This was my third year taking part in Brighton Fashion week, however, my first time on the Zeitgeist stage. My 2014 and 2013 collections were both featured on the Showreel show, a platform for costume designers and theatrical designers. This year I had created a collection that was more accessible and less avant garde, though still for those not afraid to wear something different!
The collection, named Folklorico, was inspired by Mexican, European and Asian Folklore. Once I decided on the theme I got stuck in and spent days researching colour palettes, stories and tales, materials and traditional costume, I then put together a mood board and colour/material inspiration board.
I designed over 50 original designs and then whittled down to 10 that I thought captured the essence of the theme, would look great, would challenge me enough to feel creatively satisfied and the ones that I thought looked the best!
This was back in July, I then had to put this collection to the side whilst I focused on the end of the wedding season for all my Oh My Honey brides, it was a very busy year! I also spent a couple of weeks in Canada, leaving myself 10 days to make the whole collection! But spending a couple of weeks in such a beautiful country meant that I returned rejuvenated after a very hectic wedding season and ready to get stuck into this new exciting project.
To ensure that there were no delays or set backs I made sure all fabrics, trims, and other materials had all been ordered and were in the studio ready to go. This included a print that I had designed that would feature on Lycra across the collection, chiffon I had sent to be pleated, silks and satins and pom poms and tassels that I had made specially in my colour palette shipped over from Thailand.
The next 10 days consisted of 16 hour days of hard work with my amazing team, which it would not have been possible without! (special thanks to Zoe Padley!) Although the days were long, and there was a serious deadline, I enjoyed every minute of putting together this collection. When designing it, there is the niggling thought of ‘will this sell?’ but I decided to reject that and just do exactly what I wanted to do, the bold colours and excessive trims might be too much for some people, but I don’t want to hold back on my ideas, and what I think looks good.
The collection premiered on Friday in the Old Ship Hotel on Brighton seafront with an audience of Press, VIP’s, fashion bloggers, and South coast fashionistas along side 8 other designers that had travelled from all over the world to showcase their collections. As the catwalk images begin to come through I am collating my favourite images from the show to reveal the full collection online, but for now, here is a sneak peek from Sarah Olivier…
