Today I met up with a good friend to discuss Fashion! And I don’t mean shopping or the new Primark in town, this was business! Hannah Lance an up and coming fashion designer is hoping to make her way into the fashion industry as a womenswear designer. We sat comfortably in cafe Nero for a quick catch up and interview, whilst warming our hands over our hot chocolates and waiting patiently for our slices of cake I started with these intriguing questions:
Tell me a bit about yourself?
I am currently in my 3rd and final year at The Arts University College at Bournemouth studying fashion. I am focusing on the construction side and working towards my final collection for Graduate Fashion week. I’m finding it really stressful but so exciting at the same time!
What is it about Fashion that you love?
I would have to say everything!! I love shopping, looking at the new trends and visiting other fashion shows and events. Ever since the start of this course, I have become so much more interested in how the garments are constructed and whether or not I could produce them myself.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Ummm I get my inspiration from anywhere and everywhere, whether it be something ive seen on the television or walking down the street. I normally look at things I like at that specific time and how it relates back to me or my work.
Interesting, so is there a philosophy or concept behind your designs?
(giggles) I normally research into the way I am and what I wear, and from that my concept is built. I like to have clothes that offer me security, comfort and confidence. I try to portray this through my designs to give people who wear my clothes the same feeling. Yea, I think it’s really important to have a concept that I believe in, in order to make a more powerful collection that will be desired by other young women of my age.
So tell me, what are you working on at the moment?
Well the main inspiration behind my collection is the Northern Lights. I just love them because I feel they represent me due to the fact I wear a lot of black and splashes of colour. I have spent the last few weeks experimenting with inks and various dyes to re-create the shapes and colours formed by the Northern Lights on garments. I have created 3 different basic T-shirt shapes as part of the collection. I have dyed them black, then used a discharge jell to bleach certain areas white again in order for colour to be added. I have also recently taught myself to hand knit! I’m in the process of knitting over-sized scarfs. I was so slow at first and felt like a granny but I’m really enjoying it now, it’s very therapeutic.
So did you always know you wanted to be in the fashion industry?
No I didn’t. I have always been interested in clothes and the fashion industry but It wasn’t until my 2nd year at college when I started to bring fashion elements into my fine art A level that I realised actually I quite like this! So from that I decided to do an Art foundation at UCCA Epsom where I found my love of Fashion. And here I am now, in my 3rd year, scary how time flies!!
So which Fashion designers inspire you?
I always hate this question; it’s so hard to answer because different fashion designers inspire you at different stages throughout the year depending on their collection. Umm, well I’ve always been a fan of Alexander McQueen, Dior and Channel. It’s funny because my style is very different to theirs but I just adore their work. It’s pretty amazing in my eyes.
What are your future plans after graduation then? I'm sure it’s going to be a big relief when you’ve got your degree!
Yes definitely! although I will miss Uni and having all the support from tutors and peers. As soon as I graduate I hope to get some work experience within the industry in either designing or buying, and then just see where it goes from there. One day I'd love to have my own brand and design womenswear, but obviously I need a lot more practice until I get to that stage. If I believe in it enough and carry on working hard, it will hopefully happen for me.
If you’d like to find out more about Hannah Lance check out her blog.
Photo's from Hannah's previous project.
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