This Saturday’s Q&A is with one half of Lone Rascal; Isabelle Harvey. In this interview Izzy tells us how her London based label started and how the LR brand helps to bring together Loving Souls, Disco Dancers and Lone Rascals!
Where did the name Lone Rascal come from?
When I was younger I was pretty much a nightmare child. My brother and sister were the angels and then I came along! My family always use to call me a ‘little rascal’ so that’s where the ‘Rascal’ element comes from. The ‘Lone’ represents the individuality of the brand and not being afraid to be daring with what you wear. We wanted it show how the label isn’t just like every other high street brand… it’s for girls who want to own something that you won’t see every girl on oxford street wearing!
What was it that first made you start thinking about starting your own clothing line?
It was my dad really. He is one of those people that loves work. Ever since I can remember he has been getting up to go into London before 5 and coming back at 9 o’clock every night. I admire what he has done and where he has got more than anything but even now he’s in the process of starting up his own business to give himself job security. He has always said work for yourself and you won’t be at the mercy of others! That mentality has definitely been instilled in me but it predominately comes down to the fact that I want to be my own boss and I love fashion!
Talk us through the steps you had to take in order to turn your original idea into reality?
Firstly I approached you! I needed someone to help me put my deigns into sketches as drawing never been my thing! We then worked with a sample designer for a month or so who spent hours creating toiles (mock samples) until we were totally happy with the fit and style of the garment. When we had our final samples complete we took them to our manufacturer in Birmingham and from there the collection was born! This stage was definitely the most challenging as there are so many tiny details that you have to consider, even things like the type of fastening we use of a strap become the biggest problem of the week! It’s crazy.
What experience did you have in the industry before Lone Rascal?
I went to Fashion School and I have interned for Selfridges and Hugo Boss but other than that the experience I have just been the experience I have gained on the job! I can’t lie there has been times where I have had to blag my way through certain situations but it has to be done! When I started out I was taking meetings and talking about things that I’ll be the first to admit… I really didn’t know enough about however I think putting yourself in those positions forces you to learn quicker and makes you grow some balls! You learn a lot about yourself when you are constantly doing things out of your comfort zone. In hindsight I think the best thing for me to have done is scrap studying VM and go and intern at a start-up brand for a year.
What were the key themes you started off with for Lone Rascal?
We started with wanting to create some really unusual pieces that were affordable but that can be interchangeable into any wardrobe. We wanted it to go against this whole ‘fast fashion’ and ‘throw away’ fashion that the high street produces. The crazy pieces are to be worn at festivals like the co-ords but it was important to us to be able to dress down the collection as well so it can be worked into an everyday wardrobe as a sassy outfit for the day or night!
What inspires you?
I get inspired from so many different places but London definitely inspires me. My boyfriend laughs at me because when we are in cafes as sometimes I just switch off because I’m constantly people watching, looking at people’s outfits and style. My friends also inspire me! I have some seriously sassy friends so they are constantly giving me ideas for new designs or just talking to them about clothes they love or can never find. In terms of shopping I have a few vintage spots that I go to once a month to check if they have anything I can’t live without. There is a spot on Berwick Street in Soho that has some incredible pieces and it’s still cheap unlike so many these days! Last autumn I got a velvet two piece suit from there which sounds bad but it’s so good. Easily my favourite item I have in my wardrobe. I also often find pieces in there that inspire a new design idea that I want to recreate with a more modern twist!
Where do you source your fabrics from?
We source all our fabrics from London. We are however going to morocco in a couple weeks to check out some fabrics there, and look into the sustainability and viability of importing from Morocco.
Making garments in the UK is a more expensive route, why was it important for you to keep it UK based?
Having our collection made in Birmingham means that we can constantly watch over the manufacturing process and we know exactly how it’s being made and who it’s being made by! The factories used by many high street brands as we all know can be horrible/dangerous working environments for the workers. In terms of manufacturing big expensive mistakes can easily be made and it’s so difficult to contractually agree on whose fault it is, especially when the factory is overseas. This is a major issue that is improving on the high street but it’s still going on. If we can do our bit to try and improve consumers attitudes into buying British….that can only be a good thing.
What’s been your favourite part of the process of creating the brand?
So far for me, my favourite part has been the video we shot for our launch vid. It was the longest evening of my life but we had the best time. It was so much fun shooting with the team, we all just got boozy and were dancing around with the model for hours trying to get the shot! We ended up shooting until 3am. Emerald the model was probably one of the best decisions we have made so far. It was quite a tricky brief and she just came in and totally got what the concept was and ran with it!
