Bec & Bridge By: Karli Emma Smith
MOD had the lucky opportunity to speak with designers, Becky Cooper and Bridget Yorston, of the Australian fashion label Bec & Bridge. After appearing in Australian Fashion Week 2011 with their Spring/Summer Collection, the brand has gone from strength to strength and has achieved national as well as international success, with the label expanding into Europe, Asia and the United States, stocking their product throughout boutique s and online. It's little wonder this chic and modern fashion label is named after the designer duo; they've been inseparable ever since meeting on their first day of fashion school and have remained the best of friends for over a decade! MOD What was life like growing
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up in Australia? BECKY I had an amazing childhood in Australia. The relaxed beach lifestyle and weather meant that weekends were spent at the beach with family and friends! We would often spend the entire day at the beach and even stay for dinner picnics there at night. MOD Were you always interested in fashion and what made you decide to become designers? BECKY We were both always interested in fashion but never knew we’d end up as fashion designers. BRIDGET Neither of us sat down and said we want to be fashion designers, it seemed to happen more organically for us. MOD Where did you complete your studies? How did the two of you meet? BRIDGET We met each other on our first day of fashion college at the University of Technology, Sydney. We became the best of friends, doing everything together. BECKY Our lives completely merged. It was like we were living in a little bubble for those 4 years. MOD How did you get your start in the fashion industry? MOD Spring 2012
BECKY Our first real start in the industry came about when we were only in our second year of studying fashion design. We’d been asked by a friend to revamp his old pair of jeans. We went to town ripping, printing, dyeing, stitching and spraying these jeans to give them new life. He wore them out that night and had so many compliments that orders started coming in from other friends. Before we knew it, we had stores calling us to place orders. BRIDGET We were forced to look into manufacturing our own men’s jean! MOD What was the biggest challenge you faced upon starting your own label? BECKY We were very naïve when we first started. We had no idea about basic business practices such as timelines, chasing money or charging tax. It was quite overwhelming! We’d also started our label without really realising it - we were not very prepared for what challenges were ahead. We were trying to juggle our studies whilst starting up a business. It was a big task for two 19 year olds. MOD Were there times when you felt like giving up?
BECKY Definitely! The early years were really hard work! We saw all our friends finish their studies and jet off on overseas adventures, while we were stuck here with barely an income, working long days and nights. It was no walk in the park! MOD How did you go about establishing the brand internationally? BRIDGET It was definitely a matter of timing. We always knew we wanted to be a well established brand in the Australian market before attempting to go global. This also meant that the interest from overseas came to us initially. Once we had a few major accounts show an interest, we knew we were ready to delve into this new area of our business. MOD Describe to us your individual styles and how they both work together to create your designs. BECKY We’ve been working together for so many years now that our style tends to overlap. We have very similar aesthetics in all areas of our lives – from fashion to home. BRIDGET We’re both perfectionists over slightly different things, so I guess this is one way that helps us work together to