Charlie May
Just off Hackney Road in East London lives Charlie May. All long wavy brown locks and big doe eyes, Charlie is anxiously preparing for her first post-graduate collection which will be presented during London Fashion Week in September.
When I visited her last week I was overwhelmed by the intricacies of her little studio. Boxes of designer shoes lay scattered around the living room (all picked up for fractions of the original cost at secret sample sales), potted herbs were lined up on the balcony, music pumped out from a laptop and, all the while, Charlie moved seamlessly around the slight chaos in a pair of killer Vivienne Westwood trousers creating beautiful garments. I was acting as her mannequin for the day, as hers is being held up in production for two months, and it was incredible to watch her stare solidly at the fabric that draped around my arms and legs before shoving in pins and taking the pieces back for readjustments.
Charlie is a total talent and a rare gem. She’s unbelievably motivated and intoxicating to be around. I was already excited about her upcoming collection but after I got to peek at the sketches and try on the prototypes for a few pieces I am even more enthralled by what’s to come… it’s all reworked biker jackets, unexpected layering, and tie fastenings. Think the drama of Ann Demeulemeester and Haider Ackerman with a youthful wearable twist. Take note, this girl’s the one to watch.
Please note: all sketchbook images and inspiration are from Charlie’s graduate collection.
Lovely behind the scenes coverage on Charlie’s work, she is indeed a talented young designer.
I love Phaff machine!!!!!!!
Oooooooh can’t wait to see her collection! Make sure to snap some pics for us!
Beautiful photos and great post! Heading over to her blog right now to check it out. So fun to see new designers coming into their own!
http://nomadic-d.blogspot.com/
That is so great! To present and London Fashion Week.. omg it must be amazing. I wish the best of luck to her!
Beautiful post! Can’t wait to see her collection!
Oooh I thought it was you in the picture for a moment…
Wow, Charlie May seems to have the most incredible job, her little studio looks so exciting! x
definitely one to watch.
What an amazing studio! Looks like a great job to have!
http://blog.badjoan.com/
Oh jen this is amazing! Charlie is incredible! I’ve heard her chat about her collection but seeing her working is totally different! I’m really impressed by the work space – those buckets are fantastic! Sooo looking forward to her collection – will be whoop whooping for you Charlie! yeah!
Hope you’re good lady – hopefully see you soon!
p.s amazing pics
xxx
Wow, how great to see how her stuff is coming on. Lucky you!
It look very interesting… love her place, and that ring is just amazing. Hope i could see the end result. I loved you blog!
xx
My Fashion Bug
Ah I read this post on my phone and couldn’t wait to get in so I could type up a proper response! Charlie is so talented and this was a fab post. Your photos are amazing.
Also, Rayban Aviators? Definitely the choice of accessory for any Super-Dad!
OK I take note! and I love her name so it will be easy to remind me of her!
lovely studio she has!
thanks for sharing!
Letizia
Studios are always such interesting places – I like the flowerpots hanging on the wall as storage for stationary. I really look forward to seeing some pictures of the collection, the jacket in the sketches looks gorgeous!
Thanks so much for commenting on my blog
. x
Jennifer, thank you for your lovely lovely comment on the cake bunting, it really made my day! I’ve heard about Charlie May before, but only briefly and I think I let it slip out of my mind! But not anymore, I made a mental note to look out for her collection and then I can say I saw her sketches
love this post, its very interesting to see how she does everything and the space!
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