I work under the brand name Kitsch. As a freelance designer who is in her first couple of years of being in the industry, my job goes beyond the creative side of designing, sourcing for, and stitching garments. I also have to manage the business side of things, such as marketing and customer service.
Although, it is a lot of work for one person to do, so I will be looking to put a team together to work alongside me once I graduate. I always want to be as hands-on with the whole beginning-to-end process of thinking up a design for the completed garment, making it to a customer to make sure that my vision and ethos are always properly represented.
How old are you?
I am 20 years old. I think being so young in this industry is a double-edged sword given that on the one hand there always is attention directed towards young designers as for who may break through next, however, because it is an over-saturated market cementing yourself as a trusted, good quality label can be hard when competing with names that have been known and loved for years and decades.
What kind of work do you do, or what are you studying to be?
I always base all of my work on sustainability to a certain degree. Out of all the garments that I have designed only two of them (a one-off jacket for the archives and my made-to-order Liberty flares) were made using entirely new materials. Every other piece from my brand has been made using 60-100% recycled fibers.
One of the whole points behind my work is that every single piece I make is gonna be different and unique, so one of my favorite things to work on are custom made orders as they allow me to work alongside the customer in designing a perfect piece for them they couldn’t have found otherwise. This is a lengthier process than selling my ready-to-wear pieces, but I do it because it is both a more personal and challenging service to offer, which tends to always help me broaden my horizons.
It is because of my constant desire to cover as many bases as possible that I am currently finishing my last year of a Footwear Foundation Degree, which will allow me to move onto my third and final year of university studying Professional Studies of Creative Industries.
I think of myself as a mixed-media creative as opposed to a fashion designer, so not checking myself into a certain box is vital to me and my development as an artist who is constantly seeking interesting ways to entertain herself through producing visually intriguing products.
What made you decide to become a fashion designer?
From a young age I have been actively involved in various creative disciplines -including a brief period at around 8 years old when I would sew with my grandma, so for me becoming a designer wasn’t so much a decision as much as it was a natural progression. In my early teenage years, I realized that if I allowed myself to be innovative, I could merge my love and interest in different practices, such as writing poetry and creating art, into one vessel: fashion.
Is fashion important to you? Why?
Fashion and style are definitely important to me, as wearing a fit that feels right for the day helps me feel more confident. For this reason, I do often overdress for the occasion, however. Expressing myself through how I dress makes navigating life more pleasant, as it makes it easier to attract like-minded people.
What are your successes and how did you achieve them?
I like to let my work speak for itself and let the right audiences find me as opposed to the other way round. I know I am extremely lucky to have been presented with all the amazing opportunities I’ve had, albeit it does all stem from very hard work.
The most ‘pinch me’ moment of my career so far was early March this year, when I was presented with the opportunity of collaborating on a campaign with Adidas x Depop. I got to customize a pair of PRIMEGREEN Stan Smith trainers from Adidas’ new sustainable production line, which marked the beginning of their journey towards sustainability; something I’m immensely proud to have been involved with.
Another memorable moment is having recently had my first collection open The Revival Charity Fashion Show in Durham on the 23rd of June; helping raise money to support victims of human trafficking. These kinds of accomplishments mean a lot to me because they not only serve me the purpose of living out my designer fantasy, but they have a greater meaning of fomenting sustainability and contributing to charity.
Is the name of the brand important to you when you buy clothing?
I'm a firm believer of the fact that it's not about the clothes themselves but how you wear them, so when I'm looking for new clothes, I base my purchases on the look of the garment itself, alongside fiber composition, as opposed to the name on the label.
Mostly, I shop second hand as I like to keep fashion circular so in these instances I never take into consideration the brand, however, if I am thinking about buying a completely new piece of clothing I try to avoid brands with production and work ethics I do not agree with, although out of necessity is not always possible for me at this stage in my life.
Describe your personal style of clothing
Oh, defining my personal style is a very hard thing to do! I like a challenge so I try to vary my outfit silhouettes as much as possible, and I love the pointless layering of pieces, whether that comes as see-through garments, underwear as outerwear, vests, and ties, multiple necklaces in varying lengths, or anything else I can think up at the moment.
