N Publication - Jessica Robertson

EMMA BELL FASHION DESIGNER & CREATIVE CONSULTANT WWW.EMMA-BELL.COM Inspiration I would spend a lot of time at my Grandma’s house when I was a little girl and we would forever be whizzing up outfits on her sewing machine and playing dress up with her old, sparkly evening gowns. This was pretty much where it all started and I knew early on that this was what I really wanted to do when I ‘grew up’! As I got older I would customise a lot of my own clothes and play around with pattern cutting and knitting so it was all a natural progression and I went on to study design before eventually working in the industry and setting up my own brand. I always liked the idea of creating something new from scratch and being able to work in a way in which there were no creative boundaries and fashion design was the career path that allowed me to do this.

Creative Inspiration I find inspiration in even the smallest things anything from sweet wrappers, a sentence from a book, an old postcard, to what is on my dinner plate! I have uncovered both on my travels as well as ideas shaped during growing up in the North East to give my work somewhat of a diary effect.

There are so many avenues that influence my work from poetry to music, folk tales and my friends. Colour and texture is something I adore so I tend to always seek out interesting colour palettes and ways of working with alternative materials such as plastic, upcycled interiors and paper.

Big Break My debut show at London Fashion Week. For me, this was a dream come true and this experience offered me a great opportunity to create a platform to introduce my work to a big audience. At the time I’d been working in the fashion industry for about a year since graduating so this was a chance to really be thrown in at the deep end and learn in the process. It allowed me to establish who my customers were, really push press relations and set the foundations of my brand’s identity. It was an amazing chance to meet and work with people that understood my creative vision and really helped in terms of opening new doors and presenting new opportunities for me.

Designer Lifestyle It’s more of a lifestyle rather than a job. I like how it’s challenging and exhausting and that every day is different. I’ve found myself working on everything from PR, to styling, fashion writing, teaching, graphic design, commercial wardrobe and even sticking about a million sweets onto a car! It’s great working to my own schedule, getting to travel with work a lot and being able to collaborate with so many inspirational creatives and brands on the way, I wouldn’t change it for the World!

Fashion Essentials In terms of practical items, I always carry my camera for snapping pictures of things that inspire me and a notebook for journalling anything and everything!

I couldn’t live without are my pink Doc Martens, an unnecessary amount of obscure socks and anything covered with rhinestones!