What made you want to make a video for the brand?
We just wanted to do something that was different and we felt video content is so much more engaging especially on social media channels. Our brand is basically about just having fun and I feel that the video really does convey that! My sis and I don’t take ourselves too seriously and we don’t want our brand to either!
How important is collaboration to LR?
It is really important to collaborate as it means you get to work with creatives that bring out the best in you! It’s great to gain inspiration from others and I think it makes you think it different ways to what you normally would. Collaborating with bloggers/models who have a big fan base also helps for exposure of the collection.
As a young business owner how has social media helped you to market and promote your products?
Social Media has been our main outlet of promo. The obvious factor is that most of it is free advertising! It’s the best way to reach a mass market of people on a budget. The power that platforms such as Instagram have are very evident as when for example we send product to bloggers and they post a photo wearing LR we instantly see a big increase in social engagement and a rise in followers. This kind of marketing push always positively reflects in our sales.
How do you think being young helps you or restricts you in business?
I think at the beginning it was noticeable, for example when I went to meetings to try and find a sample designer and manufactures without having any samples to show them; I definitely felt people thought I wasn’t capable of starting a label. I would get ‘wow you’re so young’ a lot and not in a good way! This just made me want to do it even more though so I’m kind of grateful!
How do you think being female helps you or restricts you in business?
I think in an industry like fashion it isn’t an issue because it’s an industry dominated by women. I do feel as though it is very evident that reflecting the ‘perfect women’ through shoots and brand content it was gets more social engagement. Rat and Boa project a very sexual image through their Instagram and I personally believe that that is part of what has created them the huge following they have today. I’m still in two minds about how I feel about that though whether the images they project are empowering to women or just totally degrading. There is a really fine line.
Why do you think visual prompts on social media like Instagram and Tumblr are so important to your brand?
Visual prompts are very important… I think there are so little ideas that are really truly original. It’s great to take inspiration from others and make them better! Whether that be in designs terms or ways in which others are marketing and promoting their labels. You can gain a lot by critiquing what people are doing! It’s the best way to learn.
How do other elements of the creative industry influence you and add to your brand appeal?
I love music! As anyone who knows me will tell you… I’m obsessed with disco and I love going out so for me searching for new music is just something I do in my spare time anyway. It seemed the logical thing to do to add this element to add to our site/socials. We have always really wanted to tie in music and fashion as I think they always run hand in hand especially for LR as we are all about going out and having a good time! Having a Soundcloud goes back again to the lifestyle factor… you want to create an all-encompassing experience of music, fashion, culture. You need people to buy into what LR represents as an entire brand.
You recently had a stall at Farr Festival, how did this help you to promote your brand?
Having a stall at Farr Festival meant we saw face to face feedback to the collection from people who have absolutely no attachment to the brand. This was really useful to cage what was liked the most and how the garments fitted on a range of different customers. The main reason we wanted to go to a festival was just to get our brand out there and it meant all the punters that would walk by would subconsciously see the name just simply walking by. We handed out discount and business cards too to spread the word! Festivals are great as it means there is a concentrated group of people who all share similar interest and are likely to engage with the Lone Rascal mantra. Many of the pieces in the collection look insane against a festival backdrop too which definitely helps pull in the punters.
What’s next for Lone Rascal?
We are working on some ideas for a few new pieces that we will be adding to our SS16 collection. As Lone Rascal is more of a lifestyle brand we are not sticking to the normal annual S/S and then A/W collections. We launched in May with a soft launch and then we are planning on relaunching again with the same collection plus ¾ more added pieces in the spring. We are at the moment also working on our blog feature ‘Rascal Of The Month’ where we are doing video and written interviews with people who inspire us such as Bloggers, DJ’s, Models etc. Our first post was with blogger Betsy Johnson.
What advice would you give to other young business owners?
ALWAYS write up a contract before you start work with anyone, you want to think everyone is nice and only there to help you along your journey but unfortunately that isn’t always the case. Situations can turn sour very quickly where money is concerned so a contract is so important. Secondly, don’t think because you don’t have a degree or the given experience you can’t do what you want to do. I have learnt more in the past 18 months than I have in all the years of education. The best experience is just going out and doing it …even if it does require the occasional blag!
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