Big City Small Footprints

Julia Smith is an up and coming designer on the British fashion scene and a Future 100 young entrepreneur.  She showcased her autumn/winter 09/10 collection with Vauxhall Fashion Scout at London Fashion Week 2009.  Her capsule collection, Made in Africa, is currently in Topshop’s Oxford Circus Store.

How was your first show at London Fashion Week?

It was scary to think that it was just my name on the line, well and Vauxhall [Fashion Scout], but mainly me.  In the run up to the show, it’s hard to believe that there’s a whole world going on outside.  All I saw for weeks were the four walls of my not so comfy studio.   Though sleep deprived, something drove me – creative passion.  It won’t let me stop until the look is complete.

During the show itself, all hell broke loose.  Quick changes, shoes not being done, up – it was all hands on deck.   We got there in the end though, and I’m pleased to say it looked absolutely brilliant!

Obviously there are things to change and improve on -  I would not be a designer if I didn’t think like that - but it was a day for me to acknowledge that we did it and we did it good!

What was your inspiration for moving into ethical and sustainable fashion?

I used to work in high street fashion and did not feel comfortable with how everything was so driven by price, with little thought for how it was produced, who by, or how much they got paid.  I then began my Masters in Fashion design and technology and started to look into organic cotton production and fair-trade issues. My MA collection was all about sustainability.  It’s such a broad subject but once you delve into it there’s just no looking back.

What issues are important to you?

We wear clothes every single day of our lives.  I think that we need to consider how these clothes actually get into the shops – where do they come from?  It’s a bit like food.  We have began to consider where our food comes from so why not the clothes that we put on our backs?

I am a strong believer in keeping crafts and traditional trades alive, bringing together cultures from around the world and passing on skills to generations.  Dressmaking runs in my family and I hope to pass this onto the next generations.

Could you tell us a little about your relationship with the Global Mamas co-op in Ghana?

I began working with Marian Essel - a batik printer from the Global Mamas - in 2006.  I was impressed by her vision and I wanted to support her.  Marian relocated to Accra and so she needed to work more independently from the Global Mamas.  She began printing my lining for my mainline collection.  We built up a good working relationship and eventually managed to develop this into a small co-operative in the suburbs of Accra, Ghana.

On my visit to Ghana in October 2008 I went back to see the Global Mamas in Cape Coast.  It was wonderful to see them and see how things had grown for them.

What has been your experience of working with Topshop on the Made in Africa collection?

Topshop have been very supportive of what I’m doing.  It has been tricky for all involved as it is new territory but we are positive that things will get easier – we are all learning!

Have you found there are particular challenges when trying to follow an ethical design philosophy?

Yes, definitely.  There is not one answer to the ethical issues.  Whatever you try to do ‘correctly’ you end up doing something else that perhaps isn’t as ‘correct’ as you would like.  It’s important to evaluate what you are doing and what benefits outweigh negatives and then deciding to drop ideas that are counterproductive.

What do you think the next few years have in store for ethical fashion?

I think people’s perceptions of ethical fashion are still quite out of date – hemp sacks and hand knitted things from your granny!  It is changing, but there is still needs to be more done to raise public awareness of the issues.  I think the government, the media and the education system need to make people consider where their clothes have actually come from.  After all, we wear clothes every single day of our lives, yet people just don’t seem to question their origin.

I want to see ethical fashion sitting alongside designer fashion.  I don’t feel that it should be segregated.  Everything should be ethical!

What do you think are the most important issues we face?

Africa, a continent with such amazing potential, just needs a helping hand.  Many people in the western world are blind to the fact that so many people in this world are denied of basic human rights – clean water, food, and fare wages.

Dare I say it – the credit crunch! No, I think we should use the economic crisis as a time to be innovative.  It is actually an opportunity for positive change.  People need to think more creatively about what they are doing and what they can do to improve things.

What do you love most about London?

The diversity of the place.  The multiculturalism.  Walking around London, along the river especially.

If you could change one thing about London, what would it be?

People would talk to each other more.