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speakfashion: Fiona, you are quite a newbie in the field of jewelry design. What took you so long to find this passion and step into the business?

Fiona Paxton: Yes it’s strange. Over the years I became inspired more by accessories and realized there was no jewelry on the market that I wanted to really buy, so I decided to try and fill that gap.

speakfashion: Why jewelry?

Fiona Paxton: It is something anyone can wear, any age, any size and it always makes you feel good.

speakfashion: Before you established your own brand you’d worked for widely known garment designers – what’s the biggest difference between designing garments and jewelry?

Fiona Paxton: It is all about details. When I design jewelry I always think about what you would wear it with and the shape it makes on the body. In that way it is not so different. The biggest difference is in the materials though. Using hard metals and trying to get them to drape and be soft on the body is a completely other ballgame than working with smooth and soft fabrics.

speakfashion: After you opened up your own design studio in 2008 your success quickly skyrocketed. What’s the secret behind your major success story?

Fiona Paxton: I think it was the right time, the right product and the right place. I love ethnic and tribal designs and jewelry pieces that are made by hand. I guess that’s a passion lots of people share with me and therefore didn’t hesitate to buy into the concept. Individual, handcrafted designs become more and more a trend in a world, where anybody buys their coffee at Starbucks, gets their interior from IKEA and wears clothes from either H&M or Zara. In a globalized world, every so often we need something unique that makes our personality stand out of the crowd.

speakfashion: We couldn’t agree more, Fiona. Since you mentioned H&M and Zara: do you think that fashion has become more tangible due to the fast fashion trend and if so, are accessory designers in general the main beneficiary of this development?

Fiona Paxton: I hope that is true. I realize that more and more people spend their money on long lasting pieces of accessory rather than on short term fashion trends. On the other hand I’m also convinced, that the days of buying things and wearing them once have gone. Fast fashion definitely makes our products available to many people who didn’t have the possibility to shop for trends before. Nevertheless, I think cheap products that only buy into trend are not necessarily good on any level.

speakfashion: We always try to advice our readers: In your professional opinion, what differentiates good designed jewelry from cheap junk?

Fiona Paxton: I like all my pieces to drape and hang beautifully on the body so they are easy to wear and flattering. The length and the closures, the finish and the little details make all the difference. That’s something you have to keep in mind when buying accessories.

speakfashion: That sounds plausible. And what kind of jewelry should definitely be part of every woman’s drawer?

Fiona Paxton: Anything that makes you feel special when putting it on.

speakfashion: What are the future plans for our brand?

Fiona Paxton: To build on what we have developed, improving the trade mark styles and adding new and exciting materials but always abiding by the handmade philosophy and the unique identity of our pieces.

speakfashion: Thanks Fiona and good luck for everything to come in the future.

speakfashion: Elke, as far as the story goes did you step into the fashion business accidentally since you couldn’t find the right garment for yourself. Is that true?

Elke Walter: Absolutely. It happened during the 90s while I lived in France, certainly the designated mother country of high fashion. Ironically I couldn’t find my dress of all dreams even there. So I decided to create one by myself. At this very first experience with fashion design I experienced the beauty of fabrics. This was the start for me as a fashion designer.

speakfashion: Back then you didn’t have much experience either in design or in working with fabrics. How did you teach yourself into all that?

Elke Walter: Honestly, I hate being taught. But I have a good taste and a very good feeling for high quality. And learning by doing is very often the best way to approach an unknown territory. So it took me some hard days and sleepless nights at the beginning before something wearable came out. But after all people started asking me where they could buy those dresses. At this time I knew I’m on the right track. I’m not very good in sketching but I know what I like and what makes women look beautiful. I’m a natural born designer.

speakfashion: Sounds very dedicated. But since you don’t have all the typical skills fashion designers learn while studying, how do you create your designs then?

Elke Walter: I choose the fabric I want to work with and have my mind go into it until I know what has to be done with. Then I start my creation as a courageous act: I take my scissors and I cut. I never draw. I never make sketches. I create sculptures. This is how I started and I’m still working within this unusual design process. Finally the cut will be made after my first sculptural prototype.

speakfashion: Since you have lots of experience as a self-taught designer: What’s the most important skill for upcoming fashion designers?

