British Designers @ FashionCapital – Emma Ewer BLOG
01-10-2010
Date 11th March
We have now recieved all of our design competition entries as the cut off date was end of February. Thankyou to everyone who entered and put in lots of hard work! Just a reminder to everybody that you need to now vote for your favourite so we can choose a winner! You can do this at:
https://www.fashioncapital.co.uk/BDBWomenswearCompetition.html
Jo has been busy this week measuring up models for yet another fashion show we are involved with, this time it’s organised by Bath University and again located at the Assembly Rooms in Bath. This time we have a collation of softer, pastel colours heading down the catwalk with pieces from LOUISE AMSTRUP, EMMA EWER, PPQ, JEAN-PIERRE BRAGANZA, HANNAH MARSHALL and AVSH ALOM GUR. This is scheduled for March 16th 2011, 19.00-22.30.
Below is an overview of the event from the website:
The Event
On Wednesday 16th March from 7pm, our models will be showcasing the biggest trends from shops and boutiques around the city of Bath, Participating brands including Warehouse, Republic, Henry Hunt, Kurt Geiger and many more.
The sixth annual fashion show will once again be located in the elegant Assembly Rooms of Bath and hosted by British voiceover artist, Tanya Rich.
Join us for a fantastic show including a chance to check out the hottest designs and fashion labels in Bath, performances from Bodysoc, the Breakdancing society and theatrical performances, all in aid of Sue Ryder.
More information and Tickets are available on their website:
Above: image from the FASHION AT BATH 2011 show poster at the location (Assembly Rooms, Bath.)
Meanwhile Eloise Atwell, a local designer and seamstress has been busy making a dress out of magazines using the origami technique. It is going to be a show piece for our window display in celebration of London Fashion Week whilst adressing the very present recycling issue. Everybody stops as they walk past the boutique in amazement, well done Eloise! I’ve heard that she plans to add more to the piece in the coming weeks so that’s exciting. Take a look:
NEW DESIGNERS
We are now also stocking:
CHRISTIAN BLANKEN – He has some amazing pieces, they are definately my kind of style! Monotone, chic, with a hint of futurism.
PAOLITA – A vibrant, busy patterned swimwear range. With one and two pieces theres a sure chance there’s something for you!
CLOTH MAGPIE – A beautiful hand made handbag collection.
MILO & SAINT – “A unique collection of limited edition handbags. An exciting infusion of distinctive London styling, hand chosen leathers and English charm. Our Exclusive collection of handbags are designed and made by hand in our London workshop so you can be sure of an exquisite degree of craftmanship and finish.”
We also have new stock from Isy and Peeps, Belles of London and some amazing statement pieces from Jolita.
Come and check them out!! we are open 10-6 monday to saturday and 11-4 on sundays.
Until next time,
Emma x
Date 4th March
BATH FASHION WEEK…
As well as being involved with charity fashion shows and running our southwest design competiton we are now also part of 2011’s BATH IN FASHION. This yearly event is taking place from the 23rd to the 27th of March and there will be all sorts of fashion orientated stylish things going on. From Pattern cutting workshops to styled fashion shows to fashion seminars these few days are not to be missed out on!
Jenny Holloway, industry professional and Director of Fashion Capital will be doing her very own fashion seminar, “Behind the Seams” located in the Bath British Designers Boutique on the 23rd of March from 1pm. Places are limited so make sure to book yourself in asap.
Jenny will provide an insightful talk on the garment development process. From initial design sketch to fabric selection, sampling, pattern cutting, factory production through to the shop floor. An essential taster for those wanting to break into the industry.
Jenny’s Seminar location:
British Designers @ FashionCapital Boutique,
14-15 Milsom Place,
Bath.
BA1 1BZ
We also participated with a photoshoot with photographer Marco Dutka, which is being used to promote the event. The photoshoot was at Bath Thermae Spa and he produced some beautiful images. The models worked hard as did all of the assistants and it was a productive day, despite the chill of the February air. They even used some of my pieces!
Check out some of the images used in a local Bath magazine…
And also some of my on-looking photos from the shoot…
Above: Shooting a blouse and trouser combo from my collection.
Above: A close up of my collection being shot.
Above: An Osman piece being shot early morning at the Thermae spa. Beautiful.
That’s all for now, enjoy and speak soon.
Emma
Date 25th Feb
The clothes all fit the models perfectly which was great, here’s a quick photo…showcasing the PPQ playsuit I love and an amazing leather and chiffon dress with rope detail by LOUISE AMSTRUP.
