Wednesday 19th June 2013, 9.17
Liberty is joining forces with Grazia on their hunt for the next fashion superstar! Covering three womenswear categories: clothing, textile prints and accessories, Fash Factor is an unmissable chance for aspiring designers to present their work to some of the most influential people in the business.
A fabulous launch pad for any career, winners will have pride of place displayed in one of our shop windows, and will also be featured in the pages of Grazia magazine.
Entrants will be seen on a first come first served basis at the Grazia offices from 9am on 21 June – early arrival is a must! Judges on the day will include Roland Mouret, Peter Jensen, Liberty’s own head of Fashion Buying and Merchandising Stephen Ayres, Grazia’s Editor in Chief Jane Bruton and Fashion Director Susannah Frankel.
A talented shortlist will then be invited back for further judging with Liberty’s Managing Director Ed Burstell joining the panel, and successful qualifiers will also receive a once in a lifetime mentoring session in our renowned Heritage Suite.
Think you’ve got what it takes to be the next big name in fashion design? Don’t miss out on this exciting competition!
Click here to find the full details of the Fash Factor competition.
See you on the 21st – good luck!
0 Comments
Tuesday 18th June 2013, 13.17
Renowned print designer, Lisa Levis (nee Stickley) was the creative mind behind her eponymous home and accessories label Lisa Stickley. Since then, Lisa has gone on to create two separate brands, Ada Rose (sold at Liberty in our bathshop on the 3rd floor) and Betty & Walter (launching in store at Liberty in the home department this week!) Using unique, modern and illustrative designs, Lisa creates graceful and sophisticated cosmetic bags that have been a huge with fans and new customers alike.
We caught up with Lisa to find out more about her history as a designer, the family members who inspired her designs and what she gets up to in her spare time.
How long have you been designing?
Since I graduated from Central Saint Martins back in 1999, I first sold a collection of small handmade bags to Paul Smith. These were displayed in their shop on Floral Street, Covent Garden. I was 22.
When did you decide to launch your first eponymous collection, Lisa Stickley?
The collection for Paul Smith carried my name (screen printed with my mini A4 silk screen in my dad’s garage onto bias binding) but I didn’t officially launch until I graduated from the RCA in 2002. By 2003 I was stocked in Liberty, Designers Guild and Harrods, with a bespoke collection for Burberry being sold in Milan, New York and Japan. I made everything by hand. By 2011 the brand could be found in stores across the globe with products spanning bags, accessories, stationery, umbrellas, ceramics, kitchen textiles, bedding and towels. I sadly left the Lisa Stickley London business two years ago, but in doing so have brought about an exciting new second chapter in my career in the form of my two new collections, Ada Rose and Betty & Walter.
How did you come up with the idea for Ada Rose? What is the philosophy behind the label?
Following twelve years of experience I wanted to create a collection combining sophistication, functionality and quality with my core passion, print. A slightly more grown up direction than my designs under ‘Lisa Stickley London’. Ada and Rose were my great grandmothers and came from a time where style was simply elegant with a blend of common sense and ingenuity. All of the prints are hand drawn or painted initially, worked up onto screens and then printed onto fabric and developed into product. I wanted to create unfussy prints that have an evocative simplicity with a modern edge.
Alongside the print, it is very important to me that thought and dedication is given to the shapes and craftsmanship of the designs too. Every detail from the pocket closures, linings and quality of leather have been meticulously considered and designed with purpose.
What inspires your designs?
Inspiration can come from anywhere, and my mind is relentlessly whirring picking up information from all over the place, but often not realizing or developing ideas for a long time. I collect constantly and my camera is always to hand, with photography being a great way to record thoughts and things. Along with boxes, shelves and sketchbooks full of inspirational bits and pieces, it’s from these collections and archives that my initial thoughts begin. I still find new inspiration from sketchbooks and collections I have kept hold of for many years, but see differently each time I revisit them.
What are the signature pieces from the Ada Rose collection?
Having had a really strong relationship with the Liberty beauty team for most of my career, I felt the toiletry bags were a really important category to factor into the range. With their super organizational pockets and compartments, they are fast becoming a staple within the collection. The Queenie Multi print has been very popular for a splash of colour on a make-up bag!
Laurel is a huge favourite of mine. It’s a super functional handbag with lots of ladylike charm, which balances out what I am wearing if I am having a ‘preppy tomboy’ day adding a touch of elegance. It holds everything I need in a handbag, including my iPad.
