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LINE Blogger Lizzie speaks with three designers for the upcoming LINE Fashion Show...
Victoire: Hi, I'm Victoire. I'm a 3rd year studying Management with Finance. I'm French but grew up in the UK.
Olivia: I'm Olivia, a 4th year, and I study PPL. I'm French and English, but I grew up in Paris.
Alix: My name is Alix, I study International Business with Spanish, I'm a 4th year, and I’m just French (laughs).
Lizzie: What character looks are you designing?
Victoire: Gretel from Hansel and Gretel.
Olivia: The two evil step-sisters from Cinderella.
Alix: Snow White.
Lizzie: What drew you to choose that character(s)?
Victoire: I was inspired by the storyline, and I have always loved to knit and crochet so I definitely wanted to do something with those aspects, I thought this character would allow me to do so.
Olivia: I wanted to do two outfits, two twin outfits, because I did the LINE fashion show two years ago and that’s what we got to do which I really enjoyed. I thought the step-sisters would be really funny, fun characters to design for, and I didn’t want to do something too dark so I thought they would be perfect for me.
Alix: I wanted someone authentic who had a.. sorry I have to think because I didn’t want Snow White (laughs). I wanted something a bit more evil but also I thought ok Snow White, why not? It wasn’t my first choice, but in the end when I dove into the story I found some really interesting inspiration.
Lizzie: What do you think the audience will think about your look? Is there anything that might surprise them or they might not expect?
Victoire: They might not recognise that my design is from Hansel and Gretel because I chose to focus on a specific aspect of the storyline. I tried to focus on the famine aspect of the story, in that Hansel and Gretel were so hungry they imagine a house of sweets, so I'm going to make Gretel look skeleton-like. I don’t know if the audience will necessarily recognise that part of the story and connect the dots. I’m not sure if they’ll quite make the link but I hope they’ll be surprised.
Olivia: I’m going to sew something quite colourful with a lot of different shapes and textures so I feel maybe they’ll be a bit surprised by my look, especially considering the theme of this year's LINE fashion show being quite dark and kind of evil in a way, obviously because the focus is on the original fairytales rather than the watered-down versions we're all more familiar with. With the step sisters I’ve tried to play more on their bitchy and arrogant side rather than their 'evil' side per se, so maybe that will be a bit surprising. Maybe not that much liked but that's what I want to do (laughs).
Alix: My interpretation of Snow White is going to be kind of straight forward. I know people will have expectations of the designs because of the structured categories and people’s knowledge of the fairy-tales. I know people will want to understand very quickly who’s who, and I think it’s a strength in my design. Although I think it’s going to be easy to understand my character I still want to emphasise the fact that it’s a bit darker, not a simple Disney-esque Snow White. She’s also super naive and that leads her to her death.
Lizzie: How are you striking the balance between keeping your look elevated and not too costume-y? Have you struggled with that?
Victoire: I think mine isn’t too difficult to stay away from being costume-y, because no one has a too fixed an image of what Hansel and Gretel really look like: there’s no super well known movie version of Hansel and Gretel, for example in comparison to Snow White. It’s easier for me also because I’m focusing on a specific aspect of the storyline, in her youth and her skeletal appearance, so it's a bit more abstract. I think I got a character that doesn’t have that problem.
Olivia: I’m going to be treading a very fine line between costume-y and elevated fashion, but I think my designs won’t be costume-y because of the way I’m planning on styling them, doing the model’s hair and makeup. I’m thinking as much about how I'm going to sew their outfits as how I'm going to style them. I don’t know exactly what I'm going to do yet but I will take inspiration from how I dress myself everyday: quite extravagant and random.
Alix: To make it not too costume-y I’m going to use some unconventional way of doing things for costumes, for example transparent skirts to make it more elegant and sexy than a costume might look.
Lizzie: How have you balanced studying alongside creating your designs, or has it not been a problem?
Victoire: I feel like it hasn’t been a problem. I’m crocheting most of my outfit so I can do it in the living room while my friends are cooking dinner, it’s not too bad. I use this Sentro knitting machine so all I have to do is turn the machine and then it’s just a little bit of sewing to connect all the pieces, it’s not too time consuming.
