Sourcing the Muse

TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW WITH GEORGIA CHAPMAN AND MAUREEN SOHN
FASHION LABEL: VIXEN

Georgia Chapman (far left): When I was really young, I always loved drawing and creating, and I was really inspired by colour. It's been a really huge driving force. And a lot of the drawings I did were patterns. And I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do. It was either be a painter or a graphic designer. And then I discovered textile design, when I was doing a year 12 art course. I trained as a textile designer. And I think when I envisaged my textile designs, a lot of the time it was for the body and for fabric to be worn.

But initially when I started I designed a lot of fabrics for other fashion labels. And at the same time did a very small range of accessories. And through demand for those products, I did a range of sarongs and skirts. People wanted things to wear with them, so it sort of naturally evolved from that. So it wasn't… I mean it was an industry I was always interested in but: 'I'm going to start a fashion label' was never my idea. My passion's always been producing beautiful fabrics. And I think that the clothing is a really lovely way to display these and a great vehicle for those fabrics.

I would describe the label as sensual, in terms of the nature of the cloth. When we started we predominantly worked with silks because of the feel of it and the drape of it. And I think it's something that… I mean, I love clothes that feel beautiful to wear, and things that you can move in and that are quite feminine. So definitely a sensual element to what we produce.

So being invited to be in this project was great. Because I think it's really good for people to understand how the process works and, in a way, sourcing things from the collection is really a way into how we design.

Maureen Sohn: I think it's really interesting when you see all of these different things all at one time in one place and you can look at them all but bring different elements together and that's what's quite exciting to be able to do that, and to be able to have all this choice.

Georgia Chapman: And it's lovely being able to actually see things and touch them through white cotton gloves… Things that you only look at in books. So to actually see it, it's completely inspiring. We've been getting very excited having a look at them.

We've selected this beautiful African cloth. What is it - a dancing cloth or a dancing skirt? Which would be quite hard to dance in, I expect, because it's quite heavy. But very beautiful. And also the technique, the idea of maybe replicating that technique but in one of our sort of ways, like through a devoré. Also we've selected a beautiful netted 20s scarf that's got metal embroidery. And it's got this amazing geometric print on it. So there's a geometric theme coming through but in completely different mediums and from completely different countries as well. I think there's an African, Turkish… And I think that all of those elements together is really quite a Vixen way of approaching things and combining those.

So, Maureen and I design together. Maureen will be working on shapes and ideas in terms of the fashion whereas I'll be concentrating on the textile design. But it's very much a collaboration that we both have to feel that what we're doing… We're talking about it constantly, looking at fabrics, working on colour palettes together. This all sort of happens simultaneously. It's really hard to do one before the other. So it's really evolving and it's about sourcing as much information as you can and then fine-tuning that, isn't it?

Maureen Sohn: Yeah, one doesn't happen sort of independently of the other. It sort of all comes together somehow, doesn't it?

Georgia Chapman: Yeah, yeah.

Maureen Sohn: Now we'll go back to the studio with our photos and look at everything in terms of, I think we've already talked about maybe in terms of textiles, doing devoré and looking at actually what basis of fabric can be used to create the effects.

Georgia Chapman: The fabric has to be designed specifically as well, for the garment it goes on. So you have to have an idea of what type of shape as well because it can limit the way you're designing and the way that you're doing artwork for your textile design. So in fact we're doing a double production because we're designing our fabrics and then hand-printing them all. And then from that cutting out garments and making up garments. It is a very hands-on approach how we design and hand-finish down to sewing beads on ends of ties and so it's got this really lovely hand-produced quality. And I think that's what people respond to. Things that have got a bit of a story. And I think as well in terms of the imagery on the cloth, it evokes a story, and the process of what the garment's been through. So we're creating something that in a sense, it has an essence, or it has a bit of a soul to it as well which I think, even though people mightn't be aware of it, people do tend to respond to it.

- Georgia Chapman and Maureen Sohn