Date 21st Feb
Good Morning People…to a freezing cold february!
As well as the ‘Freedom’ fashion show we are getting involved with another mini fundraiser fashion show for a local sport team thats coming up. Some Ladies involved with the sport are coming in this afternoon for a fitting! I have picked out a collection of formal evening wear in a monotone colour way to stand out from the bold colours of the other boutiques involved, with pieces from Jean-Pierre braganza, PPQ, Isy and Peeps and Jolaby they are sure to look fabulous!
I’ll keep you updated!
E
x
Date 5th Feb
Hey Guys,
So we have recieved our first entries for the competition and more will be arriving each week, make sure to keep up to date with the new entries and vote for your favourites! You can vote online at the Fashion Capital website, here’s the link:
https://www.fashioncapital.co.uk/BDBWomenswearCompetition.html
Jo and I were featured in the paper this week along with the information on the competition…this should get the competition some good advertisement and hopefully roll in lots of fantastic entries!
NEW IN THE BOUTIQUE:
We have new collections in the ‘Emerging room’ from CECI and JOLABY. Jolaby’s new origami style dresses have proved extremely popular with them selling out in certain prints and colour ways… make sure to get them fast before they all go!
GOAT, a highly popular brand with the Bath ladies and one of our best sellers has sadly moved to our London store in W1, but we are looking forward to having a new knitwear designer/brand to replace them.
PPQ in the ‘LFW’ room have sent in some new pieces and we are very impressed, there are some amazing bold block colour pieces and I am lusting over a black button up playsuit with a lace pussybow tie and cuffs. OOOO.. I Love it!
UP AND COMING EVENTS:
FREEDOM FASHION SHOW
A black tie event raising essential funds for the TRAUMA RECOVERY CENTRE- due to open later this year, and the first of its kind in this area.
It is a fashion show showcasing pieces from boutiques and designers in the Bath and Bristol area.
British Designers have a very colourful block colour collection picked out and we are looking forward to seeing it on the catwalk.
Tickets are £20 VIP £30
It should be a fab evening and remember all of the money raised is going to a great cause!
Speak Soon,
Emma x
Date 22nd January
British Designers Bath has looked promising this week, we have been in the local press and had an invitation to show at Bath Fashion Week. With lots of events coming up in the calendar we have some exciting stuff going on over the next few weeks.
The Bath chronicle came to take a photograph of me and Jojo in the Boutique for a piece they are doing on a competition were undertaking at the moment, maybe you’ve heard about it?
‘Design a womenswear collection’ is a design competition for creative people living in the south west of England, giving them a chance to show their creative flair to their full potential and be in with a chance to win some great opportunities with Fashion Capital. Including, the winner getting their collection produced in a professional London factory that have worked with labels such as Jaeger, Asos and aquascutum, having it sold in British Designers Boutique and 1 year membership with Fashion Capital website. Applications are arriving as we speak and will be uploaded onto Fashion Capital online for voting in due course. The deadline is end of Feb 2011.
Meanwhile, last week I had the privilege of showcasing my graduate Capsule Collection in the boutique, we made it our window display in the ‘up and coming’ room and within 3 hours I had sold one of my dresses- a draped grey velvet piece, it was so exciting! Seeing someone wear and purchase something you have designed and made for the first time is amazing. I’ve since been lucky and sold another dress in the same week. It really is such a great opportunity being given somewhere to showcase your collection and it makes it well worth entering the ‘design a womenswear collection’ competition as I’m proof that the process can work.
If you are interested in sending your designs in take a look at our leaflet and send your work in.
Until then embrace the winter chill with some stylish outerwear, we have plenty of innovative capes in the Bath Boutique, come in and see us for productive shopping day out!
E
xx
Date 31st December
I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas!
In the lead up to Christmas we had a lot of fun in the boutique. Fromage en fu, a local band who play danceable gypsy music came for the day and provided great entertainment and a fun shopping experience for us and our customers. Everyone loved it and got into the festive spirit, buying lots of sparkle for the important dates in their diaries. This has carried on over the past few weeks into the build up to New Years Eve, party dresses have been very popular and have glitzed up our window displays. The boutique had beared many compliments this month on the innovative garments it provides, so well done designers!
