A while back I was at the Design Museum in London and by chance met the very lovely American fashion designer Caycee Black.  Black designs everything from the buttons to the prints herself, and each print comes either from one of her photographs or paintings.

Did growing up in Texas influence your work?
CB - I think growing up in Texas and spending many summers at my grandparents’ farm gave me a love for nature. In my paintings I play with the juxtaposition how nature is found in the New York city environment.

How would you describe your style?
CB - My style is such a mix of vintage and my own pieces. I like playing with juxtaposition; the obvious bores me. If i wear my organza plaid noir painted dress I mix it with my gentleman’s jacket, colored leg, and vintage 80’s snow boots that could be on Napoleon Dynamite! My wardrobe is an accumulation of pieces I love on their own which I’ve collected from my line to my grandmother’s closet. I then take each piece and bring them together where they create their own story

How long did you study ballet for?
CB - I begged my mom to put me in lessons after seeing my first ballet at age 4. My mom was worried I would be bored but I sat on the edge of that velvet seat the whole time. I can still remember how magical it was to me. I decided when I was 14 not to attend Houston School of Performing arts and to continue my love of ballet as a hobby rather than a lifestyle. I still take adult classes every week at Joffrey School of Ballet’s adult program. It is truly my time to not think of anything else and always puts me in a good mood.

You also studied fine art?
CB - I took art classes every summer as a child as that was my other passion. I was quite shy as a child and that became my way to express myself and gave me comfort. I continued art classes through high school, where my senior year I built my art portfolio to be admitted into Parsons. I was attracted to Parsons as a fashion design school because art curriculum you are put through your first year before you are allowed to enter the fashion design program. I like this approach as it was the way I had envisioned myself designing clothes.

Did you go to Parsons in Paris or New York?
CB - I went to parsons New York for my BFA.

What are your favourite fabrics?
CB - Each season I love taking typically menswear fabrications and making them into feminine bodies. There is something great about this juxtaposition. For spring I took a menswear suiting fabric which is a silk/linen blend pinstripe from Italy and created a jumpsuit with surprising cut outs. This I paired with a coral bow tie blouse is my take on a suit for a woman. I like to play with mens looks in my own way. I had a tuxedo look for fall that was a tux blouse tucked into high waisted bubble shorts that have a cumberbun waistband.

Where do you live?
CB - I live in Green Point Brooklyn. I have a great view of Manhattan and the east river from my roof top.

Do you have pet?
Cb - Umm no I’m trying to responsible I consider my line my child as it is soo demanding! I’m kind of a crazy dog lover and will definitely be getting one when I can!

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I never really loved menswear until I moved to London, and then of course I fell in love with it. The men just seem to have more style and more attitude in London.

So it only seems natural that there is a group of up and coming talented menswear designers in the UK and Carolyn Massey is one of them! Currently in her 8th season, she started her own label in 2006 after doing an MA in fashion at the Royal College of Art. She has also created a diffusion collection for Topman. Her collections can be bought in London, Marseille, Tokyo and New York.

This will be the third season of London Fashion Week to include a menswear day - is London menswear on the rise?
CM - London Menswear is definitely on the rise, and I feel lucky to be part of it.

What is the most important garment or outfit in a man’s wardrobe?
CM - A good jacket. You can’t scrimp on a good tailored jacket, apart from this, good shoes.

How important has the New Gen Men award been for you? Would you still have been able to do a show?
CM - New Gen Men has been amazing in terms of exposure, and also as we are on par with womenswear now with the award. The support has allowed me to think strategically about my label and plan where and what to do next, and the sponsorship is invaluable. I certainly wouldn’t have been able to show without it.

Will you also exhibit in Paris?
CM - I have always done a showroom in Paris during mens. Due to the mens schedule, its imperative to.

What is the inspiration for your AW2010 collection?
CM - All to be revealed… in February 2010.

Do you ever wear your menswear?
CM - Yes! All the time, and I have a strong customer base of girls that do…

Do you have a favourite fashion film?
CM - Mannequin!! All time favourite. Genius. I actually think this was one of the reasons I initially wanted to work in fashion.

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What you’ve been to since fashion week?
AD - Since making my catwalk debut at London Fashion Week with Vauxhall Fashion Scout I have been working on production of Spring Summer for the for London boutiques Beyond The Valley and Digitaria and also immediately starting work on my next collection for Autumn Winter 2010. I have been organising my first sample sale, which will be at my stockist in Soho, Digitaria on the 26th & 27th of November. It’s going to be a really fun evening on the 26th from 6.30 – 9.30 pm with fabulous singer songwriter Bishi screening her video and Notion Magazine teaming up with me for the evening to do a promotion and giveaway of their new fashion supplement.

I also had an amazing time at the Estethica press day at the May Fair Hotel, where I was one of six designers to win the ethical mentoring award from the British Fashion Council which means I will be working with Bev Malik (previously buyer at Browns & Harvey Nichols) to develop my collection and business. It’s an amazing opportunity and I am really thrilled.

