Designer Interviews

Gul E Raana is the founder and creative force behind the hand embroidery London based brand - Wenlin Studio. Though only a couple of years old, the brand has a clear mission that resonates...

Silent Goods is a brand that asks the question - Is it really possible to go against the grain and to create a fledgeling, sustainable and transparent brand that’s distributed through online sales only?

Through its 8 decades of experience in silk garment manufacturing and block printing technique, it has won many clients over with its exceptional design philosophy. We talk to the designer cum manufacturer of Inheritance...

Rossella Ramanzini grew up in an Italian family of artists. But her art led her to silk scarves and her struggles turned her into a manufacturer. Read about her art and journey in fashion.

Foreign brands that work in Asia often do so with the help of buying agencies. Ayushi Nath, a fashion designer at Impulse buying agency based in India, shares the inner working of a design and manufacturing agency.

Working for yourself may sound interesting but people rarely understand the challenges. Nazli Karakoc - a freelance fashion designer explains it all to us.

The story of two women meeting at a marathon, becoming fast friends and deciding to change girls lives - one ethical underwear garment at a time.

Vitasta, an Indian leather handbags brand, was started by Aditi Dhar in 2011. She talks about her experiences as an entrepreneur, challenges in Indian manufacturing industry and also gives startup tips.

Magda Daniloaia's recently launched a brand that stands out with its truly unique design aesthetic. She takes classic shapes and reinvents them by drawing inspiration from art, architecture and punk.

Simone Meentzen is a German artist, whos passion for art and painting and her love for fashion culminated in launching a limited edition fashion label.

Leathergoods designer Isla Simpson was fortunate enough to find out very early on in life what she was passionate about and make it a career choice.

Magda Daniloaia has learned 100 times more since she started her company than she would have learned in 10 years working for others, whilst having huge levels of satisfaction!

Caroline is growing her business slowly and organically, strategically orchestrating and ensuring professional longevity. "I want to create local employment and keep the business in the UK, building good relationships with the people I work with. I want to create something to be proud of and have as little impact on the environment as possible."

We love talking to the designers and manufacturers on our platform, we recently caught up with Textile Designer, Rise Gluck to learn about her journey in fashion. She works on a freelance basis designing products like bedding, table linen and curtains.

Lorna Gilbey: An interview with the jewellery designer about her journey into business and the stories that inspire her work.

Silvia Fado is an innovative Footwear Designer from Barcelona. She has recently worked on exciting projects that pushed the boundaries of fashion and led to her featuring in Dezeen – the magazine that architects love.

There are so many exciting roles that you can pursue in fashion, and there are countless types of fashion designers that you’ll encounter. One of which is a theater and costume designer.

Katy Parkes, 27, is the founder of the functional and fashionable London-based fashion brand Dereks Backpacks. She started her fashion business after moving back to her family home in summer 2013, to plan her future. She made a list of all of the things that she could do, and all the things that she loved doing in order to find her dream job.

Amanda Overs, 29, is the founder of the innovative fashion business, I Can Make Shoes. Over the past five years, people from any background have been able to join a class to make a pair of shoes from scratch that they can keep.

Joanne Edwards was working as a designer when she felt the strong need to get back to making things with her hands. This led her to found her brand Joanne Edwards Millinery.

Charlotte Purvis is based in London and has been a Printed Textile Designer for 13 years. She is always using her creative business mind to find new inspiration, new opportunities and a new way to share her creativity with the world. She spoke to Utelier about how she operates for success, how a Pomeranian puppy influenced a new business idea, and what inspires her as a designer.

Nagma Giri is a Woven Textile Designer who develops fabrics for interiors and fashion garments. Originally from Nepal, she is now based in the Nottinghamshire town, Newark-on-Trent, where she has recently set up her own clothing boutique too. We caught up with the busy and talented Nagma, to find out more about her passions, triumphs and goals.

Wearable Technology has created quite a buzz as big products by big brands – like the Apple Watch - hit the market. But it’s not all watches and Twitter dresses there are a multitude of functional yet fashion-based products that are in development. We caught up with entrepreneur and founder of Made With Glove, Michelle Hua, to find out about her journey with Wearable Technology so far.

Rebecca Hafenrichter, founder of minimalist handbag label Becca Haf London, is currently working on her first collection of handbags and small leather goods. All the manufacturing for the collection is completed in Ubrique, Spain, a small town famous for its 400-year-old leather industry. She recently went to visit her manufacturer for the first time.

Pattern Cutter Laura Alice MacKay, spoke to Utelier about what her role means to the fashion industry and how she helps young fashion designers.

Sandra Battistel, Eyewear Designer, hails from north-east Italy and has worked in the fashion industry for more than 20 years. She met us for a cup of tea to talk about her design experience and plans for the future, and offer advice for others wanting to join the industry. Read her top tips on adding eyewear to your line

Otis Ingrams, 25, (above left) and Max Hayter, 24, (above right) are university educated in literature and business respectively, and have known each other their whole lives. They make up the leather goods brand, OTZI London and operate from a shared workspace next to the bustling Ridley Road Market in Dalston, London.

Naima F is a freelance Accessories Designer based in London, UK. She made time in her busy schedule to catch up with Utelier and share the journey of her career success, and top tips for survival in the fashion industry.

Natasha Hulse is the owner of Natasha LG Hulse Design and a graduate of Chelsea College of Art and Design. She specialises in print design, and her womenswear collections feature bold colours and flowing, yet well-structured garments.

Tasha Markham is an imaginative print designer who graduated from Leeds College of Art with a degree in Printed Textiles and Surface Pattern Design. Her unique and quirky style of printed kitchen utensils and vegetables with smiley faces is a niche within the childrenswear market. Here at Utelier we got the chance to find out about her current projects and what she has got planned for the near future.

Caterina Belluardo is a contemporary shoe designer with the ability to bring her inspiring vision to life in the form of her bright, flamboyant, shoe designs. Here at Utelier we got given the chance to speak to her about her plans for the future, as well as how she managed to launch her own footwear brand.

We delved into the embroidery world of Marie Berthouloux, founder of Ekceli, who specialises in designing embroidery on textiles, leather and furs for luxury and high-end sectors of footwear, handbags, hats, and wedding gowns within the fashion industry.

Bespoke shoemakers James Ducker and Deborah Carré, who make up the duo known as Carréducker create custom shoes for men, traditionally made and designed with a contemporary aesthetic to suit each client's individual style.

Bundy & Webster are two friends who initially bonded over ambition and talent, when they spotted a gap in the fashion market to design a variety of t-shirts and sweatshirts for both men and women. They may be young, but these girls took the fashion world by storm with the launch of their spring/summer collection in 2014.

An interview with Lucie Beauvert a veteran within the world of textiles, she is the blood of new talent and a true weaving connoisseur.

British accessories designer, Heidi Mottram, has established a reputation for creating beautifully designed bags and purses made from eco sustainable leathers. In the accessories fashion business it is not often that we hear of designers making an effort to find and use alternative materials with the goodness of the planet in mind. Mostly we hear of the bigger brands like Stella McCartney or Edun, but hardly ever of the smaller emerging designers.