NYE Party Theme Table top
Vangil Bags: Was £180.00 Now £110.50
Seema Bangles: £40.00
Bora Aksu Silver Vest: Was £50.00 Now £25.00
Belles of London Swing Dress: Was £70.00 Now £50.00
Hannnah Marshall Bra-let: Was £174.50 Now £120.00
Jean-Pierre Braganza White Shirt: Was £200.00 Now £48.00
Zoe Boomer Black Pencil Skirt: Was £115.00 Now £92.00
Atalanta Weller Shoes: Was £378.00 Now £210.00
Gwendolyn Carrie Travel Wallet: £127.50
Have a great New Years Eve, and remember to stay stylish wherever your evening takes you..
Until next time Happy New Year!
Date 26th November
Hey all, sorry it’s been a while things have been busy!
Jo and I have had our visual merchandising heads on and have been planning our Christmas windows. We thought we should dress our girls up in true party style…while of course complementing them with some festive decor including holly, lights and a Christmas tree! Our tree has beautiful decorations with compliments to ‘December 25th’ a truly amazing Christmas decoration store in the centre of Bath, which is open all year round! We wanted to interpret festivity and party spirit whilst remaining sophisticated and elegant.
A cute Christmas decoration from December 25th
Meanwhile we’ve had some great new stock arrive in the boutique. Eva Evanovich has supplied us with some gorgeous innovative capes and some beautiful origami type evening dresses in a gold and nude colour palette. Gwendolyn Carrie have sent over some amazing snake skin and leather accessories perfect for Christmas presents, we have men’s and ladies wallets, passport holders, coin holders and purses now available in store.
Fish Leather with Mettalic leather inside Gwendolyn Carrie Men’s wallet £92.50 and Black Leather Passport Holder £127.50
British Designer’s now also stocks a full range from Avsh Alom Gur, showcasing elegant drape dresses and T.shirt dresses, with a variety of exciting block colours his collection certainly catches the eye. Not to mention the new, handmade corsets from Emma Houghton, the introduction of Liquorish and the bold, statement rings from Jolita– now you see what I mean when I said things have been busy!
More soon
Emma
Date 30th October
A Trend Board I developed
It’s been an eventful week here at the BDB, from fire alarm dilemmas to suspicious customers to new stock arriving, there’s never a dull moment!
Seeing as its getting close to party season we felt the boutique needed some party spirit so we changed our window display and it now features some striking party pieces by Hannah Marshall, Jean Pierre Braganza, Akong and PPQ . Personally, I’m loving the catsuit!
One of our window displays
As well as that, Zoe Boomer has supplied us with some beautifully draped dresses of subtle silvers and greys in a bigger size range- which is great! We have also recently started stocking Nina Bon Bina in the emerging designers section and we now have a sizeable collection of beautifully embellished pieces from her.
A silver rose print embellished blouse by Nina Bon Bina
We’ve had some great sales this week, including an innovative red Jolaby coat with a stand up collar; the lady spotted the coat the night before and came back the next day to be pleasantly surprised by the perfect fit. She was extremely impressed with the boutique and said she is coming back to Bath especially to re-visit British Designers! That’s what we like to hear!
Meanwhile Jojo had a meeting with the Milsom Place team and after an enlightening talk we now have the permission to have an A-board outside the boutique explaining our concept. (yay!) Hopefully this will give passers by a better understanding of what were about! I had the fun task of designing the A-board and it will be printed and ready for use in the next couple of days!
Our future A-board
We also thought it would be a good idea to design some postcards and hand them out to get word out about what we do and where we are, as Milsom place can often be easily missed.
Front and back of BDB postcard
Were still on the lookout for good quality, stylish handbags- let us know via facebook ( BDB BATH) if you have any suggestions.
More next week
Until then, have a great Halloween!
Emma
Date 15th October
Introductions..
Hi Guys!
I’m Emma, the new girl on the block at British Designers@Fashion Capital Bath.
I am here to make sure your up to date and fill you in on our exciting future events, antics and success in the store. As unfortunately Vanessa is no longer able to carry the blog on i took it upon myself to be that informative soul for you all. I Hope I can do as good a job as she has!
I’m really excited to be part of the team and am loving being surrounded by innovative, beautiful clothes all day- ideal!
Ok, so a little about myself- I’ve recently graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 in Fashion and Textiles and as you may have seen on Jojo’s blog, my final collection was in London Graduate Fashion Week which was really exciting. I am now back in Bath at BD@FC as an Intern. Amaziiing!
