art
Timeless Minimalism Charlie May the ever-changing face of fashion is exemplified through a unique label that combines digital origins and clean styling with an ethical commitment.
Charlie May, a Young British Designer with a strong minimalist aesthetic, began an eponymous label in 2011, building on a profile that had emerged from the popular blog Girl A La Mode. Since then, her designs have featured on London Fashion Week runways, become a favourite of style editors across Europe, and are now on offer in cities across the world. With a focus that is firmly placed on “silhouette, fabrication and colour,” the directional pieces revere simplicity and represent a decisive step away from fast, disposable fashion. An acute awareness of the role of digital promotion and commerce has helped the label to reach a global audience fast. This was not initially deliberate: when the blog was started in 2008, May never imagined it would help when she started the company three years later. Nonetheless, over the years it has contributed to a large online following and a wealth of significant industry contacts. “Being at the forefront of digital in the early years, whilst watching other big fashion houses at the time trying to get a grip on social media, was very interesting”, she says, explaining that “developing organically is key and I feel so lucky to have grown an audience over the last nine years that has seen me go from a student, to an intern, to a designer with her own label.” This level of business acumen does not, however, come at the expense of traditional design skills. May is quick to point out that the two aspects have always gone together: “I began teaching myself how to sew and sell products I’d made online even before I studied Fashion Design and pattern making in the traditional sense.” University provided the opportunity to hone the craft, before turning to the practicalities of running
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a business. But those early days of selling online had clearly helped. Creativity alone is no longer sufficient for success in this competitive field, and this is an approach that is extended to the developing business, suggesting that “it’s not enough to just be a very creative individual if you don’t know how to market that and to reach your potential. I don’t think anyone has a traditional job anymore; we all have multiple roles within the fashion industry and I expect my team to be able to be hands-on with any project that comes up day to day.” This involves being adaptable, as the fashion world responds to advances in technology, and also constantly learning new skills. May’s experiences with Japanese collaborators, who are “always at the forefront with digital support,” have been especially helpful in this regard. “They were shocked when we first started working together and I was still drawing my patterns by hand!” Although the label has garnered significant press attention over the years, May believes the rise of social networks such as Instagram mean the role of the traditional media is no longer as critical for young designers: “It’s enabled practitioners to take their audience into their own hands. You don’t need to rely on being on the covers of magazines to get your brand out there. A unique perspective and a fresh idea is all you need to propel you to a customer base in any corner of the world.” These digital platforms are allowing young British designers to stake their place in the competitive, fast-changing fashion industry, and reach global audiences through their own volition, no longer waiting for publicity in print. Nonetheless, some constants