Amelia’s Magazine | Pre-London Fashion Week interview: fashion designer Flik Hall


Illustration by Karolina Burdon

Young designer Flik Hall may have only set up her eponymous label in 2009, order buy but she has already gained a following for her bold silhouettes and eye-popping prints. About to showcase her fourth collection at LFW, we caught up with Flik to hear all about working with Henry Holland, her fashion predictions for the new season, and why she thinks print design is having ‘a moment’.  

You worked with Henry Holland and Giles Deacon – what did you learn from your time there, and do you think their design aesthetic has influenced yours?
I learnt very different things from each of them. Henry taught me how to structure a business and working there opened my eyes to all the other things that that go into making a successful career in fashion design. He showed me you have to focus on so many different angles and that you should not cultivate an exact path for yourself and instead be open to new ideas and projects.

Working at Giles I learnt a lot about formulating prints and attention to detail. I think because we used to experiment with so many materials or objects that one would not directly associate with fashion, it helped to broaden my fundamental associations of what we can draw from. I wouldn’t however say they’ve influenced my design aesthetic directly.


Illustration by LJG Art and Illustration

What inspired your latest collection?
I took inspiration from looking into the lives of Mexican families and the altars that they display in their homes. The altars would appear chaotic, but seemed very beautiful to me at the same time. Many are juxtapositions of items such as family memorabilia –  they would be filled with dolls of all description in various outfits, some bigger and smaller than others. I was drawn to the interesting spaces shaped in-between the dolls in some of the altars, which was what led me to experiment with porcelain doll arms for my prints.

The hessian I used in the collection is a fabric that plays a great part in (the Mexican families) lives – used as table clothes, clothing and even as bags for collecting sweet corn.

How much do you think you’ve come on since your first collection?
I still have so much to learn, I’m still a novice in many respects – but sometimes that can work as an advantage. I feel as though with every season I manage to channel my ideas that little bit better; I’m also imbued with all that happened in the previous season, and that little bit more capable and confident.


Illustration by Christina Cerosio

Do you have any advice for aspiring designers – where to get started, and how to set up your own label?
Stay focused, work hard, be open-minded and get carried away.

How do you create a print – what is the process behind each one?
With the baby arm prints for my S/S 2011 collection, I found a box of old porcelain limbs at a flea market – I think they were previously used for set design. I arranged them in heaps of different variations on the floor on a white background and took photos. I then cut the images up, put them together like a puzzle, and ended up trying to form abstract shapes to replicate semantic signals, crosses, sound waves, and stained glass windows.

With the rise of designers like Erdem and Peter Pilotto, do you think print design is having a moment?
Yes, I totally think the relationship between print and fashion is very prominent at the moment. I especially think with the scope of so much new technology available, the way we understand print is challenged all the time. I digitally print on leather and until fairly recently only traditional methods were available. These kinds of changes mean there is a lot more to experiment with, and a greater variation in the style of work print designers are creating. I think that both Erdem and Peter Pilotto fuse their cut with colour and print really well, they both treat print so differently.


Illustration by Danni Bradford

What are your plans for the label?
To continue with the label, consistent with the ethos with which I started it. I’m expanding the size of my collection this season which is exciting because I normally have about three times more looks that don’t make the final collection. It’s nice because there are always two or three pieces I regret not including – there’s less scope for regret this time around!

Any New Year’s resolutions?
I want to learn something totally new. I still haven’t worked out what it is yet though. I would quite like to learn how to restore antique jewellery.

London Fashion Week is just around the corner – what are your fashion predictions for A/W 2011, or what would you like to see people wearing?
Firstly I would like to see people investing in well made designer pieces that they love, independent of them been ‘on trend’ or throw away fashion. I would like to see more people wearing turtle-necks, vintage undergarments and garments with more heavy duty embellishments.

Name the most inspiring place or person in London…
Victor Wynd’s little shop of horrors The Last Tuesday Society on Mare Street.

Any other new designers you think are ‘one’s to watch’?
I love Lily Heine’s MA collection; the building up of layers is beautiful like an intricate carving.  I also really like Scott Arnold’s contrasting use of fabrics in his BA show. I think there will be interesting things to come from him.

How would you describe the archetypal ‘Flik Hall girl’, or is there anyone in particular you design for?
She has a lot of conviction and marches to her own drum.

Find Flik Hall at Not Just a Label

Categories ,A/W 2011, ,Antique jewellery, ,digital, ,Erdem, ,fabric, ,fashion, ,Flik Hall, ,Giles Deacon, ,Henry Holland, ,interview, ,Lily Heine, ,London Fashion Week, ,Mare Street, ,mexico, ,Not Just a Label, ,Peter Pilotto, ,print, ,Scott Arnold, ,The Last Tuesday Society, ,Victor Wynd

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Amelia’s Magazine | Flik Hall: New S/S 2012 Season Presentation Preview and Interview

Flik Hall S/S 2012 by Milly Jackson
Flik Hall S/S 2012 by Milly Jackson.
 
Flik Hall is becoming a bit of a regular here at Amelia’s, and is it any wonder when the Central Saint Martins graduate continues to deliver covetable collections season after season? Speaking with Amelia’s earlier this year, she enlightened us on her past work with fashion heavyweights House of Holland and Giles Deacon; almost one year on and their influence and handed-down expertise is beginning to shine through more and more.


Flik Hall S/S 2012 by Milly Jackson
Flik Hall S/S 2012 by Milly Jackson.