I’ve had a pretty eventful start at BD as I started last week and on my second day we had a Style Forum day with Personal Stylist Emmeline Stevens, which was not only illuminating and inspiring but I got to showcase my collection in the Style Forum room which was really exhilirating! The day went really well and we got a lot of great comments about the store and our amazing stock. ME&EM, Goat, and Hannah Marshall were among others that proved to be a great hit. Keep on the lookout as we will hopefully be working with Emmeline and team again in the future and its something great to get involved with!
Emmeline picks out a PPQ dress
So this morning a big delivery of footwear arrived at the boutique from Gwendolyn Carrie, and with some great prices i must say! I have my eye on a pair of feathery ankle boots which Were £385 but are Now £154– Bargain! They also go great with our current autumn-esque window display..
Emma and Jojo’s Window Display- featuring real leaves ooo, different!
Gwendolyn Carrie Boots- So cute!
I’ve also been making new rail space for Nina Bon Bina, we’ve had some of her collections sent in and her items are now available to purchase in-store! There are some great pieces, my favourite being a silk, floral smock style dress (available in ivory & royal blue). £165.
We are on the prowl for quality leather handbags and winter accessories at the moment, so keep us posted if anyone springs to mind. Many thanks.
I’d like to end my first blog entry with how impressed i am with all the designers we showcase in our boutique and look forward to opening the next shipment of apparell they send us. What’s great about this boutique is that its diverse, there is something for everyone and a price range that can cater for many, we often get mother’s and daughter’s shopping here together which is great.
For regular updates on reductions and new pieces you can now also follow us on FaceBook and Twitter under BDB Bath.
Have a great week.
Emma
Date 1st September
Last Day for Vanessa
Well today is both a very exciting day but also a very sad day for me. Today saw the opening of the BD@FC boutique in Milsom Place, Bath.
The store opened at 10am and there was already a cue of people lining up to get in! People hurried in quickly routing through the rails of goodies trying to find that all time bargain and something special.
The store looks amazing as you can see from the photo(s) and JoJo has done an amazing job here!
And the sad part is that as of today I will no longer be working for Fashion Enter and I will dearly miss the team, but I know you are in the very capable hands of JoJo and Stefano.
I will be uploading some photo’s very shortly. I wish you all the best and know that the BD@FC will be a huge success!
Take care – lots of love
Vanessa xx
Date: 27th August
Window Display part 2
Hello, sorry I have not recently updated by blog! Things have been manic so I hope this makes up for it….As you can read from my last entry we thought about doing something with the Union Jack. Having being assigned this task by the big boss I was keen to try and make a striking display.
Aside from that, this week saw the deliveries of designer stock which was also very exciting. I have to say that the stock is pretty impressive and there is a wide variety of styles and shapes to suit everyone’s needs and budgets.
The window display for the main window is directly in front of the steps that lead up to Milsom Place. JoJo and I decided this would be the best place to position the display as it is the first thing people see as they walk up to the shop.
This display took days and 100’s and 100’s of meters of wool to produce, painstakingly rolling each ball up and gluing them carefully onto the board which took hours and is more like a piece of art but that is the look we wanted to create.
Day one – starting the placement of balls…
…getting to know Betty our lovely mannequin that is going into the window display….
…testing the display…
The idea behind this display is obviously tying in our logo ‘BRITISH DESIGNERS’ however we wanted to emphasis this on a greater scale. The model (Betty) is wearing a beautiful white silk dress by Zoe Boomer, she also wears a beautiful necklace by Akong London and a very pretty red bracelet by Jolita Jewellery all keeping in tune with the Union Jack colours.
Day two, finally the flag was finished, just adding the finishing touches, tying the strings to the balls…
Threads were attached to the top 10 navy balls and 11 red balls then they were gently placed into the mannequins hands so it is as if she is pulling the flag along behind her.
…me checking out the space and fit of the strings into Betty’s hands – you can tell she’s excited can’t you?!…
…here’s Betty side onwards, pulling the flag behind her…
…Betty says she feels like a million dollars…
…view from the top of the stairs…
The display will be suspended from the ceiling beams courtesy of Mr. Iles. This will give the board greater added enhancement.
I have also purchased blue and red up-lighters which will give a subtle glow and will finish the look off perfectly lighting up against the dress.
For our other window display Jo had sourced this amazing wallpaper with the most delightful little birds print. Their bodies are filled in with the Union Jack print which is very eye catching and they both work very well together.