Bright colors are a relatively recent introduction to my wardrobe and whilst I do often spot them, I concentrate them to only one or two accent pieces per outfit if any.
Finding my personal style is a more ongoing journey as opposed to a destination I feel like I’ve reached. I definitely have a somewhat defined style which is an anti-fashion-forward rock with a helping of preppy and playful camp to dark-femme academia, so basically very 60-80s inspired mainly, hahaha.
How did you find your personal style? Do you have a signature look?
As I just said, I like to vary my outfit's silhouettes as much as possible. However, I realize that there actually are certain features I always carry throughout most of my outfits.
I wear a lot of shirts, either beneath a vest or cropped jumper or unbuttoned on top of other items.
All of my bottoms but one pair of trousers are high-waisted, and flared legs definitely dominate my wardrobe with a firm hand. I really like hefty footwear, which is why for the past 5 years I’ve mostly been wearing 1460 doc Martens or Buffalos. The same time period for which I’ve had multiple hoops and safety pins hanging from each ear and my hair cut above my shoulder. I really don’t think I could feel like myself with long hair again!
Do you have an influence on other people’s clothing style?
I think any designer who is asked this question would say yes, of course! Whether it's true or not. Obviously, I can only speak about my own experiences but when people in my life find out that I am successfully forging my path in the fashion industry in their heads it sometimes translates to having a personal stylist and/or shopping assistant, which I’m not complaining about.
I absolutely love helping with such things. However, I am better off making statement pieces for bold outfits as opposed to pulling one together for anyone who doesn’t share my exact own style.
A few months ago I was doing research for one of my uni modules when I came across an article by Bustle titled ’10 of the Best Depop Stores to Get to Know Before Everyone Does’ in which I found my brand Kitsch shortlisted and praised for “undoubtedly helping to bring patchwork sweater vests back in style” so I was thankful the media and I agree regarding my position in the fashion game.
What in your eyes are the best trends at the moment?
There are some nice trends going on right now that I have been really enjoying, like the resurgence of second-skin tops, cut-out anything, and slinky tie garments. Not only are these trends ones that I often enjoy wearing myself, but they are also design features I love experimenting with through my work.
Although having a background education in fashion makes it easier to spot rising and falling trends, I purposely avoid looking through magazines, trend books, or even brand’s and designer’s social media, because most everything in fashion has been done repeatedly already, so being creative and different is already challenging enough without having the image of other designs stuck in your brain.
What in your eyes are the worst trends at the moment?
In my opinion, the worst trend happening at the moment are those super chunky colorful rings, typically made of plastic, clay, or glass in irregular shapes. Some rings themselves look pretty as little trinkets, however, I personally can’t stand the way they make fingers look.
Other than that there is no other trend that I genuinely dislike because even if something is not my thing I can appreciate it when someone can make it work howbeit there is not a single person I’ve seen wearing those chunky rings who has made me think they look alright on.
What kind of fashion advice would you give us?
I think the best piece of fashion advice that I could give anyone is that being confident in yourself is the single most attractive quality that anyone can have, so don’t worry about what you’re wearing or whether a certain piece of clothing suits you: just have fun with it!
Who is your style icon and why?
I'm not sure that I have a style icon as much as I am influenced and inspired by different sources. Jim Morrison with his flowy hair, beaded necklaces, concha belt, and leather trousers has always been a quintessential figure that I’ve looked up to for many reasons. Alongside other icons such as Freddie Mercury and the wonderful way, he would experiment with gender associations and expectations through the eccentric manner in which he would present himself to the world, to Lady Gaga and her boundary-pushing statements that are forever turning heads in both positive and negative ways.
Is there something else you would like to say to us?
Please, everyone, don’t feel as if you have to wait for something to be deemed fashionable to wear it! Trends are forever going around in circles and they have done so for years and years, so if you still want to wear neon yellow even though it's not as hot now as it was two years ago, then do it anyway! It will come back again for sure in another few years. And besides, you cannot be a trendsetter if you’re following what everyone else does.
Thank you Camile for answering my questions with so much detail. I love your point of view on sustainability. 😍
