Born in 1961 in sunny Morecambe, geography graduate Wayne Hemingway is not averse to throwing the odd rock at the fashion scene.

"Parts of the fashion industry stink and I'm getting the air freshener out," he said whilst presenting Channel 4's two-part show, "Revolt in Fashion and Revolt in Homes", in November last year. Hemingway fervently attacked buyers, designers and fashion-magazine journalists alike for hyping unwearable and unaffordable clothing.

Together with his wife and long-term business partner, Gerardine Hemingway, Wayne strives for democratisation of the fashion industry and an end to elitism of the designer labels.

"We follow our principles of 'design being for everyone', being affordable and design being 'a force for good' at all times… it's what we passionately believe in. It may be because we both come from very ordinary northern backgrounds, from families who loved design and visual things but couldn't afford it," Hemingway says.

"Also, we have seen all the elitist crap and 'luvvie' stuff that goes on in the fashion industry. Been subjected to elitism has hardened our attitude and we fought back!"

Red or Dead

Being most famous as the original founders of Red or Dead, the much-hyped 90s fashion label, there is no doubt that the Hemingway duo have the authority to comment on what really goes on behind the show curtains of the fashion industry.

Having originated from a stall on Camden Market, Red or Dead amazingly managed to develop into a label of international fame in no time, winning the prestigious British Fashion Council’s "Street style" Designer of the Year Award for three consecutive years in 1996,'97 and '98.

But after 21 successive seasons on the catwalk at London Fashion Week, the pair finally decided to sell the label - by then a household name - in a multi million pound deal, and can today even be nostalgic about the whole experience. "We fell in to Red or Dead with no money and fell out with lots; but most of all it was a challenge and fantastic fun from beginning to end.

"We like to think that we played a part in removing the stigma from shopping for cool stuff on the high street and paved the way for forward thinkers to put the likes of Top Man and Top Shop before overpriced, over marketed labels."

Multi-faceted design

In a recent speech for a class of fashion students, Wayne pinpoints being multi-faceted as a valuable key to success. This is a strategy that the Hemingways have pursued with their new joint venture, the burgeoning design and consultancy business Hemingwaydesign. The focus has been diversified from merely fashion design. Projects include involvement in The Staiths South Bank (www.staithssouthbank.co.uk), a 700-property mass market housing project on Tyneside, the acclaimed new club for the Institute of Directors on Pall Mall, wall coverings for Graham and Brown, menswear for Arcadia, carpets for Milliken, the design of digital radios... The list goes on and on, plus, as Wayne excitedly comments, "some fantastic stuff I can't talk about yet!!!"

As if this wasn't enough, Wayne is a Chairman of Building For Life (www.buildingforlife.org), and is also chairman of The Princes Trust Fashion Initiative, which is placing disadvantaged young people into jobs within the fashion industry with the likes of Top Man, Top Shop and M&S, and has had a long-term relationship with the textile recycling charity Traid. Also worth mentioning is the fact that the couple have, in the midst of it all, given birth to four kids.

Notes for aspiring designers

Having graduated with a BSc Degree in Geography at University College, London, Wayne is a walking proof that a fashion degree is not strictly a necessity for success in the industry. So, then, with all this experience, what are Hemingway's top tips for any aspiring designers out there wishing to climb their own grand ladder to success?

Wayne puts it down in these four quotes:

"Don’t have false expectation and don’t develop designer deity syndrome… too many expect to be stars and end up having their dreams shattered."

* * *

"How many of you want to be a name at a Paris fashion house? Well it's more likely to be Debenhams. You need to ask yourself what's more important to you: awards, or an income and the satisfaction that people are wearing stuff you’ve designed?"

* * *

"Don’t pigeon hole, be multi faceted – there are 60,000 of you every year. For every Alexander McQueen and John Galliano there are thousands who end up with their dreams shattered, often bankrupt financially and emotionally."

* * *

"Always study and collect experiences. You don’t always have to look forward – recycle taste. Only show your best work in your portfolio. With job chasing – do your research and have an opinion. Don’t just send a CV, show them that you can add value and make yourself indispensable. I have always had to look through tons of unsuitable candidates until we found a good one."

Note and learn!

by Caroline Salomonsson

Hemingwaydesign
15 Wembley Park Drive
Wembley, Middlesex HA9 8HD
t 020 8903 1074
f 020 8903 1076

www.hemingwaydesign.com