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Member Interview With Claire Etchell

Jeans, dreams and having fun are all topics of conversation in our exclusive interview with Claire Etchell from Donna Ida. Jean Queen: Donna Ida's Claire Etchell Industry member, Claire Etchell is PR and Marketing Manager at designer jeans retailer Donna Ida. With four London boutiques, an online store and almost 8,000 Twitter followers, we chat to Claire from the dizzy heights of denim heaven. What do you love most about your job? I love how fast paced my job is! One minute I'm at a photo shoot, the next I'm meeting a journalist. It's great talking to so many different people and finding out how we can work together. Out of all the marketing campaigns you have worked on which are you most proud? It's too hard to pick the work I'm most proud of – I've really enjoyed working with Donna Ida introducing journalists to amazing jeans. Seeing a happy customer become a jeans convert is such a good feeling. Donna Ida as a brand has a great presence on social media channels, in particular Twitter. How would you define the Donna Ida voice and how did you establish this? Donna writes and runs her own Twitter – it's fantastic how motivated and engaged she is. We decided early on that there was space for the brand to have a separate Twitter account (@donnaidadenim) which I run with help from all the Donna Ida girls. The Donna Ida Denim voice is informative whilst fun and a little bit cheeky. We're always there for advice but don't take ourselves too seriously. If you could choose a dream label to work with who would it be and why? Dream label? I'm very excited to be near so many gorgeous designer jeans but I guess my other obsession would be Chanel. I also can't wait for Victoria's Secret to arrive in the UK. What other Industry members have you worked with? I've worked with Jonathan Kirkby since he was with lifestyle PR agency, Eden Cancan. I've known him since my Moda in Pelle days and count him as a good friend now. Quite a few Industry members joined Team Donna Ida last year in our Jeans for Genes challenge, including Alice Stone from Lily and Lionel and of course The Industry MD Courtney Blackman. I hope lots of people join us again this year! Get in touch with Claire via The Industry Directory By The Industry's Features Editor, Harriet Bowe Would you like to join the premiere members group for those shaping the future of fashion? Visit our JOIN page

Harriet Bowe

Alice Stone, Chanel, Claire Etchell, Courtney Blackman, Donna Ida, Eden Cancan, Harriet Bowe, Jeans for Genes, Jonathan Kirkby, Lily and Lionel, London, Moda in Pelle, The Industry, Twitter, Victoria's Secret

Member Interview With John Walford

The Industry chats to catwalk king John Walford, Founder of Vauxhall Fashion Scout and Director of Walford Shows. Industry member, John Walford of Walford Shows At the helm of fashion's new and innovative, John is an expert in catwalk production. Now moving his attention from London to emerging markets such as Lagos, we catch up with him to find out what he's up to. You recently sold your share of VFS to pursue your own projects all over the world – tell us more about these. At the moment I'm working with various big fashion projects such as Fashion Weeks in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Lagos. I am also developing Bath's Bath in Fashion festival. This is growing year on year and is an exciting and practical way of helping the local retailers. In Ireland I am working with Tatler Magazine to build the profile of designers (both established and less established) in Ireland and abroad. Unfortunately the kind of work I am being offered internationally did not fit into the VFS remit so with much sadness I left. How does working internationally compare with London? Where do you think the next big Fashion Weeks will be? An analogy that I always use is that London is like a 25 year old big brother. The other Fashion Weeks may only be five years old so naturally they can not do what the big brother is doing. However when they are older, they will be capable of being bigger and better having had such a strong example to follow. The next big Fashion Weeks will be in countries that have sturdy infrastructures of designers, fabrics and sales to attract attention. No one has that at the moment and no where looks as if it is going to have it within the next few years. In your opinion what makes a good catwalk show? Clients always have different requests so a good show is one that fits their brief. I like a bit of theatricality but the priority for the client is a smooth show that runs well – the two are not incompatible by any means but right now no one wants to spend any extra money without good reason. I think any catwalk that makes the audience look at it with interest is a good show! Where do you see Walford Shows in five years? I have always tried to provide a holistic service and therefore increasingly I am doing much more product launches and exhibition designs – this is an interesting sideline that helps some of my clients. In the future I hope to be working in ever more esoteric and interesting areas with a solid bedrock of clients. Get in touch with John via The Industry Directory By The Industry's Features Editor, Harriet Bowe Would you like to join the premiere members group for those shaping the future of fashion? Visit our JOIN page

