With this year’s celebrations, from the Queen’s Jubilee to the Olympics, the British are feeling ever more patriotic. But apart from their royals and athletes, the British ought to be proud of their designers, who have been making their mark on the international fashion scene.
ne of these designers is Stuart Stockdale, a truly British designer who has been credited with taking on the challenge of reviving several heritage brands and making them once again modern and international. I sat down with Stuart Stockdale to talk about his sources of inspiration, travels to Asia and what it takes to succeed in the fashion world.
Where do you find ideas for your collections?
I am quite a specialist in heritage and lifestyle, so I initially get inspiration from a company’s history, while making sure it is relevant for people today. Also, I get inspiration from the streets, from how people wear clothes. Sometimes I get inspiration from someone wearing something a little bit wrong, but it looks really cool so then I design something that looks like that.
Has Asia inspired any of your collections and in what way?
Yes, it has in terms of the British colonial influences: the territories of the British Empire, the British Raj and all those lovely Eastern spices’ colours. Autumn/Winter 2011-2012 Jaeger women’s collection mixed those rich, spicy, hot colours together with a kind of British fall colour palette and fabrics.
What is the place for Asian designers today in the world of fashion and who is your favourite?
Definitely in New York there is a whole load of successful Asian designers. Alexander Wang, Phillip Lim, Jason Wu – all of these designers are Asian and they are pretty much rocking New York! Alexander Wang is great and, probably, is my favourite. He is doing really well, growing and has been very successful.
And finally, which staples should our readers have in their wardrobes?
For a woman, I think, the obvious one would be the great black dress! A great pair of jeans both for men and women. For a guy – a nice white shirt. I’ve got a number of white shirts. They are all different, but I wear them all the time. Shoe-wise, I think a great pair of British brogues.
Full interview was originally published in AGI Magazine, August 2012, Issue 1
