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Matthew Miller

Matthew Miller

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DESIGNER NAME: Matthew Miller

ORIGIN: Stoke-on-Trent, England.

BACKGROUND: Matthew studied at the Royal College of Art. Before setting up his own label, he worked on projects with Umbro and Brioni amongst others.

SIGNATURES: “The brand’s strong signature style will continue to evolve and grow. It is formed from an investigation into the technological versus the traditional; performance fabrics, tailoring and sportswear detailing form the basis of the Mr. Matthew Miller look.”

TRADEMARK PIECE: “Engineered digital prints and structured tailoring.”

THE COLLECTION: “The communication of objects, destruction and decay through individuality. SS14 will be the introduction of a new manifesto for the brand.”

IMPACT OF LONDON COLLECTIONS: MEN: “London Collections: Men has propelled London menswear designers to the forefront of international design. This has enabled the brand to triple the stockists carrying the main line over the last season and seen the product in stores selling out.”

FIRST PIECE OF MENSWEAR DESIGNED: “I used to be a massive Mickey Mouse fan when I was a kid (I still am!), collecting everything from hats to trainers, t-shirts, sweats, and toys! I used to design Mickey Mouse prints and put them on t-shirts.”

Marios Schwab

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Mario Schwab AW13 Collection

DESIGNER NAME: Marios Schwab

BACKGROUND: “Greco-Austrian and currently live in London.” Marios completed his BA at Esmod Berlin then went on to the MA course at Central Saint Martins. He worked for the menswear designer Kim Jones, on Jones’ womenswear label, before starting his own business.

IDEAL CLIENT: “A young, cosmopolitan woman who is open minded, enigmatic and adventurous.”

TRADEMARK PIECE: “A seductive little dress.”

CULTURAL INFLUENCES: “As a label we are continually inspired by our cultural surroundings, as a designer I find music and art are key influences on my designs – many seasons have been shaped by a piece of music I have listened to or an artist’s style. AW12 for example was inspired by Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No.5 in C Minor; I came across the piece of music by accident whilst travelling and this became key to the collection’s mood. I spend a long time researching tracks for the catwalk soundtrack and enjoy delving into different genres of music to fit the collection each season.”

PLANS FOR 2013: “The Kallisti lingerie range will launch its second collection and following on from the success of the SS13 collaboration, Marios Schwab will again work with Ancient Greek Sandals on a special range. I will be taking the AW13 collection to show at an international Fashion Week in March and it is always very exciting to visit new cities and present a catwalk show working with international creative teams. Seasonally travelling with the collection opens your eyes to new cultures and traditions which is very inspiring for myself and my team after the hectic lead up to London Fashion Week.”

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Mario Schwab AW13 Collection

Marie Grachvogel

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DESIGNER NAME: Maria Grachvogel


BACKGROUND: “I started cutting and making clothes from around the age of 12, when I learned the basics of pattern cutting and assembly at school in the Fashion and Textiles class. Then my own fascination for cut, form and drape led me to develop my own blocks and cutting techniques which have been the basis of my work. It was always my dream to be a designer with my own label and I therefore started my own business when I was 18.”

SIGNATURES: “I use unconventional methods of cutting and fitting to create clothes that work in harmony with a woman’s body”

TRADEMARK PIECE: “The most fabulously cut trousers, jumpsuits and my artwork prints.”

IDEAL CLIENT: “It’s all about attitude. A strong, confident woman is drawn to my collection. She has an innate sense of her own style but is also willing to trust me to try something new.”

THE COLLECTION: “For my AW13 collection I wanted to convey a bold but quiet power. I have kept the colour palette simple with deep, rich colours and have incorporated more texture than I have in recent seasons. Artwork prints are always an essential part of my collection and for this season I have created deconstructed graphic prints that really play on the duality of both the strength and fragility of nature.”

CULTURAL INFLUENCES: “Much of what I create is the manifestation of everything I take in subconsciously on my morning walks, travels with my family and evenings out with friends. So I find that once I begin working on a collection it is really hard for me to pinpoint specific sources of inspiration – at that point the collection just pours out of me. But I do have a great love of music and the power it has to set a certain mood, so I always spend a great deal of time and emotional energy selecting and perfecting the music for my catwalk shows.”

