Tell us about your design philosophy.
I aim to design clothes with women, their bodies and their lifestyle needs in mind. It is extremely important to me that the clothing I design is eminently wearable and comfortable as well as forward-thinking and stylish. Achieving the balance between style, comfort and lifestyle needs is a challenging one, but one that I feel is crucially important to the modern, active and intelligent woman, and I feel privileged to be able to take up that challenge!
What inspired you to pursue a career in the fashion industry?
I was studying law at university when I realised that I wanted to do something much more creative with my career. I undertook an internship with the amazing girls, Margaret and Michelle, at MXM Couture in Brisbane to see if fashion design could be the right avenue for me. My time with them was so inspiring and motivating. They instilled me with such a passion for design and the craftsmanship of clothing, that I left Law and embarked upon my new direction!
You were a finalist in the Australian Fashion Design Awards in 2006, how did it feel for your talent to be recognised?
The Australian Fashion Design Awards was a great experience and I felt incredibly excited and honoured to have my work shown on a national platform. The most valuable outcome of the Awards was the tremendous feedback I received from the public. It was great to be acknowledged by my peers, but receiving such a widespread, positive response from fashion consumers really gave me the validation that I was on the right track.
The following year you were offered a position in the Golden Key International Honour Society, how did this have an impact on you?
This was the unexpected result of a lot of hard work and I was so pleased to be recognised in this way!
Who would you choose to be your ideal muse?
I find it quite limiting to choose a particular person as a muse. I know from my own experience that women play so many different roles throughout their lives and, indeed, throughout a single day (!) that working from a single muse would not be enough for me to develop a well-rounded collection. Many individual women inspire me every day and I use aspects of all these different women in each collection.
In terms of your design philosophy, do you relate to any other fashion designers?
I suppose I relate largely to the approach that designers such as Donna Karan and Issa take towards design. The woman who wears the clothes must be paramount when developing each new collection. The clothes must both feel comfortable and look fabulous!
Tell us about the inspiration for your current collection.
The inspirations behind my new collection are multifarious. The differences and similarities between individual human bodies was a key influence which was coupled with a further exploration of the concept of 'the other'. The common structural elements of our bodies are explored through cut and print and juxtaposed with slightly off-kilter colour play. This results in a compelling collection within which visual elegance is coupled with a more visceral response.
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For tickets and further information visit:
W: www.lagenevenorthevents.co.uk
W: http://www.katewilliams.net/
