Emma Bell
Words by Sophie Eggleton
Since gaining experience with the likes of colour blocking expert Rebecca Taylor in New York and investigating her fascination with surface texture back in London with textile designer Donna Lynch, young hyper imaginative Brit designer Emma Bell has carved out a garish niche within the fashion industry. Her shows offer an unapologetic distraction from the safety (or tedium) of many other collections, with models adorned in kaleidoscopic, fantastical creations, strutting, skipping, contorting and pouting down a catwalk- unique personalities and looks encouraged to showcase the vivacious garments.
disappearheremag.com caught up with Emma to find out more…
What are you up to today?
Well today is pretty action packed! This morning we went to a press day on Carnaby Street and I bagged a pretty hot watch, it’s really gadgety, I love it. Then it was back to the studio via picking up a mango bubble tea from the awesome Vietnamese shop round the corner. I’m currently working on some print artwork for the Aids awareness charity, Designers Against Aids, so I’m really excited for that. So I spent a few hours chained to a bit of CAD before cracking on with a bit of pattern cutting!
What does your daily routine involve?
I have a studio in Shoreditch where I spend 99% of my time…everything related to my brand is handled here from the design, the sewing, the marketing….
I have a wonderful team including some great interns. The morning usually begins by dealing with emails before moving onto the creative stuff. It really depends on the time of the season, pre-fashion week it was around the clock sewing, embellishing and making whereas at the moment it’s all fashion shoots, various freelance projects as well as producing for stockists. Often the day is cut up with a meeting or two and of course playing Britney on repeat!
Why fashion? Who or what made you want to be a designer?
When I was a kid I was always drawn to art and crafts and would forever be sitting there making bits and pieces and drawing. I used to practice on the sewing machine at my grandma’s house as well as put on mini catwalk shows in her lounge. It all developed from there! I recently came across an old diary from March 2003 in which I had written “I really love art, that’s why I want to be a fashion designer when I grow up!” I also spotted Westwood when I was pretty young and after seeing her storm off the Terry Wogan show, I knew I wanted to be a designer!
Your S/S 09 collection was inspired by a £2 Oxfam purchase of a book on Russian folklore, what else inspires you and what inspired recent collection?
Life and personal experience is what really inspires me. I keep endless journals and I always like to be 100% confident in having that knowledge and understanding of what I am attempting to portray. I adore to travel and these experiences have given me endless inspiration - from the people you meet to the lifestyle differences.
My most recent A/W 09 collection was titled “I’m Saving the Dogs…” and was named as a homage to me wanting to raise the profile of awareness to animal cruelty. During a trip to Asia I witnessed some horrific sights including a bunch of dogs squashed into a cage before being dragged out pissing themselves in fear and then having their heads bashed against a wall….then it was dinner plate here we come. I wanted to acknowledge this and expressed it in my opening rendition of “How much is that Doggy?” by performance artist Scottee, and in the bejewelled dog headpieces as well as acrobatic urinating dogs painted into the fabric! Other inspirations included the romantic tragedy of Lord Tennyson poetry, block prints inspired by South East Asian batik, the utilitarian value of ex-military Communist uniform and freehand woolen embroidery techniques.
Did the use of your S/S 08 collection in Skins raise your profile?
Yes, it’s got such a cult following - predominantly from young people - so it was great to get my clothes on there as I think it really helped expose my work to people who are potential followers of my brand.
Who are your muses?
I wouldn’t say I have that one person or thing that acts as my muse…there are many public figures out there who I adore and think they have awesome branding when it comes to their style aesthetic….Pat Butcher, Paris Hilton, Chloe Sevigny, Zooey Deschanel…but I wouldn’t say they were a muse as such. I see so many amazing people rocking around the streets so I would say my muse is not one person or object but a culmination of avenues that I am inspired by.
What was your standout moment from Fashion Weeks?
To be honest, now that I show at Fashion Week it pretty much knocks any party times and showtime action on the head! I have shown the past 3 seasons so it means whilst everyone is out and about seeing the new collections and nabbing hot goody bags, we are burning the midnight oil with a couple of cans of “Relentless”. At the same time, it’s a good feeling…it’s really rewarding to be actually part of it and have that all encompassing involvement. I mean don’t get me wrong, I would love to be out and about but it’s much more important for me to be actively working for fashion week! So I have to make do with catwalking.com. Highlights for me this season were Manish Arora (the collection was incredible!) Eley Kishimoto, Jeremy Scott and Basso and Brooke.
This season saw a lot of safe fashion, will you ever go down that route?
