Ada Zanditon - After Fashion Week...
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!