Alice England: Eclectic mix of style

The first thing I noticed about Alice England’s Graduate Fashion Week 2010 collection was her colour popping designs in figure hugging fabrics; a big nod to the 80’s fashion and a good indication of the quirky imagination from this designer.

Alice England knew from an early age that she wanted to be a Fashion Designer.  The desire to break away from the ‘norm’ of school uniform and the ‘cloning’ system was an early indication that this designer had a sense of personal style and thankfully she went on to pursue her dreams of Fashion!

Attending Liverpool John Moore University (LJMU), Alice has produced 3 collections, The first being “bum bags and furry dice” for her second year at University, then the “Me and Mrs Jones” graduate collection: A/W 2010 club wear collection inspired by the 1980’s shapes and forms, gaming culture and the infamous rubik’s cube and lastly “After Eight” an intriguing all black collection, based on Victorian lampshades, the nature of light and dark and the sordid affairs of goings-on in the dark corners of a drawing room.  The last collection was designed purely for the Young Northwest Designer of the Year Award for which Alice England came second.

Inspirational people for the designer include Azzedine Alaia, Herve Leger, Mark fast, Nathan Jenden, Gareth Pugh, Helmut Newton and Rankin and her favourite piece from all her collections is her 3-dimentional patent-leather Pacman skirt from the “Me and Mrs Jones” collection.  I’m a big fan of this skirt too and I would also like to own one of the fab dresses from the collection – I think my wardrobe needs one!!

The designer states that fashion is all about sex and her cheeky, flirtatious character is reflected in her designs. Alice says, “ I want to emit cheeky, sexy, fun in the wearer. For example, I use a lot of Power mesh, which creates strong connotations of sexuality and voyeurism”. Her personal style is often described as 80’s infused but she also has a love for anything from the late 1960’s to the early 90’s. The palette is often black but states that when she wears colour, she wears a lot and her “Me and Mrs Jones” collection expresses her style the best.

Alice England is currently working on her new collection “Go Faster” which is inspired by road signs and she confesses that she is literally inspired by anything. A single idea can launch a whole new collection, which keeps her designs fresh, real and fun. Favourite fabrics can be seen throughout the collections such as mesh and lycra and black is also a common denominator with bursts of colour. Debbie Harry and Rihanna are strong contenders for the position of ‘muse’ for the designer.

Overall, the designer shows great dexterity and I am looking forward to seeing the “Go Faster” collection when it débuts along with the launch of her own label in the future.

Graduate collection is now available to buy at www.artistspringboard.com

Castomization of clothes – an interview with Paulina Palian

I first came across Paulina Palian at the ‘I Love Runway’ fashion show in London last July and I loved Paulina’s energy. Her enthusiasm for Fashion Design is infectious and she inspires a passion for what she does. Her playful collections are serious works of art especially her collection - Castomization Blue Inzo - which I was fortunate enough to see live on the catwalk. Her bright and bubbly personality really shines through her designs and after following her work for almost a year, she was a natural choice for interview to find out what she’s been getting up to since.

I caught up with the Polish born designer to find out what inspires her, why she chooses Bjork and how often she’s a secret spy….

Why was 'Fashion Design' your career of choice? 

To be honest it wasn’t a conscious choice. As a little girl I wanted to be a Scientist. I remember I was 6 and my mother - who is a chemistry teacher - told me about an amazing woman, Maria Sklodowska-Curie who was a Polish born Chemist who won two Nobel prizes. I was so proud to find out about it. Then, like most girls, I wanted to be a Singer/Performer and was even in a few school musicals. But after High School I decided to apply to the University of Economics. In the mean time my son was born and as a young mum and student, my budget was small. But thanks to my creativity and those conditions, I started to re-make garments I found in second hand shops. Finally in 2004 I said goodbye to Economic Studies and I made my first Collection: Castomization 2004.

Who and what are your biggest inspirations? 

People. People are absolutely amazing, beautiful and so surprising. Strong women. Both those who are working at home – doing the most difficult work on this planet- raising their kids and those who have committed their lives to their careers.

I am also a fan of tradition, history of art and fashion and last but not least- folk. We need to know where we come from and who we are, and for me, the first step to find it, is through those who inspire me. I spend a lot of time researching online, looking for new exciting ideas, and I also love to observe London’s crowd - putting on shades to secretly spy on new street fashion trends! Mix those all together; add a piece of my personality and these are my creations.

How many collections have you designed? 

