Beautiful Soul Blog

 

Firstly may I thank the team at Fashion Capital/Enter for this opportunity and for supporting Beautiful Soul over the last 6 months.

As an emerging British Fashion Designer, I am happy to give an insight in to the world of Beautiful Soul and the journey of a new fashion label; designing and tackling issues with a compassionate outlook.

A brief introduction: I remember writing to ‘Jim’ll fix it’ to make me a fashion designer, but life has twists and turns and I found myself caught up in the rat race. The lifestyle it provided seemed to outweigh my lack of passion for my work (Insurance Broking). Something was missing, but I didn’t know how I would cope without the next pay rise. I was stuck in a rut and the security of payday seemed to mist the way. How could I possibly cope without my luxuries.

I had the opportunity to backpack around the world with my best friend and breaking away from the rat race for the first time in my adult life, gave me an insight in to living on a budget. I was starting to see life in a different light, with endless opportunities.

Whilst in Tokyo, something happened to me. I was surrounded by the most amazing boutiques. I was like a child in a sweet shop. Mesmerised. Excited. Totally Inspired. Something inside me quite literally *came to life*. (Hence my love of vintage kimonos).

I realised that I needed to make radical changes: I accepted that everything else would have to be put on hold. I needed the opportunity and guidance to follow my dreams of becoming a fashion designer. I had buried these dreams for too long. I was determined to make this happen. I had found my calling.

…I haven’t looked back since.

I graduated from the London College of Fashion in 2008, with a BA (Hons) in Fashion: Design and Technology (Creative Pattern Cutter). During my final year, I was involved in a project based around ‘saving the earth’. I was hooked. Fashion with a TRUE meaning, for me, is the only way forward. It makes sense and it adds to my determination.

Fresh from graduating, I won a scholarship through the Centre for Sustainable Fashion and worked as a designer for a South African charity. The work I carried out with Tabeisa, an organisation committed to supporting disadvantaged communities across Africa, sparked a determination to set up my own sustainable fashion label and Beautiful Soul became a reality in November 2008.

Beautiful Soul is an eco-aware, luxury womenswear label and since its inception it has won the Ethical Fashion Forum’s Innovation award, become a finalist at Fashioning the Future 2009 and attracted mass interest from press at London Fashion Week and the Interstoff Asia, Hong Kong.

Things are moving in the right direction and our Spring Summer collection, Miss Butterfly, is now available to buy at the V&A (London) and Beautiful Souls Online Boutique. www.beautiful-soul.co.uk

It is very early days for Beautiful Soul, but I thrive on challenge and I am extremely driven by my ethos. Change is difficult to influence, as a lone player, but individuals acting as a unified force can make change tangible.

Since starting out, I have learnt that there are no rights or wrongs in ethical fashion. The most important thing is to stay true to yourself, keep an open mind and offer transparency. I am at my happiest when I am sharing and believe that this is the most effective way of pushing responsible fashion in to the mainstream. I am proud to be part of such a positive movement.

I get very little time to answer personal emails, but my aim is to share useful information and contacts with you all, over the coming months.

…Until then, have fun!

TO VIEW THE BEAUTIFUL SOUL COLLECTION PLEASE CLICK HERE

Nicola Woods,

Beautiful Soul xx

Nicola Woods

http://www.beautiful-soul.co.uk