Harriet Bowe

Bath, Bath in Fashion, Harriet Bowe, Ireland, John Walford, Lagos, London, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tatler Magazine, The Industry, Vauxhall Fashion Scout, Walford Shows

Member Interview With Manuela Spiga

The Industry chats to Manuela Spiga about why she loves working in higher education. Manuela Spiga in her office at London's Italian fashion school Industry member, Manuela is Career Services Manager at Istituto Marangoni. Although originally founded in Milan, the international fashion school now has bases in Paris and London too. We talk to her about fashion's educational sector. What do you love most about your job working as Career Services Manager at London's Istituto Marangoni? What really makes my job are the students. Working in education in such an international environment like Istituto Marangoni makes me a student every day – I never stop learning from them. I also love to see their enthusiasm when I plan something with companies they like. It's great to see their freshness and passion (something that we all lose at some point). What advice would you give to fashion companies looking to employ graduates? I see a lot of exploitation in this industry! It would be great to see companies start paying people after the completion of a probation period, internship or work placement even if it is on a minimum salary. With a form of remuneration people are motivated to work hard and do it well. Where do you see yourself in five years? Still working in education as it is the aspect of the fashion industry I like the most. I have been in corporate positions in the past but it is working alongside students that I really enjoy! Get in touch with Manuela via The Industry Directory By The Industry's Features Editor, Harriet Bowe Would you like to join the premiere members group for those shaping the future of fashion? Visit our JOIN page

Harriet Bowe

Harriet Bowe, Istituto Marangoni, London, Manuela Spiga, Milan, Paris, The Industry

Cfda & Bfc Set Fashion Week Dates

New York and London Fashion Week dates were this week confirmed for the next five seasons. The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and the British Fashion Council (BFC), the two organisations representing New York and London Fashion Week respectively, this week joined forces to announce their consecutive Fashion Week dates for the next two years. Jonathan Saunders Autumn/Winter 2012 on the London catwalk – image courtesy of the BFC In reference to past controversy, both parties issued a statement supporting their joint decision: 'Both the BFC and CFDA are confident that this confirmation will ensure the smooth running of both fashion weeks and allow for designer brands and businesses in all four capitals (New York, London, Milan and Paris) to successfully plan for the long term.' With New York launching the Fashion Season as normal, dates for the two capitals will be as follows: Spring/Summer 2013 NYFW: 6th – 13th September 2012 LFW: 14th – 18th September 2012 Autumn/Winter 2013 NYFW: 7th – 14th February 2013 LFW: 15th – 19th February 2013 Spring/Summer 2014 NYFW: 5th – 12th September 2013 LFW: 13th – 17th September 2013 Autumn/Winter 2014 NYFW: 6th – 13th February 2014 LFW: 14th – 18th February 2014 Spring/Summer 2015 NYFW: 4th – 11th September 2014 LFW: 12th – 16th September 2014 For more information regarding New York Fashion Week click here For more information regarding London Fashion Week click here By The Industry's Features Editor, Harriet Bowe

Harriet Bowe

British Fashion Council, Council of Designers of America, Harriet Bowe, Jonathan Saunders, London, Milan, New York, Paris, The Industry

