5 minutes with... Lulu Kennedy!
I can count on my fingers how many people in the fashion industry I look up to greatly and one would have to be Lulu Kennedy. Not only is she one of the most influential, she is a great supporter of new talent – not to mention my style crush too! I am in love with her brand, Lulu & Co. which is available for all my readers in the UAE at S*uce (yay!) I recently spoke to Lulu about the concept, what makes a successful designer, the Middle East and Fashion blogs!
How did the Lulu&co concept come up? I love it!
Thank you! It came about when we were wondering how best to celebrate Fashion East’s 10th birthday – we decided to reissue an archive capsule of 10 dresses to look back and celebrate 10 years of our favourite 10 designers from Fashion East. It has really grown organically since then to what it is now, but essentially it is still an ‘edit’ of designers and other creatives such as graphic designers, fine artists and personalities who we think are fun, interesting and innovative.
-You are great at spotting upcoming designers! What makes a successful designer?
Thanks, talent scouting is something I really enjoy doing. Usually I can tell within a few minutes whether I feel someone has talent, determination and other qualities like self-belief that are necessary to succeed. You can see it in their collection, and also how they present themselves as a person and brand. I’m not sure how you define successful…my interpretation is that the better a designer is at articulating their message or ‘vision’ and aesthetic, the more successful they are, in my opinion, as they will have longevity. Alaia comes to mind.
-Do you read fashion blogs?
Yes, whenever I have time I love to read fashion, art and music blogs – I am so fascinated in seeing what everyone is creating. And I find twitter entertaining, but it can be too distracting from work!
-Myfashdiary is based between London and Dubai – have you ever been to the Middle East, any plans?
I’ve recently been to Lebanon, which I loved, and a while ago when I changed planes at Abu Dhabi airport I was so impressed by it and wished that I was visiting the country – it looked an amazing place!
-I love your style! how would you describe your style?
Thanks! My style is very inspired by the designers I work with at Fashion East, and so I suppose to some extent it is ‘London’…ie eclectic, edgy, fun. I’m instinctive, I don’t ever plan what to wear, I just see how I feel on the day and let my wardrobe inspire me.
-You’re always working on new projects! What is next for Lulu?
We are working on an exciting new project for Paris next year, and also expanding our menswear projects abroad. It’s all go at our office!