Interview with Emesha

So last season was my first London Fashion Week. It was exciting, unforgettable and well, crazy! When I was there, I took note of all the fashion designers that really interested me and Emesha was definitely one of them. Since last September, I have kept up to date which Emesha's career and I'm incredibly blessed to have an interview with the woman behind the designs, Emesha Nagy, here on Fashion by Mimi. Have a little read and fall in love, just like I did!

 Hi Emesha, How are you?

Very busy at the moment as we’re just getting ready for fashion week, but really excited at the same time!

Since graduating from the London College of Fashion in 2006, you have gone from strength to strength. You launched your own company in 2009 and have worked with designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Jasper Conran. After tackling London last year, you're now planning for Milan Fashion Week Tell us, how does it feel to be where you are right now?

It feels really great. However with only a few seasons under my belt I am still very much a start-up designer and although it has been a long journey, there’s still so much further to go. Fashion is not a quick fix; you have to be in it for the long haul. I started as an intern like most designers, and have been taking it step by step ever since. Since my first UK exhibition at London Fashion Week in February 2010 the label has developed considerably and now hopefully we are expending a bit further into Europe.

I have just recently won the Mishcon de Reya mentoring award offered by industry professionals which is an amazing opportunity and also fantastic recognition of my work. It has been a great experience and I feel I have matured a lot over the years both personally and professionally.

Tell us the inspirations behind your designs? Why did you become a designer?

I am very inspired by effortlessly dressed women with a masculine edge. I create boy-meets-girl looks, using old techniques making them into new, modern designs. The fashion industry has strong tendency to ‘update the past,’ looking back in time for inspiration.

As a 21^st century woman I feel there is a need for fresh and contemporary design. This combined with the passion to do the least harm to the environment has led to create my own label.

Why is sustainable fashion so important to you?

Clothes today have no value and 21^st century fashion is unbelievably fast. As a result the industry produces too many bad quality products that people throw away normally within just months of their purchase. This is a very big environmental issue, especially when you consider that most of these clothes are made of polyester and are non-biodegradable. Once at the end of their life-cycle these garments have a detrimental impact upon our environment.

Fashion is what I know, and it is through fashion - creating quality products and drawing attention to these problems - where I can make a difference.

Do you think it is harder to be ethical and fashionable at the same time?

It used to be a challenge but I think today more and more ethical/sustainable designers focus on design and quality resulting in fashion conscious and wearable collections, I think it’s worth having a little look around.

Tell us about your Spring Summer designs for 2012

I am totally in love with my SS12 collection. It is the first season we have worked included prints in my designs (in collaboration with Lisa Stannard) and I think they really compliment the sharp tailored features. The collection is based on experimenting with analogue and digital techniques to add an extra edge to the recurring block colours seen in previous collections. I also experimented quite a lot with different pleating techniques resulting in very exciting 3D textures.

What's planned for you for 2012

We have a few exciting projects coming up which I cannot talk about yet, but as you mentioned earlier Milan Fashion Week is on the cards. I will also be participating at London Fashion Weekend which is an amazing shopping event held at Somerset House just after London Fashion Week. We will share a boutique with a few other Estethica designers and will be offering the new SS12 collection 40% off just before the season, so be sure not to miss it! 

If you want to check out Emesha's other collections or find out a bit more about the designer, then visit http://www.emesha.com/