Taking into consideration I’ve started quite late, I think I might say I have designed quite a few collections so far. Unfortunately, due to financial struggles not all of them have been made. Until now, I have made 5 collections: Castomization 2004 I’ve mentioned before, HOP SA SA- my diploma collection (2008), S/S 2009, Moon Lady (2009) and last year Castomization Blue Inzo. I am very excited about my new collection coming up soon and hopefully this year, I will launch my first commercial collection- fingers crossed.

What is your favourite piece/outfit? 


Shoes!! This is one of few things I can’t make myself- I love shoes and should not be allowed in shoe shops ;) I like bracelets a lot too.

What is your personal style? 

We, Paulina Palian, have 2 lives and 2 personal styles. One is the Fashion Designer, Stylist and Graphic Artist: quirky, colourful but at the same time sexy and feminine. The second is Paulina Palian a mother: very comfortable, lots of greys with some black. But do not be surprised to have these two mixed and you get baggy tracksuit bottoms with high heels and made to measure jackets.

How would you describe your collections? 

I think all my collections are very different but at the same time I hear that they have a common denominator- me, which I am glad to hear, as it sounds as if I have a certain style. Although HOP SA SA is a very colourful, girly collection, inspired by Polish folk and street fashion; in a way you can say it was designed by the same person who made Moon Lady- a more sophisticated collection of evening silk dresses.

How do you want women to feel when wearing your clothes? 

I want them to feel beautiful and confident. Then I believe they will be happy. I tend to take all my styling knowledge and design clothes that will be covering the false and bring up what is beautiful in us. And I want to promote healthier and more athletic looking sizes in fashion. We are getting there slowly but hopefully aiming right.

If you could choose anyone to wear your designs, who would you chose? 

Oh I have two ladies that pop up in my mind straight away: Bjork would be my number one and another is Roisin Murphy. I admire them both a lot because of their talents and fashion sense. These are the dreams, but I have to say, that all the personal assignments and made-to-measure orders are like an adventure - new journey. I like challenges, I will design and make almost anything.

What are you currently working on? 

At this moment, except for being a Freelance Fashion Designer and Graphic Artist, I am also the Fashion Creative Director of Lejdiz Magazine. It is a brand new magazine we are building from scratch and is published in the UK. I am also the Fashion Promoter of Freak Art Show Collective with Boro Young and the amazing Freak Family team who create monthly events to promote: Photographers, Painters, Fashion Designers and Graphic Artists; DJ’s and Musicians; Performers and Dancers - you name it! So yes, very busy! I am really looking forward to some one-to-one time with my sewing machine and just being able to create new garments.

What are your hopes for the future? 

First step would be London Fashion Week I guess. Then a boutique with my label and being able to live a stable and happy life with my lovely family from what I earn through my creativity.

Interview in the words of Paulina Palian herself.

First Image: Collection: Castomization Blue Inzo 2010 - Photography by Inzajeano Latif

Second image: Collection: Moon Lady 2009 - Photography by fashionmedia.pl/

Third image: Collection: Hop SA SA S/S 2009 - Photographer: Cécile Sayuri

Alice Early: Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful.

I love fashion. I love wearing it, seeing the new trends emerge and seeing those trends on others but my favourite aspect is coming across new fashion designers who really grab my attention and spark my interest. This happened when I stumbled across the recent fashion graduate Alice Early. Alice showcased her collection at Graduate Fashion Week 2010 and since then, her reputation has grown and catapulted her into the designers arena of “one to watch”.

Alice Early’s collection is well tailored, well balanced, fresh cut pieces of beautiful blues, creams, blacks, browns and pretty prints.  Elegant, luxury pieces that are fabulous worn individually but complement each other as a whole. The collection is so wearable and if owned in it’s entirety, would keep you well dressed every day for a whole season.  It’s hard to choose my favourite outfit from the collection when I want it all, but if I could only pick one piece, it would have to be the black leather and white cotton dress for its clean lines and mix of fabrics. I am also a slave to anything black leather!

Graduating with a 1^st in Women’s Fashion Design from Kingston University, Alice has since taken part in various competitions and was shortlisted for the WGSN Global Fashion Awards. Alice is currently focusing on her role as Design Assistant for Twenty8Twelve and hopes to launch her own label in the future.

To say I am excited by this designer is a slight under statement. I will be closely following Twenty8Twelve to see her develop her designs and look forward to the day that her own label is launched. I will be first in the queue!