Elke Walter: In my mind the most important skill for a fashion designer is to work out his own design signature. A very unique handwriting combined with passion and diligence is probably a must have for future success.

speakfashion: And what’s the biggest challenge designers have to struggle with when they start their own business?

Elke Walter: All designers are challenged by the same uphill struggle which is to design a beautiful head-turner that is both comfortable and wearable at the same time. A great garment has to be stunning from all sides. It doesn’t make sense to work on a beautiful front and ignore the back for instance.

speakfashion: Talking about stunning dresses. What’s your design all about?

Elke Walter: All my Ready to Wear and Couture dresses are made out of a rectangular piece of fabric. That’s my individual design signature. I decided to work with this rectangular structure because the base of all things is simple. Why shouldn’t be the base of fashion design simple either? The simplicity keeps open all the possibilities to proceed later on. For me there is no other way of cutting. It has become sort of a personal dogma. It makes my designs very special, very comfortable and there is a new challenge in designing different items every day.

speakfashion: A special design sounds very tempting. Are all your pieces still handmade too?

Elke Walter: In the beginning I did everything myself. After a little while I got some helping hands working in my Hamburg based design studio. But 2011 will be the year where we have to outsource the production to specialized German production companies.

speakfashion: That means you’d broaden up your fashion line in the past since you need more and more outside vendors to help you out?

Elke Walter: Yes, definitely. Meanwhile I’m running four lines. My all-time bestselling line ‘TOKYO’ which is made of black Japanese polyester and sold by retailers worldwide. ‘ADAN’, an abbreviation for ‘All-Day-All-Night’, is a line where I design street wear. I also have a highly exclusive line which is what it says: ‘Elke-Walter-One-Of-A-Kinds’. All designs are custom-made for special occasions of special clients. To bridge the gap between the lines I’ll put on another one this year ranging from street wear to cocktail and evening dresses.
As for the fabrics I love modern yarns that make fabrics better to wear and more beautiful. Oh and I have to confess: I am a polyester maniac.

speakfashion: So it seems you found yourself a niche where customers are willing to pay for sophisticated designs rather than to go for widely known fashion brands?

Elke Walter: That’s true, yes. But you have to be able to react really fast to market changes if you want to survive in this niche. Do what big companies can’t: React fast to changing demands of women and you can get decent prices for your designs. Speaking of the reproducible lines my designs start at 300 Euros and go up to 1,500 Euros. My unique pieces range between 2,500 and 10,000 Euros.

speakfashion: Did you experience a distinctive taste in different countries since you market your clothes all over the world?

Elke Walter: Today there is no difference between the countries. Fashion is international. It is the attitude of women that makes the difference. In general I would say that women everywhere have the same token: Dressing up to be beautiful.

speakfashion: This statement pictures a bright future for fashion though. What’s your plan for the upcoming season?

Elke Walter: Oh there is a lot going on in 2011. First of all I’d like to bring out my men’s line. To broaden up our sales promotion we’ll open up a showroom in Milan and get some promotion assistance from our US and Japanese agent. In March we will have a runway show in the German Embassy in Tokyo as well. So stay tuned and keep an eye up for Elke Walter designs.

speakfashion: We will Elke. Thanks so much for sharing all these ideas with us. Enjoy your trip to Tokyo.

Roni Hirshberg, co-founder of fashion label ‘Generation Love Cloting‘ is convinced, that anybody can become a Designer if he’s really passionate about his idea. ‘If you don’t feel it from your soul it’s not going to go to the next level’ Hirshberg acknowledges in her fashion chat with speakfashion.us. Hirshberg and her partner Audrey Bressa definitely feel their inner voice. What started as a crazy idea over beers its going to spread out all over the world in the meantime.

Speaking Fashion with Roni Hirshberg of Generation Love. Brought to you by speakfashion.us

speakfashion: Stéphanie, what encouraged you to enter the glitzy and glamorous world of fashion?

