I recently caught up with fashion designer Dean Quinn at the Hospital Club, where Dean was a creative in residence for 2010. He’s just returned from Italy, designing for Versace and now he’s off to New York and ready to set up his own label!

So you are moving to New York and starting your own label. What’s next for you?
I am hoping that my move to New York will be a new beginning for me and my brand but I also believe that this is all just one continuous journey. Fashion on the whole is changing and it is so exciting as it is bringing with it this whole new democracy that was never in place before. I was worried when I put my brand on hold to go to Milan not least due to the fact that I had just secured 6 new international accounts but there was also concern on my behalf because I feared it would be impossible to come back from the corporate world and be satisfied.
I believe that to make it internationally you have to be an international brand. I am not a British designer, American designer, Milanese designer but an international designer working towards a very specific goal for myself and vision..

You’ve finished your residency at the Hospital Club – was it beneficial for you?
The residency was beneficial for me particularly due to the many ways in which the space itself acts as so many things. It can be anything from a meeting space to a presentation place. The opportunities are endless.

Did you enjoy designing for Versace?
Working in Milan was the experience of a lifetime. I am so lucky to have been able to experience working within Gianni’s company, although it’s a different place today from he was alive. For me he will always be one of the visionaries that made me fall in love with this industry.

What can we expect to see next from you?
I am moving forward with my career and into a territory I am extremely excited about. I want to continue working for companies as well as designing my own label. I have a very different dream to most designers. For me personally, success would be maintaining a company where everyone is happy and has the quality of life that should match the passion they have for their work.

Can you tell me more about the cream jacket/skirt at the Hospital Club exhibit?
The gown from the exhibition is a small peak at the future of my brand. I want to create collections where every garment is desirable to all women and not just a catwalk or editorial shot. I guess it’s time for me to become a realist whilst maintaining the aesthetic people initially loved about my work. That balance is what truly interests me.

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Dean Quinn is a new designer who recently graduated from Central Saint Martins. It’s difficult for any young designer to get started, and the expectations after one graduates from CSM are so high. Dean Quinn is one of the lucky ones, though: he won the Central Saint Martins Womenswear Designer of the Year Award in 2009. After graduation he was chosen to be part of Vauxhall Fashion Scout’s Spring/Summer 2010 "Ones to Watch" show, which is how we met (I was styling the show). I loved Dean’s work and found him irresistibly charming (it might have been his Irish accent). Dean was also featured in the V&A Fashion in Motion presentation of emerging talent and is presently an artist in residence at the Hospital Club.
This season Dean has done a very focused 11-piece collection (10 dresses and 1 jacket) that was exhibited with Vauxhall Fashion Scout. The collection was strong and you could see Dean’s signature style – the silhouette is classic with fierce shoulders. Continuing to use black and white he’s added colour, a rich blue and red, and of course there’s embellishment. Quinn has always expressed a love for embellishment and this season was all about beading: "I adore anything that is multi-dimensional. Embellishment brings a whole other level to a piece that brings a totally artisan quality to a piece. Beading the garment is like painting it. It’s like magic in a way." Quinn is sponsored by Hand and Lock, the oldest embroidery company in the world and all the beading was hand done.

This collection is called ‘Piano,’ as Dean was inspired by Jane Campion’s film The Piano: "I was especially inspired by the final scenes of The Piano laying on the sea bed after many years and covered in urchins and anemones". You can see this influence in the zig zagging of the beading wrapping the body. Stylists and celebrities will love this collection; it was made for the red carpet and cool editorials. Right now there is a flood of female singers who would look great in these clothes. When I think of embellishment I think of a grandmother cardi or some embellished prom dress from a vintage shop. It’s something I might avoid and I’ve seen enough sequins for a while, but Quinn has managed to make beading fierce, young and rebellious.

I’m looking forward seeing what Dean will do with embelishment next season, and whatever he does he’s determined to keep evolving: "Next season will be something different once again. I intend to keep doing new things that challenges me every season. It would be a nightmare for me to do something predictable season after season."

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Backstage with Vauxhall Fashion Scout’s Ones To Watch: Ada Zanditon, Dean Quinn, Hermione de Paula and Marko Mitanovski.

This was a very busy crazy backstage show to style with four designers and 50 looks. It’s quite a challenge as the designers share the majority of the models – which makes time management the biggest challenge. Not only are the models doing fittings but they also need to have hair and makeup done and it all happens within four hours! It’s quite a short time for everything, fortunately I had a great team – Rachel Wood did the makeup direction and hair looks were created by Tim Furssedonn.

The show looked great and I’ll be posting some catwalk pictures soon!

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