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image taken from http://minifashionistablog.com/
Alice Ashby is the founder of Blake London, introducing a fresh comtempory take on knitwear.
1)When did you realize you wanted to become a fashion designer?
While doing my A Levels I knew I wanted to go to Central St Martins, but had no idea what to do though. While doing the Foundation course I feel in love with textiles and carried that forward for my BA. I then went on to specialise in Knitwear and thats really when I had a clear vision of what I wanted to do. 2) What advice do you have for aspiring fashion designers? I would encourage them to get as much good work experience under their belt but be warned that it will be hard work and a real eye opener. This is the best way to see how the industry works. Then if you still want to get a job in a fashion house for a few seasons - this will teach you the basics on manufacturing/ calendars/ deliveries - the real business side which is just as important as the designing. 3) Who are some of your favourite designers? My favourite designers are the Brit women, Stella McCartney, Phoebe Philo for Celine and then obviously as Im biaised Rag & Bone. All created wearable beautiful but cool collections and they all know exactly what women want to wear. 4) How have different internships, such as interning for Alexander McQueen influenced you yourself as developing as a designer? Without internships you have no idea how the industry works and if its right for you. It teaches you commitment and a hard work ethic. It is all about developing your own style and aesthetic and if you are able to do a few work placements at different design houses you soon realise what sort of aesthetic you follow. 5) Where do you get your design inspiration?From all over the place, an idea might just one day come into your head or after travelling and going to exhibitions textures/ stitches/ colours might come first. I am always open to these thoughts and am always jointing down things,things often come across things seasons in advance. 6) What would you consider your signature piece of Blake London?As a knitwear brand I would obviously say the sweater. The sweater is really having a thing at the moment with pairing it with skater skirts to dress down an outfit or with heels for the evening. It is really versatile which I really love about it. Each season we will add to our signature styles with new colours and patterns but I really want our classic signature pieces to be available trans-seasonal. 7)What is the most difficult aspect of running your own label versus i.e. design, production, sales, finance, advertising? The two most difficult aspects are manufacturing and finding good, honest and reliable factories. As a new brand you really have to shout to be heard and you have to realise you wont be their top priority in terms of sampling and production - this can be a very stressful and trying situation to be in. The second is financing, having enough capital to produce the collection samples and then a healthy cash flow to pay up front for the production as well as everything else that comes with running your own business. A lot of factories have high minimums to deal with as well which means that there is an awful lot of capital needed to stay afloat. Whilst there are grants and schemes out there to support they are very few and far between for new businesses as a lot have to look for angel investors in the early stages. 8)What plans do you have for the rest of 2013? Our website and e-ccomerce store launches this month as well as our AW13 delivery in August into our new stockists which is very exciting. The aim is to really push online sales this year with the added fact of accessories at a lower price point pre Xmas. We are already looking to SS14 and getting sampling started for that and each season really growing the brand.
I would like to thank Alice Ashby for taking the time to do this interview with me.
Danielle x
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