I would say when it comes to catwalk I’m always going to steer away from playing it safe. A catwalk is all about showcasing your design signature and cementing your brand. When it comes to the practical side of things regarding sales and producing something ready to wear, it is a different kettle of fish and whilst I think it’s incredibly important to maintain your design aesthetic you also have to consider the progression from catwalk to customer.
Does wearability factor when you are designing or do you just run with your imagination and creativity?
Having worked within the industry for various brands I have a great understanding of the importance of a garment holding commercial value. When it comes to creating showpieces, for example the knitted food dress from my S/S 09 collection, I like to go all out there and shake off any boundaries and limitations as that’s what makes a showpiece so special. However there are many pieces that I do design that are very wearable whether worn as a full on rainbow ensemble or mixed and matched for a more toned down affair!
Describe the backstage of your show.
Whilst it’s always super stressful, and I always get so nervous that I’m sick, there always seems to be a really great, high energy atmosphere backstage so it is really exciting! I’m lucky that I have such a wonderful team behind me and so much support from people that I really have a lot of respect for because it means that things tend to run like clockwork. You are always going to have the odd drama queen knocking about or someone making a fuss but that’s all part and parcel. This season was pretty exciting as we also had a couple of dogs backstage…one of them got diarrhoea minutes before the show so we were all on the edge of our seats waiting to see if there was going to be an incident on the catwalk!
You are known for casting more unusual models, and they don’t just do the straight up and down walk, whys that important to you?
Attention to detail is so important to me so it’s vital that I put my clothes on the right people. It’s important that anyone involved with the show or a photoshoot - whether they be the model, team or photographer - actually ‘gets it’. I’m all about personality so I want the people involved to understand what I am trying to portray and I want them to be totally up for it!
How do you feel about the designers being celebrities?
Personally, it’s not something I would ever like to buy into as I don’t believe it is right for my brand. However, I can totally understand that it may be the right route for other designers and at the same time everyone has their own goals and aspirations.
For me, I want people to recognise me for my work and not just as the face of a label. I’m all about creating not only a catwalk show but creating a brand experience which is why there is so much careful consideration put into the creative direction, brands I associate with and the model choices. I think that because my work is quite abstract it would only be too predictable for me to be lapping it up and vying for a bit of self indulgence.
I have made the decision as a designer to not come and take a bow on the catwalk at the end of my shows, and this is not for reasons of snobbiness or shyness or whatever, it is merely because I want my work to hold its own and be appreciated for what it is and I think that to round such an exhibition off with a cheeky little wave would shatter the illusion of the extravaganza I am trying to create.
Do you find the aspect of schmoozing within the industry tiring or enjoyable?
I absolutely love meeting other creatives, especially people who I admire, and I put a really high value on networking. What I will say is that whilst there are so many amazing people within the industry that I have an incredible amount of respect for, you also get your fair share of jokers. Kids who haven’t earned their stripes and just want to ‘be’ fashion and blag it when they hold no kind of work ethic and just want the glamour of it all without investing the blood, sweat and tears...well, it simply boils my piss! To get to where I am today in the industry I’ve had to do all sorts - from scraping vomit off doorways, to having to sit with my hands in cold tea for about three hours as well as sneaking in a part time job at Mothercare flogging breast pumps - so when you meet people who have really worked to where they are and really appreciate it, it’s fantastic to schmooze with them.
Where do you see your work heading in the future?
I really enjoy working on collaborations so would love to join forces with other brands and get involved with a variety of exciting projects!
At the moment I am focussing on production of my new collection and this is something that I hope to develop in the future so as to expose an even wider audience to my work.
The past year for me has been amazing in that I’ve been able to immerse myself in so many different elements of the industry from creative direction to event management, from print design to styling and wardrobe so this is something I really want to push further so I can become more involved all round in the industry.
Have you got a target or an ambition you are aiming to achieve?
So many! Like I said, I really want to get involved with so many aspects, so alongside my own label I would like to make an impact on the other bits that come hand in hand with being a designer whether it’s becoming more involved in styling or perhaps writing.
I definitely want to become more involved in campaigns that mean something to me, like Fair Trade or animal welfare.
What music are you listening to? Does it have an influence?
Right this minute I have my shameful mix of “Emma’s Musical Corkers” playing…it includes my favourites from Wicked, Blood Brother’s and High School Musical! Eeek!
Do you get support from fellow Brit designers?
Yes, I think because so many emerging designers and young businesses are in the same position everyone kind of understands each other…everyone seems to share the same trials and tribulations, and it’s a really positive thing when one of your friends or peers is succeeding in what they are doing!
Photo by Thom Wil for megamegamega
Posted Mon, March 30, 2009