Dea London - Jelena Fehmi http://www.dealondon.co.uk/

July this year I had the great pleasure of attending an event in Leeds called Plus North organized by the lovely Becky and Toni and sponsored by Simply Be.

This event was all about loving the skin your in, and celebrated, Beauty, Curves and Confidence!. There were several designers/retailers touting their wears, but I knew I had struck Gold when I came across the amazing and awe inspiring designer, Jelena Fehmi with her new female career focused “DEA London” label.

On their website they describe their range as “Quality garments made for the everyday goddess in the working place." I couldn't agree more,

Jelena, was delightful enough to answer a few questions for me and allowed us a little peak into her studio so we could see were the creative process started.

“Thanks, it was a pleasure to meet you at Plus North, thankyou for agreeing to this interview.”

So tell me how did you get started and Why?

I have been running a bespoke studio for over 15 years, tailoring for customers who weren't able to find professional work wear in their size on the high street. With increasing demand I decided to start my own label and offer a custom tailored approach to the plus size fashion industry.

How many people work with you at Dea London?

We have a small team focused on the creation and delivery of bespoke work wear. I am very proud of the hard work and creative input that my team places into every stage of the fashion process, from new collection design to the assembly and fitting of the outfits.

Its such an interesting name how did you come up with it?

The word Dea means goddess in Latin. Our name describes the radiant beauty of a fuller body figure.

So what do you hope to achieve with your business?

I want to make career focused women look and feel confident, stylish and professional. I want customers to love how Dea clothes make them feel.

I just love the way you describe your brand , how did you come up with the idea?

Most of my private customers are ambitious, educated and successful businesswomen, who spend most of their time in a hectic business environment. To save time, they prefer to buy unique good quality clothes that will stay in fashion. The brand image came from working with these amazing individuals, true goddesses in a workplace.

How do you ensure that you are competitively priced for the currently market/climate?

We use high quality fabrics and ensure that our work is finished to the highest standard. Our garments are designed to be worn over several seasons and in different combinations. Our customers are women who appreciate the benefits that quality brings.

For all the readers out there that fancy getting into the fashion industry - were do they start?

Know your customer.

Does your company run internships?

We offer a number of internships throughout the year. Interns whether international or based in the UK work on the day-to-day duties from production upto helping run events.

Where can customers purchase Dea London merchandise (is it just online or do you have a retail outlet?

At the moment you can purchase garments from our online store www.dealondon.co.uk and very soon from www.onestopplus.com. We also have an international stockiest in Split (Croatia).

What’s your favorite piece out of your current collection and why?

I love dresses; an outfit is only truly complete when you wear a dress.

What fabrics do you use and how do you choose them ie cottons because they are cool, silks etc?

I adore classic fabrics, they look and feel great. I often add a bit of colour to follow working place etiquette and carefully experiment with new fabrics from the mills.

Was Plus North the first time you had displayed your clothes in that type of environment?

Plus North was our first event of its kind in Leeds. Becky and Toni have done a great job organising it. Usually we organise private press and buyers events in our studio in Dalston.

At Plus North I noticed a collection of beautiful dresses in vibrant colors, were does this fit in with your working place collection?

It is the “prototype’’ collection for the fuller figured body shape. I wanted to show with this collection that it is not necessary to wear black all the time. The right vibrant colours in the right patterns can bring out the best in any body shape.

How do you make use of color in your collection and why do you think it is important to utilize the right color? ( ie empowering etc)

Playing with colours can be great fun. Traditionally darker colours are used to minimise body shape. I am currently working with bright colours around neckline and shoulders to emphasise the face.

What inspires and influences you?

Naturalism. For many cultures in the world, a fuller figured feminine body is a demonstration of femininity, health, wealth, respect and desire.

Why do you think your designs are different compared to other plus sized designers?

There are few Plus size designers. Most of the available larger dresses on the high street are simply graded up versions of existing size 10 dresses. This approach creates poor quality fits and misses the natural beauty of a fuller body size. My designs are created specifically to produce a stylish look for fuller figured women.

Do you have any celebrity clients?

Not at the moment. I am personally a fan of Sarah Milican and would love to produce a dress for her.

Do you intend to show your designs on the catwalks this year?

Yes, we are currently searching for a suitable show in the UK. Next year we will be showcasing at the FFFW in New York.

Do you have any plans to get your designs into other retailers such as Debenhams, Selfridges, Simply Be etc?

Naturally, we would love to eventually have our designs distributed to a wider market. At the moment we are still growing Dea and focusing on our existing customers.

What makes a piece of clothing “Dea London”?

Quality, cut, colour and the goddess who wears it.