As soon as the display went up we started receiving positive feedback from local staff and tourists were having their photos taken in front of it. We hope this will be a talking point now and encourage more and more people into the boutique. I must say that before we even opened we had people trying to get into the shop.
…having a good old natter with the lady from Sassy & Boo opposite us who couldn’t have been more kinder in her compliments to the window display!
The opening is on the 1st September, the last remaining details are being organised by JoJo. We are very excited about the opening!
That’s it for this week…
Bye for now
Vanessa xx
Date: 04th August
Window Display
We are soon to start the window display on the boutique and are working on ideas. We are looking to incorporate the classic British colours of red, blue and white. We are grateful to Andrew from Jean-Pierre Braganza for sending us some beautiful garments that we will be using to dress the window. We would also like to say thank you to Algis from Jolita Jewellery who is also sending us some amazing pieces which will compliment the garments perfectly. Algis’ jewellery is amazing in stunning reds and blues which will compliment the garments of JPB beautifully!
On Friday Jenny, JoJo and I will be having a meeting to finalise the last remaining steps that need to be taken. With only four weeks to go things are hotting up and with each day a new designer joins us on the journey to making the BD@FC boutique one of the unique and attractive designer outlets the UK has ever seen!
Until next time
Vanessa x
Date: 28th July
V.I.P. invite and Flyers
Hannah Marshall has confirmed she will be coming to Bath with us! I have designed the Flyer and the V.I.P invite which will be sent out to all press and p.r. contacts.
Here are the finished designs. They will be on a matt finish card with the logo is silver.
V. I .P Invitation
Flyer
Bye for now
Vanessa x
Date: 26th July
Pictures for Press
JoJo and I will be going into the local press this week!
JoJo Iles and Vanessa Isaia in the Brit colours – blue white and red
Date: 15th July
We are ready and rolling…
How exciting to hear that today a number of LFW designers have decided that they will join us at the BD@FC boutique at Milsom place in Bath! Today the Terms and Conditions have been sent to the designers and I have been busy working away behind the scenes preparing lots of things to bring this amazing boutique together with the help of my trusty partner JoJo Iles and Fashion Guru Jenny Holloway who I both worked with whilst we were at the London Fashion Forum.
I have designed the Logo for the store and am working on a flyer’s which will go out to our customer base and V.I.P invite which will be sent to press. JoJo has already produced a fantastic press release which can be reviewed in our Press and P.R. section very soon.
Last Saturday JoJo and I had a good look around the boutique – it’s pretty impressive I must say with a real modern country feel with white stone bricks and large wooden beams. We are now starting to prepare for the window display to let folk know we will be coming.
For those of you not familiar with Milsom place please click the link below which will take you to the Milsom Place shopping website. Bath does boast some of the best shopping streets in the UK. It’s an amazing mix of the old and the new with lots of dinky little shops dotted here and there.
The official opening date is the 1st of September! So I will be updating my blog on a regular basis informing you of the developments as and when they unfold. Keep your eyes on this section of the site for regular updates and pictures.
Bye for now
Vanessa
Date: 20th July
LFW designers are confirmed
To date the following LFW designers have confirmed they will participate in the BD@FC boutique, they include:
Atalanta Weller – Bora Asku – Emma Cook – Felder Felder – Goat – Gwendolyn Carrie – Jean- Pierre Barganza – Julien MacDonald – Louise Amstrup and PPQ. The following designers are yet to confirm: Erdem, Hannah Marshall, Osman and Sykes.
It was a true delight working with these designers at the Pop up Shop that Fashion Enter ran previously for six weeks and to work with these designers again is something that I am very much looking forward too!
JoJo Iles is also contacting OFF schedule designers and I have contacted some of our very own Fashion Enter Designers, so there will be a real mix of highly talented designers bringing a varied mix to the customer names to be disclosed soon. Don’t forget to check out the designers Bio’s.
On Friday I have a meeting with Jenny Holloway to discuss what has been achieved so far. I will also pick up some stock for the boutique which includes x5 stunning mannequins that will grace the windows at the unit beautifully.
On Saturday, I then head for Bath where JoJo and I will be photographed outside the unit by the local press who have picked up on what we are soon to deliver through the press and P.R. generated through JoJo. The only thing now is what do I wear? Pictures will be uploaded on here soon!
There is still lots to organise but that’s the fun part!
Until next time
Vanessa
***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Tel: 01225 489 009
www.milsomplace.co.uk/shopping.php