BURKHALTER couture: Well, I’ve already developed a special interest for classic drawing and oil painting in my earliest childhood. Being a very reserved and solitary child, I spent entire days in my room for drawing, contained in my world of fantasy. At the age of 16 I began an international Model career which made me travel in every corner of the world. With this experience I decided to unite fashion with drawing and I attended the prestigious fashion school ‘Marangoni’ in Milan. I obtained my diploma in 2005 and worked with many Italian fashion companies ever since. During this time I started to draw my own collection. In 2008 BURKHALTER couture was born.

speakfashion: How would you describe your label and what’s the basic style of ‘BURKHALTER Couture’?

BURKHALTER couture: BURKHALTER couture proposes a sensual timeless line, handmade in Italy. We understand ourselves as no season Haute Couture label with juvenile tendencies maintaining nevertheless some classical and luxurious style. Within this understanding I mainly design cocktail and red carpet dresses using typical high quality fabrics like satin, silk, taffeta stretch, and cadi revers. Our intense Haute Couture style addresses especially women who are sensual and sure of themselves. Although my collections are not limited I mostly create dresses since I love the fact that woman only look perfectly feminine in a dress.

speakfashion: For you personally, what’s the biggest challenge in designing couture?

BURKHALTER couture: The biggest challenge is always the transformation of my ideas. It is sometimes slightly tricky to get these crazy and nonspecific thoughts into an actual dress. After I have an idea in mind I usually start to work with materials, touch them, feel them and try to get them to work on the mannequin. Then I have to draw some sketches that are similar to the original but a little less crazy but more wearable.

speakfashion: Is Haute Couture truly wearable for average people with an average lifestyle or is it still kind of an artsy hobby for wealthy women?

BURKHALTER couture: I would say that basically everybody could wear Haute Couture. However, the haut couture approach is very expensive and requires a very wealthy target group for this reason. That means that the actual Haute Couture target groups are jet set women between 25 and 65 who are living literally in the high societies around the world. And that’s the good news though: Haute Couture won’t die because there always will be very wealthy people around.

speakfashion: Ok, let’s talk about the budget then. What’s the price range of your actual collection?

BURKHALTER couture: My collection starts with pieces for 1.500 Euros and can go up to 4.200 Euros depending on the actual piece, fabric and sewing. My best seller is actually this beautiful dress in gray cadi revers which I gave the name ‘Purity’ because of its clear line. My customers love the clarity of the line that gives them the opportunity to wear this dress for different occasions.

speakfashion: Compared with ready to wear fashion what would you say: Is Haute Couture the true trendsetter that dictates the rules for upcoming Ready to Wear styles?

BURKHALTER couture: Haute Couture is high end of sewing, high research and therefore the high end of a Ready to Wear. Haute Couture is the one and only trendsetter particularly because it comes out earlier than ready to wear and works as sort of the genesis for new collections. Both of them are working with the same base but the craziness and the ideas are truly pushed by Haute Couture designs. Although Ready to Wear is certainly the trendsetter for Fast Fashion.

speakfashion: Well, that sounds obvious. Thanks for sharing with us. Would you let us finally know what’s next for ‘BURKHALTER Couture’?

BURKHALTER couture: I’m thinking of moving into another country right now. I’ll probably go to the U.S. sometime soon since there are still a lot of opportunities to promote and evolve my label. We’ll see.

speakfashion: Well, good luck then if you really going to hop over the pond and thank you for this interesting chat.

Jeremy Lindberg is the owner of agent 011 showroom in New York City. Headquartered in the middle of SoHo, Lindberg’s team retails fashion to department stores such as Saks, Bergdorf Goodman and Barneys. Founded in 2005 agent 011 is one of the most successful retailers in the field of fashion BtoB sales. The showroom carries brands like Ruthi Davis, Fenton & Fallon or S.W.O.R.D.

Speak Fashion talks with Lindberg about the difference between trend and fashion, the future perspective of online sales and why the missing intellectual property in fashion doesn’t really matter.

Speaking Fashion with Jeremy Lindberg of agent 011 from Speak Fashion on Vimeo.