You showed as part of The Ones To Watch – was it a successful fashion week for you?
AD - Yes, the response has been excellent and it’s great to see the images on Vogue.com. Vauxhall Fashion Scout really provided a brilliant platform for my debut, the venue (Freemasons Hall) was spectacular and the show was absolutely packed. There was an immediate and very positive response on Fashion 156 as well as much other online press including Amelia’s magazine.

Will you be showing next season?
AD - I am planning to show or present my next collection with Vauxhall Fashion Scout as they are such a good team to work with and provide all round support including excellent hair and make-up teams. I think the overall quality of the designers showing with them is great and is going from strength to strength with every season.

What advice do you have for the high street in regards to ethical fashion?
AD - I definitely would encourage high street brands to be open to using ethical materials and creating ethical ranges within their own ranges.
It is encouraging to see how many high street retailers have signed up to the ethical trading initiative and have introduced ethical products in store. Top Shop have introduced a wide range of eco products and done well at promoting the ethical ranges they have in store. It’s great to see Marks and Spencer have excelled at communicating about their environmental policy Plan A and really embraced using organic cotton and recycled PTA.
I would also advise that high street brands consider the merits in hybrid designs rather than feeling under pressure to create products that are 100% purist eco friendly, that is still very challenging and so much good can be done by increasing the use of eco & fair trade fabrics by percentages. The high street has a fantastic potential to make an enormous difference as they are the ones producing volume and when they purchase more ethical fabric in bulk more becomes available on the market as demand has increased. This benefits smaller designers too when production is increased.

• Would you ever consider creating a capsule collection for the high street?
AD - Absolutely! I would love to! It’s one of my main goals and ambition’s. I think that it is great that in recent years we have seen brands like Giles Deacon, Comme des Garcons and Stella doing excellent ranges for the high street. It enables consumers to buy into designer brands at affordable prices. I think that there are equal amounts of creativity and innovation required at each market level and the added bonus is that you might actually get to see people walking down the street in your clothes often!

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Before every fashion show the designers styling team does a hair and make up test. We have several meetings beforehand to look at the garments, colours and tear sheets and decide on the looks and trends for the upcoming season.

Alice Palmer is a knitwear designer, and I worked with her last season at Vauxhall Fashion Scout’s showcase, called The Ones To Watch. This season she’s doing her first catwalk show at Vauxhall Fashion Scout. Rachel Wood is head make up artist and Tim Furssdonn of Toni & Guy is styling the hair, and of course I’m the fashion stylist for the show!

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I recently went to visit Camille Roman of La Tour de Force in her studio as I needed some hats for a shoot. Of course I fell in love with her oversized bows! I had a chance to ask her some questions about her work:

What inspired you to become a hat maker?
CR - I love that creating hats allows you to form a landscape for a concentrated area of the body. I have been designing hugely elaborate couture looks since I was small, though back then they were costumes for a troupe of figure-skating dancers with gymnastic capabilities. I started making hats as it allowed me to realise some of these idea of a smaller scale, in a way that I could afford to produce them.

How would you describe your style?
CR - I like drama and extremes, so extremely minimal or extremely complicated in a visible way. I am really interested in how people form visual association, so there are always a lot of literal references in the collections. Always the aim is to create something dramatic or humorous while covetable at the same time. If I was going to verbal mash-it though, I would say;
Parisian glamour + Japanese abstraction.

You’ve recently moved to designing garments has that been a natural progression for you?
CR - Totally, I have always designed clothing alongside the Headpieces, and a lot of the time the details easily translate well in either form. At the moment I am still focusing on creating garments that work as components in the way that accessories do. The next season’s collection is called ‘The Peripheral Ingredient’ because there will be a mixture of Headpiece and Clothing which essentially have the same role in an outfit.

Did your experiences at Lanvin, Zac Posen and Johnny Loves Rosie influence you?
CR - Definitely, I think your experiences in other design houses always help you work out how you want to run your own business. I have always gone away from these places having more respect for the designers because of the way they operate with alot of integrity. I think it is really important to get things done perfectly, but always make sure that the people you work with are having a good experience. Working such long hours in fashion- you really have to enjoy it or what’s the point!

Do you wear your headpieces?
CR - As strange as it sounds, I only wear them in the creative process. I am pretty minimal in terms of my personal style, i could just wear a tapered pillowcase every day, therefore I am not interested in designing for myself as I find that pretty limiting. I love to design pieces that I want to see on other people, and that I think they will want. It is so satisfying to see other people wearing something you have made, and for me it’s about the realistation of an idea that can be used.

What advice do you have for students wanting to study fashion?
CR - I think it is really important to see your limitations as opportunity to be more creative. I think fashion is a pretty difficult subject psychologically because there is often so much pressure and a lot of competition within institutions. I think it is really important only to make sure judge yourself by your own standards and be objective, so that you can enjoy it as much as possible and always be sure of your purpose…. When people leave education, I believe it is the confidence in being able to achieve what you want and like that will keep you going, and is probably the most important thing to gain before you graduate.

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