Today I interviewed the lovely Hayley Beckley at her studio in Nottingham to have a chat about her brand. Hayley Beckley is a "compulsive maker, discoverer and dreamer" who creates innovative wearable art in the form of jewellery. Her work will be featured in NFW - Spotlight on Independent Fashion and here's a preview of some of her items and the inspiration behind the collection...
Hi Hayley, first question - if you
could describe your brand in one word, what would it be?
Ermm.. that’s
hard! I would say whimsical
Tell us a
bit about your brand and how it came about?
I started out
as a costume making and designer and then I did a jewellery and silversmithing
degree, so the pieces that I make are kind of a combination of my different
backgrounds coming together.
Where did you
complete your degree and why did you choose to set up here in Nottingham?
I studied
at Birmingham, the school of jewellery. Well I lived here some years ago, and I
think it’s a really lovely city, really creative. They have loads of studio
spaces and I think I was really looking for somewhere that you could be part of
a community, a bit more individual and open minded and I really like it for
that reason.
What do you
like about the fashion scene in Nottingham and where do you like to shop?
The independent
stores, my favourite is Ursa Minor, that is something that needs to be more of
a focus in Nottingham – the independent stores, actual venues that people can
sell more individual brands on the high street because there obviously are so
many brands in Nottingham and they need more of a presence on the high street
maybe! But Ursa Minor is a really good one.
Yeah, I agree
because there are a lack of shops like that on the highstreet! What are you
most looking forward to about Nottingham Fashion Week?
I think
because I exhibit my work but I’ve never exhibited it locally, I think it would
just be interesting to sort of see the other brands that are around in Nottingham
and see where I actually fit in the location that I make my work in rather than
take it overseas and show it to other people
Where have
you exhibited your work abroad?
I’ve been
to Europe, Milan Design Week, Germany, Munich and I did a show in New York last
year and I’m about to send work for another show in New York next month!
Wow.. that’s
amazing! Talk us through one of your favourite pieces and how you came to
create it?
Well… my
favourite piece at the moment is the curved double collar. This collection started
out from the research that I did for my graduate collection. The collection is
called found in the forest and basically, the idea behind them is being more
positively connected to your environment so being more sustainable but also the
idea that if you escape into the world around you it kind of connects you to
your imagination, like getting lost in the forest and finding the history of
stories and that kind of thing. That’s the inspiration behind it.
What is the
process of making one of these collars?
So I take
photos and layer them digitally and have them printed onto silk, and then hand
pleat them and sew them together
Hand
pleat!? What does that consist of?
Steam set
each one and then sew them together! It’s quite labour intensive and repetitive
but one of those things that if you get into a habit of it, it becomes quite
meditative I think. And then I make all the silver from a recycled silver sheet
and I get a bit from my photos and turn that into a vector image and have that
machine engraved and then everything else is handmade on the buttons.
I did textiles at school and loved the practical side! You can tell that a lot of work has
gone into them!! Are there any places that you visit for inspiration?
Yeah, I really
like to be in the country side because that’s where I grew up. I like birds and
take a lot of pictures of them flying, but also the V&A and other
galleries. But I also get a lot of inspiration from people I think, the way
they communicate and stories!
Who would
you most like to see wearing your designs?
For a
celebrity I suppose someone like Natasha Khan or Bjork someone’s who’s a
performer but also quite individual, magical!
What do you
hope to achieve with your brand?
I would
really like to position myself so that I’m in between being a fashion brand and
a visual artist and so that I don’t have to be boxed in one category, so I can
kind of make pieces that are wearable art. I quite like the idea of being able
to curate yourself, by what you choose to wear and that’s the first way that
you communicate with other people so I would kind of like to make pieces that
can be part of someone’s language.
If there is
anything, what would you like to see happen or change in the future of fashion?
Yeah, I really
don’t like the idea of throwaway fashion or waste! People just buying things
seasonally, which is why I make such labour intensive pieces because I want
them to be a treasure that people keep for life. So I think I would really like
to see, I mean there are so many interesting material innovations… I was
reading about someone who has just developed material out of waste pineapple
leaves with puma. So yeah, I think more of that – more material innovation and
less fast fashion and waste.
Pineapple
leaves! That sounds interesting, I’ll have to check that out. Do you have any
advice for aspiring designers hoping to start their own brand?
Yeah I think
the most important thing is to just experiment and explore what becomes your
own visual language, I think that’s what you need to find, something that you
love doing and that you feel communicates yourself. I think the strongest
brands are where you see someone and you can just see by looking at them that
they are their work. So I think if you can find your own voice – that’s the
most important!
What are
some of the best lessons you’ve learnt from starting your own brand?
I think the
best things I’ve done are just saying yes to opportunities that seem
frightening because it leads to things that you don’t expect and yeah like
travelling to different countries, just taking the opportunities. But then its
equally important at some point to learn to say no and not over commit
yourself.
Do you have
any help with your collections or do you manage the brand yourself?
It is just
me on my own! I do sort of sometimes end up with too much to do but its worth
pushing yourself!
Exactly,
you should always strive for more! What is the future for your brand?
I’m working
on these pieces that are about mental health issues and obsessive/compulsive
behaviours so I’m trying to translate that into a community project so it would
become like a social enterprise for my brand. So that’s the direction I want to
go in.
For more
information on the products, visit http://www.hayleybeckley.com
Keep your eyes open for Hayley Beckley accessories on the runway this weekend and remember to hashtag #NottmFW!
Photo Credit - Chloe Ferdinand