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Margaret Howell

Margaret Howell

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DESIGNER NAME: Margaret Howell

BACKGROUND: Surrey, England.

SIGNATURES: “Enduring quality, contemporary clothes for men and women.”

TRADEMARK PIECE: “White cotton shirt, gabardine raincoat, unstructured tweed jacket and flat leather lace-up shoe.”

IDEAL CLIENT: “Independent and discerning.”

THE COLLECTION: “Inspired by the cool classicism of the white shirt, we’ve used cottons and linens in pale shirting shades of blue, grey and white for loose cut shirts and parkas, worn over narrow-legged trousers – simple shapes with a strong silhouette.”

LONDON TIPS: “Coffee in the Hertzog & De Meuron installation at the Serpentine Gallery. Then looking east through Hyde Park, take in the view of the perfectly placed Shard building. Visit the National Portrait Gallery exhibition ‘Road to 2012: Aiming High’; it features the story behind the athletes and others who have contributed to the London 2012 Olympics.”

FUTURE PLANS: “A new collaboration with British furniture maker Ercol. The 2012 reissue of the butterfly and stacking chair sees these two classic designs produced in elm with black painted beech legs and uprights. To be launched at The London Design Festival in September, the chairs will be available exclusively at Margaret Howell London, Tokyo and Paris flagships.”

Mark Fast

Mark Fast

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DESIGNER NAME: Mark Fast

BACKGROUND: Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Fast studied for both his BA and MA at Central Saint Martins. He worked with Bora Aksu and Stuart Vevers before setting up his own label.

SIGNATURES: “Hand-made knitted dresses.”

IDEAL CLIENT: “Strong and enthusiastic with great legs.”

Lucas Nascimento

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DESIGNER NAME: Lucas Nascimento

BACKGROUND: Born in Bonito, Brazil. Graduating in 2008 from London College of Fashion, Nascimento has spent the last three seasons showing at Rio Fashion Week.

SIGNATURES: “I like to create silhouettes that are not typical of knitwear, using knit unexpectedly through careful yarn consideration and solid research. I am interested in the geometric and textural aspects of knitwear. My pieces are a take on the classic cocooning, protective knit, but with a twist – either in yarn or structure.”

IDEAL CLIENT: “She appreciates the detail in a garment and buys a piece for life; not for a moment in trend or time.”

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Lou Dalton

Lou Dalton

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DESIGNER NAME: Lou Dalton

BACKGROUND: Lou studied at the Royal College of Art. She has previously worked for Hamish Morrow, Stone Island, Crucianni Knitwear and Charlie Allen.

SIGNATURES: “Rebellious English sportswear with a strong attention to detail.”

IDEAL CLIENT: “This Charming Man”

TRADEMARK PIECE: Lou loves the collection so much she struggles to define a key piece – “I feel personally attached to so many, each has its own little story with its own little journey…”

Louise Gray

Louise Gray

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LOUISE GRAY

DESIGNER NAME: Louise Gray

BACKGROUND: Born in Fraserburgh, Scotland. Louise studied at The Glasgow School of Art in textile design and Central Saint Martins, where she completed her MA. Design collaborations include Cotton USA, Judy Blame, Nicholas Kirkwood, the Smiley Company and Crown Paint. Louise is also sponsored by the Centre for Fashion Enterprise.

SIGNATURES: “Colour, textures, hand silk-screened specially developed fabrics in woven, embroidered and printed techniques.”

IDEAL CLIENT: “Ultimately someone who is fun.”

LONDON TIPS: “The view from London Bridge, a cocktail at the Manchichi Bar and dancing anywhere you fancy.”

Issa London

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DESIGNER NAME: Daniella Helayel

BACKGROUND: Brazil

TRADEMARK PIECE: “Issa is all about effortless glamour and our signature belted jersey dresses take you from work to cocktails whilst making women feel confident, comfortable and sexy.”

IDEAL CLIENT: “The Queen of England. She is not just a style icon, but an icon in every sense of the word.”

THE COLLECTION: “I was inspired by the Navajo American Indians, their traditional ikat designs and the wild predatory eagle.”

CULTURAL INFLUENCES: “Music and art permeate through all of my collections; we try to go to as many exhibitions and performances as possible. The musical tastes amongst my design team are so diverse that I’m always discovering something new and exciting.”

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