I am honored to present my very first indie brand interview, this time with the awesome Australian indie designer Eden, of the indie brand "We're All Mad Here"! I'm very thankful for the opportunity to get to know this very interesting brand better.
Enjoy!
Northern Star: Are you a lolita yourself? What inspired you to become a Lolita?
We're All Mad Here: I’m actually not sure whether I consider myself to be a full lolita! I admired the style and Lolitas themselves for years but never got around to making any purchases while at university… I guess I would be a part-time/casual lolita? I think Lolitas are incredibly beautiful, but I don’t see myself as a glamorous person – so I’m happy to be the slightly daggy (aussie slang for uncool!) designer/creator of dresses that look amazing on everyone else :3
NS: What made you decide to become an independent designer of your own lolita brand?
WAMH: It started as a textile design project in mid-2011 – I started doing up a few designs a posting them on facebook to see what people’s thoughts were, and the response was quite positive! It brings together my fashion training and design degree, and allows me to make creepy/punky things unashamedly cute – plus I’ve always wanted to work for myself, so it seemed like a very good match for my combination of skills and interests!
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| We're All Mad Here's Zombie Tea Party and Zombie Carnival prints, and their Zombie Pony bag! |
NS: What do you most enjoy about being an independent designer so far?
WAMH: The buzz from people saying that they love the designs! And the freedom to design whatever I want without having to keep someone else’s aesthetic in mind.
NS: What has been the hardest part of starting your own brand?
WAMH: For me it has been establishing a fabric printer – there are often issues that take time to sort out, so I’m usually quite stressed! Tracking down suppliers and manufacturers also takes time and can be quite expensive when you’re testing different companies to see what kind of product they give you.
WAMH: The buzz from people saying that they love the designs! And the freedom to design whatever I want without having to keep someone else’s aesthetic in mind.
NS: What has been the hardest part of starting your own brand?
WAMH: For me it has been establishing a fabric printer – there are often issues that take time to sort out, so I’m usually quite stressed! Tracking down suppliers and manufacturers also takes time and can be quite expensive when you’re testing different companies to see what kind of product they give you.
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| We're All Mad Here's adorable Sugary Bones print! |
NS: How would you describe your brands unique style?
WAMH: It’s sweet and punk – I try to make textile designs that balance the two enough to spark interest, but not so macabre that they would scare people away. Basically when I start doing cute casual dresses with the same style, I want people to feel punky and badass while they’re wearing it, but still pretty!
NS: If your brand was telling a story, what kind of Story would that be?
WAMH: Eeep – I really don’t know! It would be a cute but twisted tale, for sure :)
NS: How do you find inspiration for new designs?
WAMH: Anything can spark off an idea – often I’ll see something and imagine how it could be contrasted with my aesthetic. Tumblr provides a lot of visual inspiration for me – I love it!
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| We're All Mad Here's charming licorice-like Ebony Sweets print! |
NS: Do you have any idols in the Lolita community?
WAMH: Anyone who experiments with the style! But I do admire Lunie, Pastelbat, Victoria Suzanne, and Pastel Ai as well-known figures – they are creative while being positive role models, to my mind. And the girls in the local community are amazing – I always love Bee, Suz, and Thaleia’s style when I see them :3
Close up of We're All Mad Here's Zombie Tea Party print.
NS: What do you hope to accomplish with your brand? Do you have any plans for the future?
WAMH: As far as accomplishments go, I want to get the rest of the Sugar Punk collection out and start working on the next one; and I’m looking at releasing a few casual dresses and skirts to sell in the online shop. Lolita items will definitely be WAMH’s premium range, so it would be good to have some cheaper items with the same style for people to choose from.
As for the future – a lot more
designing and sample-making! And since WAMH is officially a business now (not
classed as a hobby by the Government), it would be nice to throw an epic 1-year
anniversary party next October, but I’ll have to see how the next year goes!
NS: Do you have any advice for other lolitas out there, who are looking to start their own independent brand?
WAMH: If it’s something that you really, really want to do, you should definitely go for it (of course you should, why wouldn’t you?!). You will need to know how to sew and make (or at least adjust) patterns, and have a decent design eye or train yourself in these things. Maybe start by making a few things for yourself and your friends – it will give you an idea of what the process is like from beginning to end: print concepts, dress concepts, digital rendering and file set-up for printers, lead time for fabric sampling and adjusting artwork, pattern making, sample making and fitting, fabric and trim selection, and of course, the final piece. That way you’ll have something unique, and if people start asking you about it, that’s a good sign!
WAMH: If it’s something that you really, really want to do, you should definitely go for it (of course you should, why wouldn’t you?!). You will need to know how to sew and make (or at least adjust) patterns, and have a decent design eye or train yourself in these things. Maybe start by making a few things for yourself and your friends – it will give you an idea of what the process is like from beginning to end: print concepts, dress concepts, digital rendering and file set-up for printers, lead time for fabric sampling and adjusting artwork, pattern making, sample making and fitting, fabric and trim selection, and of course, the final piece. That way you’ll have something unique, and if people start asking you about it, that’s a good sign!
Get yourself a support network – you
will need help to get started, so if there is an area in your skill set that
isn’t as strong, find someone who is awesome at it and see if they’d be willing
to teach you a few things. You may find that you have a skill they want to
learn as well, so you can level up together XD
And support your industry! One of the
best ways to ensure that you have a market to work within is to support it's
growth. It’s fantastic to see new designers and their fresh ideas for lolita!
Thank you to We're All Mad Here for giving us all a glimpse into what lies behind the creative works of We're All Mad Here's badass but magically cute world!
Their brand can be found on their Facebook page and in the We're All Mad Here online store!
All pictures in this article are borrowed with permission from We're All Mad Here's facebook page.
Their brand can be found on their Facebook page and in the We're All Mad Here online store!
All pictures in this article are borrowed with permission from We're All Mad Here's facebook page.
Great interview! I really enjoyed reading it and it gave me a few pointers as to do with my own (hopefully) future career in fashion :)
SvarSletKeep up the blog, it's really good! <3