The Southbank Centre, London

was the venue for the second annual

Vogue Festival 2013

(held Saturday – Sunday, 27/28 April )

…

The presentations covered a wide range of topics

(to highlight a few):

the business of fashion:  launching and sustaining a brand

the creative of fashion:  the process of design

the body image debate

the essentials of a cover shoot

the impact of blogging on fashion reporting

During the two day event, many established

and rising industry professionals and creatives participated.

…

 I attended the talk

So … You want to be a fashion designer?

Mary Katrantzou, JW Anderson, Erdem Moralioglu, Jonathan Saunders

four sparkling gems in the British fashion crown were the speakers.

Each of these young designers commented on their design process and

the challenges of managing their brand as a commercial concern.

A few words of wisdom out of the mouths of these four newgen fashion babes:

…

(photos from vogue.com)

(images from collections from fashionising)

Mary Katrantzou

Vivacious,  Animated,  Engaging

Mary Katrantzou at the Vogue Festival 2013

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Mary Katrantzou spoke with contagious energy …

-“find your signature”;  for Mary this is her hyper realistic prints

-“communicate with your design”

-“detach yourself from your work”

Mary dresses in black with

a minimalistic perspective in order to cleanse the palette

from the prints, colours with which she is always surrounded.

Mary also touched on the importance of a thriving on-line presence,

particularly interactive social media platforms,

for insights into client reactions/opinions.

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Mary Katrantzou, s/s 2013

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Erdem Moralioglu

Soft-spoken,  Reflective,  Restrained

Erdem Moralioglu at the Vogue Festival 2013

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Erdem always knew that fashion design was his calling.

-” it’s important to have a language”

-“what do you want to say with your designs?”

For Erdem –  fashion, design is all about communication,

conveying a message from a distinct point of view.

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Erdem, s/s 2013

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For spring/summer 2013, Erdem was inspired by the works of

science fiction writer Zenna Henderson, one of the first women

to write in this literary genre.

The language for the collection seem  that of ‘otherness’,

an exploration of things, which

are not quite what they seem.

…

Jonathan Saunders

Witty,  Charismatic,  Easy-going

Jonathan Saunders at the Vogue Festival 2013

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Jonathan Saunders had showed collections in New York.

He seems happy to be back in London where, he stated

“people love clothes and fashion.”

– “fashion designing is about newness.”, so for Jonathan constant innovation is key

– “my first business was started from my bedroom.”, perseverance could well lead to success

as it certainly has for Jonathan.

Saunders too made reference to the role of on-line presentation,

as one of the dictators of a collection.

He mentioned that  garments need to translate well on-line,

colour for one is important.

…

Jonathan Saunders, s/s 2013

Always challenging himself to bring “newness” to his creations,

Saunders said that his s/s 2013 collection was,

” the hardest collection I’ve ever done.”

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JW Anderson

Relaxed,  Thoughtful,  Observant

JW Anderson at the Vogue Festival 2013

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Anderson’s first ambition was to become an actor.

Luckily for fashion devotees,

the second won out it.

Anderson’s take on the essence of dress and on London fashion was spot on:

-“clothing has to be believable on the person.”

-“a person has to commit to it.”

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JW Anderson, s/s 2013

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All four designers remarked on the support and encouragement received from

the London fashion industry community in assisting with the development

of their business and creative voices.

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