Explaining my life as a couturier to a child

I was interviewed by a primary school student last week, and because she was so young, I found myself really refining my answers to make them easy for her to understand. It made me think with great clarity about my work; having to simplify a concept like that really made me peel back a few layers.

Starting a business

She asked me why I made the decision to leave advertising and start my own business. I remembered that I had been looking for a better work environment, one that would foster real teamwork and see people acknowledged for their efforts.

I couldn’t find what I was looking for, so I hired a team and created it. I even put it on the back of my first brochure. We had a joyful working environment, and I made my workroom staff do a lap of the catwalk after all my parades, because they played such a big role in my success.

An Open Letter to Fashion

Clare Press’ open letter to fashion on International Women’s Day expresses a natural extension of this. Why would we not want the people who make our clothes to be paid and treated fairly? It’s a simple concept that I connect with.

As Clare writes,

“Clothes cannot be beautiful if they’ve been made under ugly conditions.”

This concept of ethics is something I have always embodied and valued in my own work, not because it’s been a trending topic or something on the rise in the media, but because it’s who I am. I dress women because I am a woman, and I know what it feels like to wear a garment that feels good, because it’s made in good conditions.

Good fashion is about the impact, on yourself, your own confidence, and every pair of hands that have been a part of bringing it to life. It’s why I do what I do, and why I love what I do.