The Edith print would be my third choice from the collection. It is named after my husband’s grandmother (who lived to the ripe old age of 107) and is a very ladylike design with a feminine depth and delicacy to it. It features a multi layered chrysanthemum flower, originally painted in ink, with a hand drawn tweed background to give a suggestion of woven cloth.
Tell us about yourself, what do you like to do when you’re not designing?
I’m passionate about food, love to cook and am currently working my way thorough Jose Pizzaro’s Spanish Flavours cookbook. My Husband and I recently gorged ourselves at The Sportsman, Seasalter in Kent, which was delicious. Trawling antique fairs is another obsession and I don’t get to go half as often as I would like at the moment, but it’s the only time I will happily rise at 5am when I do get the chance! I’m also really enjoying having a garden for the first time, and have surprised myself by finding gardening a bit of a refuge from the world, albeit I am very much an amateur with lots to learn. I’m looking forward to planting our recently purchased Hydrangea Annabel plants soon!
Name three things on your Liberty wish list?
The Original Magnesium Flakes by Better You are amazing for relaxing after a long day; I’ve had my eye on this Nautical Dot Print Dress by A.P.C. which is now in the Liberty Sale; and these Peacock Liberty print Retro Lucia sunglasses by Retro Super Future are fun!
Discover the Ada Rose collection in the bathshop on the 3rd floor in store, or shop online. Look out for Lisa’s latest collection, Betty & Walter launching in store this week, too!
0 Comments
Monday 17th June 2013, 16.28
Senior press officer, Sophie Pate, shows her support for British designer Jonathan Saunders and champions his spring summer 2013 holographic pencil skirt. Sophie talks us through her fashion week survival essentials.
Which shows are you attending/ most looking forward to?
I am attending most of the shows, but really looking forward to seeing what is on offer from Richard Nicoll, Lou Dalton, Christopher Shannon, MAN and Nasir Mazhar.
What gets you through the London Collections: Men week?
I never go anywhere without my Nars lip pencils, Bumble and Bumble dry shampoo so that I can freshen up my hair for the evening events and a Laura Mercier under-eye concealer to stop me looking tired.
What essentials do you carry with you in your bag throughout the week?
My make-up bag, a bottle of coconut water to keep me hydrated, Karen Walker sunnies, my travel sized bottle of Le Labo LYS 41 and my ipad mini so that I can take snaps of all my favourite show pieces and male models!
0 Comments
Monday 17th June 2013, 15.49
Day 2 of London Collections: Men- Liberty menswear buyer, Jenny Obrart shows us what she’s wearing to today’s shows and reveals which shows she is most looking forward to seeing.
Which shows are you attending/ most looking forward to?
I am most looking forward to Alexander McQueen for its design and and creativity, and also Oliver Spencer as I think it’s so reflective of our customer and a true household name.
What gets you through the London Collections: Men week?
I couldn’t live without sparkling water to keep me hydrated and my Gypsy Water perfume by Byredo. It immediately revives me!
What essentials do you carry with you in your bag throughout the week?
Red lipstick, polos, Moscot sunglasses and an umbrella!
0 Comments
Monday 17th June 2013, 10.38
Berlin-based perfumer Geza Schoen has revolutionised the world of fragrance with his ground-breaking brand. Launched in 2006, Escentric Molecules is a series of scents created around a simple idea: to bring the craft of perfumery back to a focus on substance and to de-mystify the fragrance-making process.
We caught up with Geza to find out more about this revolutionary fragrance concept and discover the secret to its success.
For those who are new to Escentric molecule, what makes it so special?
It’s about simplicity. It’s proving that it is exciting for people to not wear a complex, overloaded perfume with hundreds of notes – they can be happy with just one!
How did you come up with the idea of a fragrance consisting of just one ingredient?
I tested it in 1990 on a friend. We went to a bar and in five minutes a woman showed up, stood right in front of us and said, “Who smells so nice here?” That told me that there was something truly exceptional going on.
Molecule 01 has become a cult favourite and is one of our best sellers here at Liberty – what’s the secret to its success?
Professor Doctor Hanns Hatt, the world’s leading researcher on the understanding on the perception of smell, says that he presumes that it not just touches our olfactory region; it also touches our vomeronasal organ which triggers all pheromonal actions.
How did you become interested in perfumery?
I started by collecting fragrances when I was just 13…
Smell is known for being a powerful sense in evoking memories – which scents trigger nostalgic memories for you?
There is not anything in particular – my work means that these things happen everyday!
Describe Escentric Molecules in 5 words:
Authentic. Sensual. Subtle. Ground-breaking. Mesmerising.
Shop the Escentric Molecules fragrance collection online.
0 Comments
