Interview with a Designer III

I was privileged enough to get the opportunity to speak with Joseph Turvey abut the collection he designed for River Island AU check out what he had to say below.

Joseph Turvey

It must be quite a different experience designing for a high street brand rather than just designing things for yourself, what have you learnt along the way?

I think just the sheer amount of people that are involved in this one collection. There’s just a team. It’s quite daunting. When you go in by yourself it’s quite a singular process, for me anyway, there’s not many of us working in my studio and going into River Island and there’s just a team for every single stage so that was quite daunting at first. But it’s exciting too ’cause you kind of learn new things and especially with the production side for me, that was an interesting step for me.

Joseph Turvey for River Island

Can you tell me a bit about what inspired your collection?

I started looking at the photography of Jamel Shabazz, which was kind of very street wear and urban and his New York photography was absolutely amazing, you should check it out. And then I wanted to kind of mix that with kind of something completely different, so I looked at Bill Oddie, nature and that kind of rambling and so I got the cameo print and kind of mixed that with street wear shapes and fabrics and yeah, that was kind of the starting point and it’s kind of developed from there.

Joseph Turvey for River Island

What was the best part about designing the collection?

I think just being able to work with so many different people has been exciting, because I work in a small team, and I think just having the ability to just go “this is what I wanna do” and then I don’t have to do the sourcing and that was really nice. Because that’s the bit of design when you’re by yourself which is just the hardest, because you can’t just always do what you want and there’s “find that fabric”, “find that manufacturer” and all that. With this it was just like “this is the design” and some lucky person goes off and the next week I’ve got a sample. That was the best bit for me. It was nice.

Joseph Turvey for River Island

Where would you look to begin your career if you were aspiring to be a fashion designer?
Education for me. I think if I wouldn’t have done my MA in this I wouldn’t be sitting here now. And the process that I went through from my BA to my MA was a massive change and I mean I did women’s wear in my BA and then to men’s and that is down to the tutors who were with me and they kind of… I don’t think I was very strong when I was there, but I think that he managed to see something that was good in me and got the best out of me. I think that’s what the MA does, it just enables you [to take] the skills you have to just evolve them and it changed my mind set with design. I think that made me a better designer and I think that’s the best way for me.

Interview With A Designer II

I asked my friend Sarah Taylor the brilliant designer from AVE. to do a little interview for me and she graciously obliged!

1. So Sarah tell me what is your earliest memory when it comes to clothes

- my older sister used to dress me up in crazy stuff, using my mum’s fancy scarves as dresses & then trying to replicate the evening look on my younger sister…I was about 5 

2. How old were you? And how did you realise that working in the fashion industry is what you wanted to do? 

- when I was about 15 I knew that I had to be a fashion designer. I heard that the only place to go after high school was the Fashion Design Studio, East Sydney, I only then realized how tough it was and how hard you had to work. But I only ever wanted to design, I didn’t consider anything else. 

AVE. SS14 Lookbook

3. What work in the fashion industry did you do before deciding on creating your own line? And what has been the highlight of your career so far?  

- Straight from graduating from East Sydney I started designing for a Australian cult brand, followed by a year in New York then coming back to design for a large Sydney fashion label. After many years of designing for other people, I finally was encouraged to start AVE. which was the highlight for me.  

4. More and more people are starting to study fashion, where and what did you study? In your opinion is a formal education vital in this day and age? Or do you feel practice and constantly producing can be just as effective?  

- The Fashion Design Studio, East Sydney (now at Ultimo TAFE). I went straight from high school to completing the full time fashion design certificate course initially then the full 3 years of the advanced diploma course. 

AVE. SS14 Lookbook 

5. What were the major hurdles and problems you had to overcome on the road to starting your own line? If you could go back would you change anything, or are you happy with how it has progressed?  

- AVE. has evolved naturally which is how I wanted it, over night success is amazing however I am looking for longevity…  

My first collection I spent close to 8 months creating which doesn’t happen twice, I went all out and had fabrics and trims custom dyed at a top supplier and digitally printed all in Sydney. I have no regrets, however I am more budget conscious now, I discovered that focusing on a few elements rather than trying to do everything straight away is important. Design, fabric and construction quality are my focus, which is why I only produce in Australia regardless of expense. 

6. As an aspiring designer are you looking to follow trends as dictated by other designers? or trying to do your own thing? Do you find yourself more critical of other designers or more accepting of there work due to your experience and education? 

- I tend to do my own thing. Sometimes I create something that can accidently fall into a trend however I don’t really follow trends when I design. There are of course designers who I love and look up to regardless if it has a different aesthetic to AVE. I wear their clothes and yes, of course I am critical as I would also expect others are of my designs. It is important to take on criticism in order to learn and evolve as a designer. Not everything is a success but that is part of the process. 

AVE. SS14 Lookbook

 7. What advice would you have for anyone who is wanting to create their own clothing line?  

- Patience… With fashion being so accessible now everyone wants to have a go at having a label that can be a good and a bad thing. My advice would be, if you want to do it, do so properly. 

8. Fashion at the moment is incredibly versatile, what are your favourite and least favourite trends/looks for the coming summer season? What is your favourite piece of clothing you have produced?  

- I am all about transeasonal clothing. People travel so much these days and the seasons are less predictable. I love summer layering, good quality fabrics and I love contrasting hard/soft elements.  

