Dolly Jones of Vogue.com recently interviewed Markus Lupfer, celebrating FBC’s 5th anniversary. It was a very insightful interview, and a must-see for any new designer. You can see the highlights at Vogue.com. Markus shared many great pieces of advice but the one that really registered with me was about fashion being like a cupboard: ‘It’s a big cupboard and a designer must find their drawer‘. It needs to be clear to the consumer what you do, what kind of label you are. You can not be all things to all people. Many young designers get very confused about this and sometimes their collection loses focus as they are trying to take in every piece of advice and execute it. Then their collection ends up looking a bit mish-mashed and often loses what was special about it in the first place, so clarity of a brand is important. When we think of Markus Lupfer, we think of sequince, a bit of sparkle – it’s playful and so easy to wear!

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So it’s your final year at school and you’re graduating soon? What’s a girl to do? Well, take some advice from Hannah Almassi, the Fashion News and Features Assistant at Grazia UK.

*       What did you study at school and where?

I went to Nottingham Trent University which has a great art and design school. I studied Fashion Design, it’s a good place to study fashion for the real world – you can be creative but also understand the commercial and business side of things.

*       Were you always interested in fashion?

I have been interested in fashion since I can remember! Both my Mum and Nan have always made their own clothes (and mine too when I was younger – I had a great purple and black checked taffeta prom dress, very PPQ!) As a kid I’d always consider what I would wear for the day and would be really picky, then at about 10 years old I started to draw little fashion sketches and spend hours with my nose in fashion magazines. At secondary school I was always really creative and went a bit crazy with my outfits (much to my headmistress’s disgust!) I’ve always been a bit of a shopaholic and love putting clothes together. I can remember the moment that I felt fashion was for definitely for me, was when watching a TV programme on John Galliano and just being so entralled by his flair for creating extraordinary fashion – it looked so fun, so glamorous and sexy.

How many places did you apply before finding a job?

During my final year at uni I applied for hundreds of placements and kept a really open mind about where I could try out working. I was organised about it all and already had a years worth of different work experience placements all set up for when I graduated. But then I came to Grazia first, adored it and was luckily offered a longer internship at the time to be Melanie Rickey’s assistant… which of course, I snapped up!

*       What’s a typical day like?

It really varies, being on a weekly mag it’s incredibly busy all the time – every day has a major deadline so that the magazine can go to print. My work spans from doing product call ins, to coming up with stories and ideas for the print magazine and also the website www.graziadaily.co.uk , going to fashion weeks, writing copy and interviewing people to style hunting the public. It’s never boring – I’m always involved in something different.

*       What been the most exciting part of your job?

There have been loads of stand out moments. Probably one of the most memorable so far was being backstage at the British Fashion Awards and interviewing the winners on camera – meeting people like Luella, Matthew Williamson and Stephen Jones was an incredible honour. On a daily basis the Grazia fashion team are so knowledgable and talented, so it’s really encouraging and inspiring to be around them. But the best feeling has to be seeing my name in print on Grazia’s masterhead each week (yes, I’m a loser and still look at it each time!) Oh, and working from a perspex pod in the new Westfield shopping centre for a week was pretty unforgettable too!

*       What is your official position at Grazia?

Fashion News and Features Assistant

*       Have you been promoted since you started your job?

I was originally meant to do one month, then six and now I’ve been at Grazia for about 15 months! Although my job position hasn’t changed, the longer I am there the more I am able to do and contribute and develop.

*       What advice do you have to graduates?

The best advice I can give is to just work your socks off. If you don’t turn up for a placement keen and eager and willing to get on with the job, people just won’t remember you – or want to keep you there. Sometimes being an intern can feel awful, but it’s a process to get to somewhere amazing. I still spend hours in the fashion cupboard returning clothes – but I wouldn’t give it up because the perks of doing a job you love in a brilliant, lively industry are immeasurable.

*       Who is your fashion icon and why?

I have different fashion icons for different moods – more like fashion moments… I love Marlene Dietrich for her androgynous style which was so revolutionary at the time. I adore the model Verushka for looking so darn gorgeous in YSL’s safari collection. If there’s anyone I channel the most – it’s Dot Cotton! And right now, I’m obsessed with Faye Dunaway in the film The Eyes of Laura Mars – fantastic 70s outfits full of two piece skirt suits, giant throws, fabulous knee high boots and enough hair crimping to make me consider doing it again!

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Why are online sales on the rise while the high street struggles? I spoke with Claire Collins of  Violet May London to find out why. To read the rest of this interview go to Drapers.

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Well, I have to say I feel very hip seeing myself in one of my favourite magazines! This is from the autumn issue of Zink Canada.

When Zink magazine said they’d like to interview me I was quite delighted and they asked for a picture of me so I sent them a typical headshot. Then they asked for something more editorial…hmm…I thought it would be fun to work with a Canadian team who live in London so Rachel Jones did my hair & make up and Christopher Dadey did the photography. It was quite fun doing the shoot for Zink although it was very very weird being on the other side of the camera. We shot around Carnaby Street -one of my favourite areas of London and even had a nice lunch in one of the cafes. I was a bit uncomfortable at first but as the day progresses I felt more at ease.  Just dressing up was so much fun. I’ve always wanted to wear one of Manish Arora’s dresses but never felt that I had the right occasion; I felt like a super hero when I wore the sunglasses and the pink & silver dress!

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You might have seen sequins this season at Balmain, Giles, Christian Dior but Ashish is the King of Sequins and every girl loves a bit of sequins!

30 Second Interview with Ashish:

1. What’s your favourite smell?  rain, old paperbacks, oakwood, talcum powder
2. Do you eat breakfast? yes, always. otherwise i get really really cranky!
3. What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received? when people tell me that they feel happy/sexy/fabulous when they wear my clothes
4. What will be your last words? ‘i’m bored’, in which case I’ll be ready to go…
5. What do you wear to bed? moisturiser
6. What was the first thing you bought when you got your first credit card?  A video camera
7. I wish my ex would… let me keep the house?! (just kidding!)
8. Five star hotel or a tent in the woods? five star hotel!
9. Favourite kind of shoes? hi-top adidas trainers

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