getting them down. “It’s like going to an art gallery and having the artist stare at you while you look at their piece.”

And so the concept of a small, cosy space, with drinks and a carefully curated selection of new and emerging writers and artists was born. Visitors are encouraged to sit down with a drink, and while away a few hours leafing through a selection of new books. “We just want people – any people – to come and realise that books are for them. It’s about discovering something new, that you’ve never seen or read before, with a whole evening in front of you to read and drink beer or wine or gin in this nice, comfortable atmosphere,” says Scarlett.

Armchairs, stools, bookcases and rugs collected by the Press are all ready to be rolled out at each event. While previous gatherings have taken place in pubs and on seaside piers, the girls don’t have too much criteria for a future space, as most of their setup can be crammed, as they put it, “into the back of a Nissan Micra.”

So far, the concept has been a success, and Lee believes that the decision to present a few books and magazines rather than hundreds is a timely one. “I think lots of people are tired of this fast, too-much-information-at-once existence – or people at least like the idea that they can be quiet for a while. There’s so much noise, in cities in particular, and we just wanted to create some kind of antithesis to this.”

Reading Room events are growing, and they’ve been asked to bring their brand of small-scale magic to arts festivals and to new locations. Working across cities makes it harder, but the five say it’s worth the effort. Scarlett says: “It’s a long distance relationship – we all just have to work a bit harder. We’ve always said we would love to take the Reading Room on tour one summer… pretend we’re in a band… it’s been organic from the start and I’m happy for Parlour Press to keep it evolving in that way.”

The Reading Room takes place every third Wednesday of the month at The Kenton, E9 and at various locations in Manchester and London.

Words: Olivia Gagan
Photographs: Tom Cockram

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Growing up in Dorset, James realised early on that he “always did best at anything practical. As long as I was creating something, I was happy.” He toyed with a number of creative ventures – “painting, product design [and so forth]” – before settling on photography.

It proved a wise decision: whilst at university, James’s interest in building objects that can be used as props in his images led him to work assisting legendary set designer Shona Heath. Heath’s productions have graced the pages of Vogue and formed the centre piece of ad campaigns for Hermes, Dior and Mulberry, amongst others. On his time with Heath, James says: “she is amazing. I learnt a lot from her. There would be focused guidelines of what [she] needed, but [there was] always trust that I could create it.”

Today, James’s photography incorporates large-scale sets and installations that have become a signature of his work, alongside dark, mythical pastoral influences that possibly belie his Dorset roots. A recent project saw him build a horse’s head out of driftwood, to fit over a model’s head. But, he says, he’s not ready to be pigeonholed just yet. ” It could be based around the model I’m shooting, or an installation I’ve designed. My aesthetic is still very open ended.”

James prefers to work with a 6×7 camera for film “especially for more experimental lighting. It just looks better… the way light reacts with film, but also the shape of the frame allows me to layer things up with multiple exposures.” But he isn’t adverse to digital. “Sometimes I use both and have the two cameras on the go. I love the idea of mixed media. Even commercial fashion pictures can be layered up with inks and paints.”

James juggles his own projects with his work with Tim Walker. “Working with Tim is an honour… he has such a fresh outlook and is constantly inspired.” The job sees James travelling the world, assisting for shoots with Vogue and W, among other titles, and numerous ad campaigns. James says through Walker he has learnt the importance of building a strong team on set, and says he appreciates Walker’s “fantastical” approach. “I’m interested by things that don’t exist, and the temptation in thinking that they might.”

A recent solo project was an advertising campaign for Reiss, which had a Christmas brief. Perhaps surprisingly for such a sleek brand, James “somehow managed to convince them to go with a human snowman theme.” Low on budget, he “took everyone to a remote village in Dorset. We had a great team but no assistants. We took over a miniature cottage that had its own wood, and I recruited my family in to help.” It still tickles James that the final images of the models, glacial and cloaked in snow, had a slightly less glamourous genesis than expected. “I will never forget the image of my sister shooting a snow cannon from the hip like Rambo, up in a tree…”

In the long-term, James plans to do more editorial, “work through all my old ideas, and develop a whole stash of new ones.” The world of advertising still interests him, too. “I’d enjoy the chance to revive some of these brands that just churn out dull adverts for their lovely products.”

As for the immediate future? James says that he’s currently “building a phoenix, a kind of firebird, that I’m halfway through. Oh, and just some simple portraits. It’s not all about the making after all.”

Words: Olivia Gagan

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