Probably a piece from my latest A/W collection, the Tunnel Vest; its perforated suede and leather, a real statement piece but also quite classic. 

I’m looking forward to the colder weather so I can wear it out. 

AVE. SS14 Lookbook

 9. If you could do absolutely anything in fashion right now, what would it be? Or what would you do if you could do anything with the AVE label? 

- I would love to make a huge collection with every element I ever wanted to use! Just got nuts… 

I love clothing but I also love shoes. I would really enjoy designing a collection with shoes & bags. 

10. In an Ideal world Sarah where would you like to see yourself and the Business in 5 years?  

- Ideally being based in Sydney and New York, creating 4 collections per year, to have stockists in Australia, US, UK, Asia, Europe and opening the first AVE. concept store. 

AVE. SS14 Lookbook

 11. And finally we are coming into the summer season, what should we expect to see in the next few months from yourself and your clothing?  

- S/S 2015 is going to be slightly more feminine than previously, a little softer but still using masculine notes.  

I have recently developed plans to enter the Asian market and launching in China. So the next few months are crazy but we are developing AVE. into a global brand which is really exciting new chapter.

AVE. Website: http://www.ave.net.au

Instagram: http://instagram.com/a_v_e_

Interview With A Designer

Joshua Davidson

I recently met up with Joshua Davidson the designer behind Sydney label Don't Want No Scrub (Enquiries joshdontwantnoscrub@gmail.com) whose debut lookbook is soon to be unveiled.

1. So Josh tell me what is your earliest memory when it comes to clothes?

My earliest memory of clothes is playing dress ups in my Nan's wardrobe... think fur coats, high heels, and bad wigs LOL 

Valentina wearing all Don't Want No Scrub
clothing from the upcoming lookbook

2. How old were you? And how did you realise that working in the fashion industry is what you wanted to do?

I never "realised" that I was interested in fashion. It was always pretty obvious to me and my family that this was the case from a young age. 

Other kids would be playing with Lego and model cars and I was playing dress ups.

3. What work in the fashion industry did you do before deciding on creating your own line? And what has been the highlight of your career so far? 

As soon as I finished school i started working for an Australian designer and was with the company for around 3 years. I was doing distribution, a little bit of production and designing.  I've worked in retail since then (kill me) but am on to bigger and better things with the launch of Don't Want No Scrub. 

The highlight of my career so far would have to be the day of my first lookbook being shot.

Seeing all of my hard work right in front of me, I couldn't have been happier.

Valentina wearing all Don't Want No Scrub 
clothing from the upcoming lookbook

4. More and more people are starting to study fashion, where and what did you study? In your opinion is a formal education vital in this day and age? Or do you feel practice and constantly producing can be just as effective? 

I have studdied a certificate "blah blah specialising in blah"... but to be honest i really don't think you need to study. 

If you want to work in the fashion industry, learn how to pattern make. It's probably the only skill worth knowing that can be taught through formal education. 

At the end of the day, they can't teach creativity. 

5. What were the major hurdles and problems you had to overcome on the road to starting your own line? If you could go back would you change anything, or are you happy with how it has progressed? 

Starting this label has been the biggest learning experience. Doing anything for the first time is always hard but I'm pretty happy with how everything turned out. I wouldn't change a thing... Actually i probably would get the samples made a little earlier than the day before the lookbook shoot el oh el.

Valentina wearing all Don't Want No Scrub 
clothing from the upcoming lookbook

6. As an aspiring designer are you looking to follow trends as dictated by other designers? or trying to do your own thing? Do you find yourself more critical of other designers or more accepting of there work due to your experience and education?

I always wanna do my own thing!! I have a lot of respect for young designers who still do all pattern making and sampling themselves.

I also find myself criticising other young designers who have a team of unpaid interns doing their job and they act as more of a head of a corporation.

When you start out, the most rewarding part is knowing that the finished product is all yours.

Designers who gets teams of people to do their work I struggle to respect. 

7. What advice would you have for anyone who is wanting to create there own clothing line? 

Do it your fucking self.

Don't be fucking afraid.

Have a solid supply of fucking valium

Valentina wearing all Don't Want No Scrub 
clothing from the upcoming lookbook

8. Fashion at the moment is incredibly versatile, what are your favourite and least favourite trends/looks for the coming summer season? What is your favourite piece of clothing you have produced? 

If you have to ask yourself "Is this Ivy Pool enough" before you leave the house, you shouldn't be leaving the house.

9. If you could do absolutely anything in fashion right now, what would it be? Or what would you do if you could do anything with the josh don't want no scrubs label?

If I could do anything? I guess just get more exposure to make more money to fund the next collection.

Be a bada$$, makin bank. Y'know.

Valentina wearing all Don't Want No Scrub 
clothing from the upcoming lookbook

10. In an Ideal world Josh where would you like to see yourself and the Business in 5 years? 

Making it rain.

11. And finally we are coming into the summer season, what should we expect to see in the next few months from yourself and your clothing? 

I can't really say.

It's all one step at a time for me at the moment..

I'm moodboarding my next collection, so I guess you'll all be seeing little bits from that sometime soon. 

Joshua Davidson

Expect big things from this young man, who is an absolute delight to speak with! I am doing shoot with some new clothing on Saturday so keep your eyes out for that! and in the mean time take care! 

Don't Want No Scrub Contact Details:

Orders and Enquiries: joshdontwantnoscrub@gmail.com

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