Olivia: I thank reading week for my balancing of this because I’m going to take that week off and become a full-time sewer (laughs).
Alix: I haven’t started sewing properly yet so I’m a bit stressed about it, but I know once I’m starting it I’m going to do it well.
Victoire: I think the getting started is a bit stressful but it’s fine once you begin.
Lizzie: Where did you learn to create clothes, design, sew, crochet etc.?
Victoire: I don’t really know how to sew. I sewed a little bit when I was younger in a school club but I don’t really remember anything. I know some basic stuff though, so I look on YouTube for videos to help me. I much prefer to knit, which I learnt a year ago. I came across this little yarn shop and I chatted to the old lady who worked there and so I bought loads of yarn from her. After that I started watching YouTube videos to guide me and that’s how I started knitting and crocheting.
Olivia: I got into sewing for about a year when I was really young and then I quit, but I started again in COVID and ever since I’ve stuck with it. I've done lots of personal projects since then, I make a lot of my own clothes and alter things. So, I taught myself really. I explored how to sew and learnt from it. I taught myself for the first time when I was 12 and then probably forgot everything and then had to re-teach myself when I was about 19, so about 3 years ago. I actually have my grandmother’s sewing machine from Paris with me in Leamington. She never had the chance to teach me, but I sew with her machine which I think gives what I create a special feel. I would say the best way to learn how to sew, in my experience, is partly from things like Youtube and partly from testing yourself at it. To learn to sew all you really need is just to try it out, and I would say don't rely on someone else to teach you because you need to feel how it works for you.
Alix: I never sewed in my life, only once or twice. I really wanted to learn, so I applied to being a designer for LINE to have the challenge and to force myself to do it. I thought 'Once I'm committed I can’t stop it', I have to do it and I just go with it. I have some friends who are mentoring me and are going to help me with picking fabrics and stuff like that, so I feel fine that I am not an experienced sewer. Everyone helps each other.
Lizzie: Is your involvement in the LINE fashion show purely for fun or do you hope to pursue a career in the fashion industry?
Victoire: For me it’s purely for fun, but I’m also using the experience to explain in my cover letters and hopefully (laughs) interviews for internships why I want to work in finance but within the fashion industry. It helps quite a lot to put to words why I like the industry, but I mean the whole fashion show in itself is just for fun.
Olivia: I’m doing it for fun, as in, I would’ve done it had I not wanted to pursue a career in fashion but I’m also doing it because I want to use my finished designs for my portfolio in applying for fashion schools, jobs and internships. I’m really hoping my looks are going to turn out how I want to because I want to use it as the thing I’ve created and something hopefully I’ll be very proud of and that I can.. not show off but show case, (laughs) and show off.
Alix: For me, as I say, just to get the new skills firstly. In my life I want to experience the most things possible, so this was a good opportunity for something new.
Lizzie: Are there any other characters you’re excited to see in the fashion show?
Victoire: Tinker-bell. I think that will be an interesting one to see, especially how the designer shows the aspect of jealously in that story. Tinker-bell was in one of my top three to design. Ariel I quite like and I'm excited to see how her character is executed. Also I can’t wait to the Mad Hatter, and I mean all of them!
Lizzie: Very diplomatic.
Olivia: I can’t wait to see the Alice in Wonderland characters, the Mad Hatter I’m impatient to see as well. I wanted to take that one originally, but then I didn’t want to sew menswear because I’ve never done that before. So yes, Mad Hatter and Alice in Wonderland I’m very excited to see. I think they’re going to be very fun designs. Especially that those stories have quite English roots and we’re in the UK but we’re all very international, so let’s see how it turns out and whether it reflects that English-ness or the designer takes it in a different inspired direction.
Alix: I really want to see the evil characters in general, the villains, because I think they’re going to be the more extravagant designs. I’m also excited to see the side characters of each story because I want to know how the designers are going to make each character someone very special in the fashion show. The spotlight is usually on the main characters but for me I think the interest will come from the side characters.
The 2024 LINE Fashion Show: Tales of a Time takes place on March 7th at The Assembly in Leamington Spa. Tickets out now.
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