Flik Hall dubbed herself a novice back then, but with three successful London Fashion Week seasons under her belt, she could have quite easily fooled me otherwise. Since then, print-enthusiast Flik has gone on to create two more delectable collections, continuing to incorporate her love for printed leather and structured silhouettes. The latest collection sees a new direction from the London-based designer, and I was lucky enough to see, hear and learn a little bit more about the creative process behind such bold and imaginative designs.


Flik Hall SS 2012
Flik Hall SS 2012
 
I first clapped eyes on the new collection earlier this month at the Rendez-Vous Femme trade show in Paris, where Flik Hall was successful in ruffling a few Parisian fashion feathers with her experimental vision. Amongst the vast number of exhibitors, not to mention the throngs of buyers, journalists and trend reporters, there was one corner of the room that instantly caught my eye. Flik’s designs are the definition of innovative. Whilst many designers stick to a time-honoured formula resulting in them fading into a background of summery floral prints and tassels, Flik Hall’s ever-developing penchant for experimentation earns her some serious print-infused brownie points for S/S 2012.

Flik Hall SS 2012

Back in London, the press event for next season’s collection was held at the uber-cool Vyner Street Gallery: an underground platform for emerging talent nestled in the depths of Hackney and the heart of Londons contemporary art district. Walking into the gallery space was like entering into Flik Hall’s world: a world of mythical fantasy. Accompanied by an eerie soundtrack, a short spellbinding film directed by artist Ashley Joiner was projected across the back wall, whilst the clothes on show delivered a sense of femininity juxtaposed with a strong, dynamic edge.

Flik Hall SS 2012
The small, intimate space had a very personal feel to it, and it was a real pleasure to meet Flik Hall, who revealed to me that she didn’t always want to be a fashion designer, ‘I used to want to be an artist when I was younger,’ she disclosed. ‘But my designs always seemed to naturally fall around the figure, so it all eventually transpired into fashion.’ And is it any wonder? With her choice of ethereal colour tones and that trademark use of eye-catching prints, the collection was successful in capturing my attention all over again.


Flik Hall SS 2012
S/S 2012 takes its inspiration from the deep blue sea as Flik Hall looks to the texture and intricate detailing of octopi skin for direction. Never one to shy away from experimentation, it is this imagery that makes up the signature print within the collection incorporating close-up screen prints of octopus skin and tentacles transferred onto soft leather pieces. ‘I’ve always been interested in Roman mythology and mythical creatures,’ Flik explained. ‘I was interested in the octopus and how its fluidity can be interpreted in strange and wonderful ways.’ The result is unexpectedly beautiful prints that call to mind A/W 2011’s equally striking doll arm designs, confirming how Flik can expertly convert creepy connotations into something imaginative and wearable, whilst maintaining the label’s other-worldly appeal.
 
Flik Hall S/S 2012 by Kate Copeland
Flik Hall S/S 2012 by Kate Copeland.

Last season’s dark and moody colour palette of black, and more black (don’t get me wrong – I am a fan of black), has been overthrown next season with only the smallest dose of raven undertones to be seen. ‘I like to mix it up quite a lot with a dark collection followed by a lighter collection, my aim is to keep it fresh,’ said Flik. Keeping in with next season’s sea-theme, innocent whites and delicate creams are highlighted with muted sea shell tones of pink, peach and lilac, whilst rich sand and deep petrol blue give added depth to the range. When asked about the creative process behind each print that she creates, Flik Hall explained that the whole process is very hands on, ‘I take lots of pictures, print out lots of images, collage them and then distort them,’ she said. ‘It’s just all about trying to figure out what’s right for me.’

Flik Hall S/S 2012 by Kate Copeland
Flik Hall S/S 2012 by Kate Copeland.

A delicate contrast to that of previous collections, next season offers a more feminine approach that is both ethereal and elegant. Layered silk and trademark printed leather was seen next to metal eyelet details: a representation of octopi suckers that reinforces Flik’s creative mind and attention to detail. Describing the collection as ‘ambiguous, sensuous and wet‘, Flik Hall has turned to opaque and sheer fabrics that contrast each other on narrow skirts and floor-length dresses, while her original flare is highlighted by the careful use of wetsuit-inspired Neoprene. As something that in my opinion could quite easily have gone horribly wrong, Flik pulls it off with structured mini dresses and voluminous jumpsuits that maintain a sense of femininity, whilst reconfirming that dynamic edge the label is beginning to be known for.
 
Flik Hall SS 2012
Though colour and print have been replaced with a more romantic aesthetic, Flik Hall‘s structured silhouette remains. The adoption of Neoprene is a clever addition to an already inventive collection, marrying structured shapes with semi-transparent fabrics. The overall desired effect is successful as I can’t help but conjure up swirling images of the deep sea, whilst one glance at the model’s intricately placed hair – mirroring that of curling tentacles – is enough to confirm the key influence of the mythical half-octopus-half-human creature known as Cecaelias

Flik Hall S/S 2012 by Alia Gargum
Flik Hall S/S 2012 by Alia Gargum.

I was mesmerised once in Paris, and mesmerised all over again in London; Flik Hall is constantly pushing herself forward and thinking outside of the box. Even if she does insist on keeping the label small and exclusive, S/S 2012 sees a stellar collection from one of London’s best up-and-coming designers that predicts a promising future for the Flik Hall brand.

Categories ,Alia Gargum, ,Ashley Joiner Central Saint Martins, ,Cecaelias, ,film, ,Flik Hall, ,Giles Deacon, ,House of Holland, ,illustration, ,Kate Copeland, ,london, ,Milly Jackson, ,Neoprene, ,Octopus, ,paris, ,Rendez-Vous Femme, ,S/S 2012, ,Vyner Street Gallery

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