The fashion label that’s 100% made in Britain from former Alexander McQueen designers, Alistair James

Hi both, how did both of you meet and decide you wanted to create a brand together?

We met whilst both working at McQueen, I was a textile designer and Nicholas assisted in the couture studio. It was there that our relationship began, we moved in together and naturally started to throw ideas back and forth, after Nicholas’ time at Gareth Pugh, we decided to get making. At first we made a small capsule collection together which we began to show to anyone we could, to see if there was an interest. Luckily we got a meeting with the BFC, who saw something there and put us in touch with some incredible people who helped us to bring our first real collection to life.

As there's two of you, was it difficult to initially decide on one aesthetic or concept for the brand, or did it come naturally?

It was something we definitely worked at in our first capsule, as we had to assess where we wanted to fit in the market. We each have a lot of respect each other’s taste, and we’ve both always had an eye for detail, so that was incredibly beneficial.

Your collections are whimsical, alluring and have a fairytale like quality, what is the context behind this?

For us, we need a narrative for a collection, it keeps us interested and drives us which we hope shows to our customers. We normally start by looking back to our youth with family ties and literature, so fairytales and whimsy fall right into that category for us.

Your latest AW17 collection has a darker edge, do you both find inspiration from your time working at Alexander McQueen?

That’s definitely been a natural progression for us, we are looking to continue with a darker mood into SS18 and our time at McQueen has undoubtedly had a huge impact on that. At first we were a bit shy to implement what we learnt there, but after doing a couple of seasons now and refining our aesthetic we can see just how rooted in us it is. I’d like to think that we have learnt to embrace a lot of principles we learnt there and to make our own product from that.

Nicholas, how has your upbringing in Yorkshire influenced the Alistair James brand and your mentality as an artist?

For me it’s always been a romantic idea, looking across the eerily calm moors and imagining the stories that have come from them before. It gives us an escape from the city to gather our thoughts which always fuels us when we come back to the studio. I like to show David around the quaint villages, like Haworth, which gave us the spark for the AW17 collection being about the Brontë sisters and Wuthering Heights. I grew up in Halifax, one of Britain’s earliest wool trade towns, where there is this unspoken respect to tradition and the past. When I was younger I’d always be around my dad’s work, a theatre drapery mill, and after school I’d find myself walking throughout the warehouse and sewing floors, surrounded by towers of wools, velvets and silks. These memories are what I’ve carried with me through this process, so when I first met David I had an immediate respect for his affinity to working with textiles.

David, you are a textiles designer, what do you think on the current debate around sustainability in fashion and how do you support it?

We are advocating ‘made in Britain’, a philosophy we’ve been following since inception which was spawned from Nicholas’ family connections to fabric production in Yorkshire. This has given us the opportunity to work closely with our production and mills, allowing us to build lasting, healthy relationships. The key to growing this ideology into something more attractive to brands is by making communicating easier, through directory’s such as ‘make it British’, which connects manufacturers to designers. An issue we’ve faced in starting this brand has been with tracing the chain of production, even down to fibre sourcing. There is a lot of information that a majority of mills aren’t always willing to disclose, especially to young brands. I feel that a big factor in the industry for lasting change is within international regulation and transparency. A mill’s suppliers/formulas are their own recipe for making fabric; they are cards that are held very close to their chest. However, demand for mills to allow this transparency would go a long way in allowing brands to be aware of a product’s source, in turn giving a more openly informed decision to the consumer.

In the time of Brexit, a lot of designers are feeling anxious for times ahead, how do you both feel being designers in London?

We are taking this as a challenge! However daunting that may be, but yes, it is also terrifying… as there is so much uncertainty in the air; even within fashion institutions that have been in place for years. We can only unite, collaborate and keep our arms and eyes open to opportunities, even when the horizon we’re aiming for is constantly changing.

Do you both think that fashion has a responsibility to be political, and do you think it can contribute towards change?

Fashion for us, is part of the conversation, it can trigger debate, discussion, even be just a chance to reminisce or look forward. Conversation is a means for change. We feel there is a responsibility to be conscious as you are making something to put out into the world, so you need to be aware of what that world is otherwise then you should question it’s relevance.

How has the digital world/social media affected how you work and promote your brand?

Instagram has been a great way for us to tell our story, and to reach and grow our audience. It has put us in touch directly with a lot of stylists/editors, even clients who have seen our look book and it has caught their interest, so it is really an invaluable, immediate way for us to communicate.

Who would you both most like to collaborate with?

We really admire what Richard Quinn is doing with setting up his print studio. It’s exciting and could open a world of possibilities for textile development for London based designers. Working with the London Embroidery Studio has been a great contact for us, so to hear about others setting up ways to manufacture in the city just makes us happy.

What are you listening to in the studio while you’re at work?

Film or gaming soundtracks are what we go for, although we then normally have a flirtation with Kate Bush and Stevie Nicks by midday. Maybe even a full fantasy film franchise in the background for those longer hours.

Is there anything you wish you’d known before starting your own brand?

Working with a PR or consultancy team that understand you and want to help you on your journey is worth its weight in gold. You can hear some real nightmare stories if you ask around enough. Luckily we have landed on our feet with our team.