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.
Evolve’s motto is ‘Be
Proud…Be You’ – What makes you proud to be you and what is Dea Londons Motto?
Love what you are doing, be enthusiastic and the role model
for you team. Plan well ahead and have no doubt of success.
“Everything is possible
Hope you enjoyed this article, get online and check out Dea London , they really are beautiful Clothes.
Janie Britton
http://janie.skyeladder.com/ (modeling)
https://www.facebook.com/JanieBrittonmodelpage
http://janiebritton.blogspot.com/ ( Blog, Band, Modeling)
wwww.skyladder.com ( Band)
Hope you enjoyed this article, get online and check out Dea London , they really are beautiful Clothes.
Janie Britton
http://janie.skyeladder.com/ (modeling)
https://www.facebook.com/JanieBrittonmodelpage
http://janiebritton.blogspot.com/ ( Blog, Band, Modeling)
wwww.skyladder.com ( Band)