Member Interview With Upper Street

We chat to The Industry's Julia Grinham on building a business around your consumer. The online tool kit that allows customers to create their own shoes Sisters Julia Grinham and Katy Chandler founded their made-to-order shoe service in 2010. So much more than a label, Upper Street provides consumers with the technology to design their own shoes and have them delivered to their door within a matter of weeks. Julia tells us how they did it. Upper Street is a remarkable concept – tell us how you turned your vision into a business? My sister and I came up with the idea four and half years ago over dinner one evening. Katy was visiting London wearing a beautiful pair of custom made shoes – a fantastic service that we wanted to offer online. On two sides of A4 we noted down the nuts and bolts of the business and Upper Street was born! Katy was living in Hong Kong at the time so a few weeks later we met half way around the world in Dubai. By the poolside we wrote a business plan and back in the UK we conducted consumer research. Focus groups were done with friends over wine and pizza before we started working on the technicalities such as design, manufacturing and communications. What do you love most about your job? When you see how happy we make our customers. We get a lot of amazing feedback and you can't beat that. Also I love walking into the studio on a morning and seeing wall to wall shoes! What challenges has Upper Street faced and how have you turned them into opportunities? When we started out we found that many customers were nervous about buying bespoke shoes online. The main reasoning for this was a worry about fit. So we opened up a by-appointment studio in North London. Customers can now come in and try different styles on, feel the materials, seek design advice and crucially, meet the people behind the brand. We quite often put on customer events – coffee and brunch in the morning or fizz and canapés on an evening. This makes the whole experience much more tangible for the consumer – they can see that we are not just an online brand but real people! And in turn we get to know our market really well. The studio investment has been a real asset to us and we are looking at moving forward with more retail presence in the future. What's next for Upper Street – have you got any expansion plans in the pipeline and where do you see the brand in five years? In two years we have proved that there is a real market for custom made shoes in the UK. Now we are looking to scale our business internationally and diversify our product range – bags are an obvious next step for us. We're continually working on product development and will be launching a special range of materials very soon. And on the whole, just making sure that women all over the world hear about us! Click here to watch the Upper Street story Get in touch with Julia via The Industry Directory By The Industry's Features Editor, Harriet Bowe Would you like to join the premiere members group for those shaping the future of fashion? Visit our JOIN page

Harriet Bowe

Dubai, Harriet Bowe, Hong Kong, Julia Grinham, Katy Chandler, London, The Industry, UK, Upper Street

Style Hunter: Finding Fashion Professionals

Industry member, Catherine Broome works in fashion industry recruitment. We pick her brains on employment traps, trends and tips. Catherine Broome recruits professionals in the luxury, designer fashion and performance sportswear sectors Catherine Broome works at international fashion headhunting firm, Fusion Associates. Operating across Europe, Asia and the USA, we chat to Catherine about how job cuts are affecting fashion industry employers and employees. What do you love most about your job? People. We work on such a wide variety of roles that I get to talk to a lot of people from a lot of different businesses. In the morning I may be talking to denim designers in Italy, and in the afternoon e-commerce managers in the States. There really are so many different people that make up a brand! Talking to people about their own experiences in fashion and how their brand works really is the best part of my job. What is the most important thing you look for in new hires? That really depends on the client and the role I'm working on – everyone looks for something different. We work differently from a contingent recruitment agency (who will typically be working on several roles at once). We work on business critical appointments only, so we are looking for people who really fit the organisation culturally as well as in experience. We take time to get to know our clients and candidates so we can tell if the person will fit the organisation and most importantly vice versa. You recruit in London and Milan – how do you find the fashion industries in these two locations differ? In March we opened our first office in Milan and it is very different from the UK. We already have offices in Berlin and Stockholm so different cultures are not new to us. However Milan has such a unique place in fashion history and we have to respect that. In Italy things work differently, it's quite a small community with specialist skills and everything works on word-of-mouth. The UK fashion market is more international, diverse and focused on online interaction, from shopping and trade news to profiles on LinkedIn. Employment is at an all-time low in the UK – how has the fashion industry adapted and what advice can you give? Things are very difficult out there at the moment but ever since I can remember the industry has been going through one crisis or another. We are the busiest that we have ever been which shows that there are opportunities out there. We see that most brands have adapted by concentrating expansion in emerging and growth markets: Asia is strong for retail, Germany for wholesale sales, and Italy for product development. In terms of advice, we are seeing more and more emphasis on skills, not just experience. Drapers is running a great campaign at the moment to bring manual skills back into the workplace so get involved if you can. Write your CV (or LinkedIn profile) carefully, as this is often what recruiters will base their first impressions of you on. It can determine whether you get that call or not! Be clear about what you are looking for and know which brands/companies interest you. Most importantly do not apply for everything and anything – it will make you look insincere about any one position. Lastly stay positive, there are roles out there. Do feel free to get in touch if you are interested in international opportunities, or your business has global needs! Get in touch with Catherine via The Industry Directory By The Industry's Features Editor, Harriet Bowe

Harriet Bowe

Asia, Berlin, Catherine Broome, Drapers, Europe, Fusion Associates, Germany, Harriet Bowe, Italy, LinkedIn, London, Milan, Stockholm, The Industry, UK, USA

Member Interview With Jennifer Aston

Industry member, Jennifer Aston has been working in the fashion industry for over twenty years. An expert in personal branding and corporate image, she is both Director at Aston+Hayes image consultancy and a Co-Founder of the Association of Stylist and Image Professionals. Specialist in image consultancy, Jennifer Aston Tell us about your image consultancy business Aston+Hayes? Aston+Hayes has been in London's Holland Park for much longer than I'm prepared to admit! Until 1990 Aston+Hayes was a fashion advertising agency headed up by my husband and art director Glyn Hayes. Best known for his advertising work in the '80s supermodel era, he worked with Cindy, Linda, Christy, et al and a very young Kate. From fashion advertising we evolved to corporate branding which became personal branding, however from around 1990 we have been a fully-fledged image consultancy practice. Nowadays I specialise in corporate personal brand coaching for senior executives whilst running our established training courses for personal stylists. We are on a mission to bridge the gap between image consulting and personal styling – that's one of the reasons why ASIP was born. What is ASIP? In 2010 I launched the Association of Stylists and Image Professionals introducing fifty of our training graduates and friends in the personal image industry. It's a member body similar to The Industry. Personal styling is such a new industry with no formal career path, so it's been fantastic so far for members to get together and belong to an organisation that represents us. At the moment I co-chair ASIP with my colleague Pippa Rees. It's a way of putting something back for the next generation of personal stylists – and having lots of fun doing it! Details of ASIP events are on the website and The Industry members – especially personal stylists - would always be welcome to attend. Where would you like to see both Aston+Hayes and ASIP in five years? In five years time the Aston+Hayes training programmes will be available internationally through our new licensing programme which is currently in Sweden, Russia and the Channel Islands. I look forward to mentoring and supporting those license holders in lots of different ways. My vision for ASIP is that as the personal styling industry grows and formalises, it too will grow in both numbers and voice. Hopefully it will provide an even more valuable network and act as a source of inspiration to all personal stylists. Get in touch with Jennifer via The Industry Directory By The Industry's Features Editor, Harriet Bowe

Harriet Bowe

Association of Stylist and Image Professionals, Aston+Hayes, Channel Islands, Glyn Hayes, Harriet Bowe, Holland Park, Jennifer Aston, London, Pippa Rees, Russia, Sweden, The Industry

Member Interview With Maria Lau

Industry member and independent designer, Maria Lau updates us on the movements of her luxury concept jewellery brand. Maria Lau, Founder of eponymous luxury concept jewellery label   Hailed by Susie Lau as one of her favourite up and coming designers, Maria's eponymous jewellery label has gone from strength to strength since start up in 2008. In this interview she tells us about it's direction then, now and in the future. Tell me a little bit about how the Maria Lau jewellery brand was conceived? After finishing my MA in Mixed Media Textiles at the Royal College of Art, I spent a few years making and selling jewellery to different clientele, independent shops and also engaged in several freelance projects. During that time I moved back to Yorkshire to look after family and it felt like I had been cast onto an island! I developed a burning desire to link back up to the fashion/design world, through creating a range of work that was fresh, exciting and relevant. Thus Maria Lau was a way for me to explore new materials within jewellery, inspired by everyday dress and tribal cultures. My point of view was that jewellery doesn't have to be made from precious metals, but can be made valuable through the innovative use of materials; transforming ordinary soft textiles like hosiery and shock-cord elastic into luxurious jewellery. What's an average day at Maria Lau HQ like? Hmm it can change! But in the last week mornings involve a bit of email and admin, photography or preparing parcels and press requests whilst the afternoon is used for more creative projects such as development, making or liaising with my brand consultant about a new collection. Then in the evening I can continue to make jewellery, or even venture out and attend an event – my work is currently showcased at the brand new Aston Martin showroom in Park Lane, London. What's your biggest achievement to date? That I was able to create an innovative jewellery brand in West Yorkshire and achieve international interest from press and buyers. Also being recognised and being able to work with premium brands and retailers such as Michiko Koshino, DKNY, Harrods and Aston Martin has been important. Where do you see Maria Lau in five years? I see that the brand is recognised and selling internationally with good collaborations achieved, so I'm looking at taking on more PR and sales representation this year to further increase exposure. As a small label, which is growing organically, expansion will happen at the right time. What other Industry members have you worked with? The Industry MD Courtney Blackman, Lauretta Roberts from WGSN and stylist Rebekah Roy. Get in touch with Maria via The Industry Directory By The Industry's Features Editor, Harriet Bowe

Harriet Bowe

Aston Martin, Courtney Blackman, DKNY, Harriet Bowe, Harrods, Lauretta Roberts, London, Maria Lau, Michiko Koshino, Park Lane, Rebekah Roy, Royal College of Art, Susie Lau, The Industry, West Yorkshire, WGSN

Best Of British: Corrie Nielsen Designs Star Studded Dress For The Household Cavalry

Selected by Hilary Alexander, The Industry's Corrie Nielsen designs this year's iconic Fashion for the Brave dress. British beauties: Top models Jade Parfitt, Jasmine Guinness & Lyza Onysko all wearing Corrie Nielsen The best of British fashion united with the British Armed Forces at Sunday's launch of Fashion for the Brave. The signature Union Jack dress, previously made by Jasper Conran was this year designed by top fashion designer – and Industry member – Corrie Nielsen. The bespoke corseted dress was styled by and modelled by two of the British fashion industry's most highly acclaimed figures, journalist Hilary Alexander and model Jade Parfitt. Presented on Sunday morning at London's Hyde Park Barracks, this year's Corrie Nielsen dress marks the launch of a prestigious fundraising event that raises money for Britain's injured soldiers and the families affected by those lost in service. 'It’s an absolute honour to have been selected by the 2012 Fashion for the Brave patron and stylist, Hilary Alexander to design and make the "Union Jack" dress,' says Corrie. 'The piece carries my trademark sculptural flair and looked amazing accompanied by diamonds from Boodles.' Industry member, Corrie Nielsen dressing Jade Parfitt behind the scenes Showcased with the Cavalry's finest horses, finished with antique gold buttons and over £1,000,000 worth of Boodles diamonds, Nielsen's dress epitomises the high-profile fundraising event, star studded with support from Britain’s fashion and film industries. Corrie Nielsen makes the final tweaks to Jasmine Guinness's outfit Caroline Rush, Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council explains: 'It's a wonderful way of celebrating, supporting and thanking our soldiers for their bravery and dedication. They truly are the Best of British and the event itself will feature absolutely the best of British fashion – from heritage brands to our most contemporary young designers.' Fashion for the Brave will be held at The Dorchester on 20th September 2012 Get in touch with Corrie via The Industry Directory By The Industry's Features Editor, Harriet Bowe Leader image: Hilary Alexander and Corrie Nielsen

Harriet Bowe

Boodles, British Armed Forces, British Fashion Council, Caroline Rush, Corrie Nielsen, Fashion for the Brave, Harriet Bowe, Hilary Alexander, Household Cavalry, Hyde Park Barracks, Jade Parfitt, Jasmine Guinness, Jasper Conran, London, Lyza Onysko, The Dorchester, The Industry

Presentations: The New Catwalk?

This season, more so than any other, designers have chosen to shun the conventional catwalk show in favour of a private presentation. The Industry looks at what an installation has to offer. Christopher Raeburn often treats his guests to part presentation, part catwalk As if Stella McCartney returning to London wasn’t newsworthy enough, her special fashion presentation hit headlines this Fashion Week with a show that blurred the lines between catwalk and theatre, proving that a collection doesn’t have to walk the runway to attract media attention. Held in a deconsecrated church in Mayfair, the event included a magic show, live jazz and supermodels that started out eating dinner with the guests and ended in a spectacular finale, as they danced on the table tops. Whilst McCartney’s four course dinner won’t have come cheap, private presentations can be a more economically efficient alternative to the traditional catwalk show. Many younger designers, such as NEWGEN's Christopher Raeburn have been doing it for years. Not only can they cost less to produce, presentations are often held over a longer duration of time and in turn allow for a higher footfall than a ten minute catwalk (hence avoiding those inevitable clashes). To add to this, presentations offer designers more creative licence, allowing them to think outside of a ten foot runway space in a bid to impress editors looking to fill those all-important column inches. A more interactive show also means that buyers can get a better feel for the clothes, for example at the McCartney show the audience could see how the eveningwear worked in an environment alike to which it would be naturally worn by the consumer. Increasingly, we are seeing more and more brands – both large and small – get more imaginative with their shows, as the pressure to impress is on at all ends of the scale. By The Industry's Features Editor, Harriet Bowe

Harriet Bowe

Catwalk, Christopher Raeburn, Harriet Bowe, London, Mayfair, NewGen, Presentation, Stella McCartney, The Industry

Member Interview With Muks

With Kate Moss as her first customer, Industry member Jaime Cooke set up her fashion business on a whim in 2003. Nearly ten years on, she's increasing her product offering and expanding into new markets. In a five minute interview, Jaime shares the Muks story. Jaime Cooke, Founder of Muks Essentially derived from a pair of traditional Canadian hunting boots, you turned Mukluk boots into a luxury fashion product back in 2003. What inspired you? I have been wearing traditional Mukluk boots since I was three years old. It has always been an item we had in the Canadian winters to keep our feet nice and warm. When I moved to London my mum decided to send me a pair as a little reminder of home, I would get stopped in the streets when wearing them and thought perhaps I was onto something. I then tried four pairs in a boutique in Notting Hill and Kate Moss was photographed a week later wearing two of the four styles we had supplied the store. I couldn't believe my luck! Since starting out, you've built up a loyal celebrity following from the likes of Kate Moss to Paris Hilton. How do you feel that celebrity endorsement has impacted upon your label? Kate Moss made my success initially, without her wearing the boots it probably would have taken a lot more to establish the product and the brand. As she is a highly publicised celebrity, the others naturally followed. In fact we would use the Kate Moss images to introduce the boots to key retailers and 90% of the time they ordered without even physically seeing the product. It was amazing to witness how much she influenced both retailer and consumer. We still get celeb requests, we recently sent Elle Macpherson and Daisy Lowe boots which has resulted in great PR and increased demand for the product. Where do you see the Muks brand in five years? Every year we are building up new territories and distribution areas, it is a steady but manageable growth. We are now getting to a point where we need more infrastructure in place in order to support this growth – it is an exciting time for us. The key is to keep evolving, I started with one style in four colours and after four years the customer wanted more. We now do 25 styles over a variety of colours each season, but the original is still the best seller – 60% of our sales are still in this model. We are launching a Spring/Summer line this year and a slipper range for next Autumn/Winter. I believe this opens up more markets for us, in hope we will become a well established brand turning over a nice profitable business within five years time. What other Industry members have you worked with? Industry members I have worked with include Courtney Blackman through Forward PR and fashion stylist Rebekah Roy. Get in touch with Jaime via The Industry Directory By The Industry's Features Editor, Harriet Bowe

Harriet Bowe

Canada, Courtney Blackman, Daisy Lowe, Elle Macpherson, Forward PR, Harriet Bowe, Jamie Cooke, Kate Moss, London, Mukluk Boots, Muks, Notting Hill, Paris Hilton, Rebekah Roy, The Industry