Interview with Bianca Elgar

The idea for my business came when I relocated to Belgium for six months with my two teenage sons. With limited space I had to pack light and keepmy own clothing to a minimum. I decided on my favourite black basics, and a variety of bright scarves to dress them up with. Inspired by the opportunity of creating a variety of looks with just a few items, as well as showing off (scarf) prints in a new way, I decided to start my own fashion brand once back in the UK. I have always been artistic, andmy background in silk-screen printing saw me producing a range of soft furnishings for the home from my Oxford studio. I have studied upholstery and soft furnishing, made my own statement jewelry, as well as embarked on a textile design course. I am is now bringing this experience to my eponymous fashion brand. Established in 2015, the brand sets out to merge classic elegance and modern art, creating pieces that encourage the wearer to have fun with fashion. My accessories come in deeply vibrant colours and statement prints, whilst my clothing is made in neutral shades to allow for individual styling. The items are all heirlooms, designed and made to last for generations.

Life, Travel and Home.My first fashion collection was bold and colourful, inspired by the kimonos in The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford as beautiful on the inside as on the outside. Silk is such a beautiful an amazingly strong fabric. The kimonos are still in perfect condition and yet they are many many years old, they were my initial inspiration, although I added a twist of modern art to make them colourful and fun. The “Out of Africa Collection” draws inspiration from my trip to Marrakesh, I also love all the African artefacts in the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, the masks, shields, the beads and jewellery that are really important to African traditions, reminiscent of my time in Africa in my early twenties. When I went on a trip to Marrakesh all my earlier memories were triggered vividly. I came back with the idea for a series of scarves, which I called ‘Out of Africa’. Some of these, the ‘Beads’ collection, pays tribute to African jewellery and shields whilst the ‘Men’ designs draws inspiration from African masks and yet they’re modern with a fun twist. “The Language of Flowers” Collection, was inspired through a short break in Abu Dhabi and many visits to Oxford’s Botanical Gardens and the flowers there. Even the simplest flower can have such amazing colours, and many have a meaning culturally whether they represent love, passion or life.

I like to be creative in solving problems, I wanted to design for what I saw as a gap in the market.

I was lucky that I was able to make that choice.

High quality versatile fashion and accessories. I would like to design more versatile fashion garments.

Have passion for good design, go on a mission to design the best, and understand the purpose of good design.

Creative "Out of the Box" thinking.

Designing something that is beautiful and useful.

Good design should bring joy to many, for a long time.

I would like to design a versatile wedding dress that can also be worn as an evening dress.

A versatile jewellery line, but I am working on it.

Creative "Out of the Dress-Up Box" thinking.

Coco Chanel, Pablo Picasso and Matisse, amongst many others.

One of my favourite design is my timeless Bialetti Expresso maker, which I've used for the past 35 years, I still use it and treasure it, and it makes delicious coffee.

My greatest design? I am working on it, it's a new scarf shape that shows of the print in the best possible way and can be worn as part of an outfit.

Look around you, not just in front of you.

An artist.

Applying art to items we can wear and use every day.

My mistakes.

Inexperience.

Amongst other good designers.

Versatile jewellery.

To become a brand, selling my products worldwide.

Integrity

From my point of view it is a designer's responsibility to think about the ecological and ethical impact of his/her designs.

Versatile jewellery.

It's always the project I am working on at that moment, I then forget about all the other projects...

More thought about the environment.

Towards more ethical and ecological designs, I hope...

Anytime from six months to several years, I have a store full of ideas.

I do my research.

Beauty, Integrity and Versatility.

A bit of both.

The print designs on silk can only be printed with the help of modern digital technology.

The Adobe Design Suite.

Very important.

Where did you get your inspiration from?

I fall in love.

I believe the best equation in life is 1+1=3

My grandparents lived through the second world war, through them I learned what (design) heirlooms are.

Is Fashion Wearing Out the World? By Lucy Siegle

Experience and making lots of mistakes.

Matisse, I also enjoy paper cutting.

I am grateful.

Red, home, seafood, autumn, paper and Apple.

Most people are amazed when I tell them that I design with a pair scissors.

I enjoy finding new ways of doing things, solving problems, I cannot do anything else.

No, I was dyslexic, clumsy and very shy.

I hope we have learned to design peace and happiness.

I like to; invent, experiment, take risks, grow, break rules, make mistakes, learn and have fun that's why I design.

Founded in 2015, I work from my studio and office in Oxford GB, where I design fashion, jewellery, fashion accessories and prints.

Applying art to items we can wear and/or use every day.

Heirlooms of the future.

I designed a neckline loop system for dresses and tops, to be able to transform and personalise the look of an outfit with silk accessories.

I used to design fabric prints for interiors.

My favourite fabrics are Silk and Modal. I don't draw, I start the design process with cutting shapes out of paper to help visualise my prints.

This may sound strange but I wake up in the middle of the night and have "Lightbulb" moments.

Colour and Versatility.

Inspired excitement.

Joy and Excitement.

When all the elements of the final product are beautiful, unique, useful and versatile. This to me, is unequivocally outstanding.

Is it beautiful and is it useful.

From my point of view it is the designers' responsibility to think about the ecological and ethical impact of the design.

I think the design field is evolving more towards high quality, ecological and ethical designs. Design with integrity will be something people will buy into more and more, it'll be something that they'll use to express themselves.

My last exhibition was at Premiere Classe in Paris and my next exhibition will be Spring 2019.

Life, Travel and Home. My first fashion collection was bold and colourful, inspired by the kimonos in The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford as beautiful on the inside as on the outside. Silk is such a beautiful an amazingly strong fabric. The kimonos are still in perfect condition and yet they are many many years old, they were my initial inspiration, although I added a twist of modern art to make them colourful and fun. The “Out of Africa Collection” draws inspiration from my trip to Marrakesh, I also love all the African artefacts in the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, the masks, shields, the beads and jewellery that are really important to African traditions, reminiscent of my time in Africa in my early twenties. When I went on a trip to Marrakesh all my earlier memories were triggered vividly. I came back with the idea for a series of scarves, which I called ‘Out of Africa’. Some of these, the ‘Beads’ collection, pays tribute to African jewellery and shields whilst the ‘Men’ designs draws inspiration from African masks and yet they’re modern with a fun twist. “The Language of Flowers” Collection, was inspired through a short break in Abu Dhabi and many visits to Oxford’s Botanical Gardens and the flowers there. Even the simplest flower can have such amazing colours, and many have a meaning culturally whether they represent love, passion or life.

My style is understated elegance, with a bold and colourful twist. I like the expression; "More than meets the eye", I am drawn to something that is beautiful, unusual and innovative.

I live in Oxford, England. Yes, I do feel that the British cultural heritage inspires me to produce quality design, although I do believe that it is important to travel to keep open minded.

Closely, I manufacture my products in GB as I believe in close working relationships.

Good communication is key, for both the designer and the manufacturer.

Inspiration for a fashion collection is inspired by the world around me, I also look at fashion and colour forecasts. I design my prints with the help of a graphic designer and the garments with the help of a pattern cutter.

Candles and lighting, flowers, quilts, pottery and baskets.

A jog along the Thames in Oxford with music on my Ipod. Work at either my office desk, or in my studio during the day. I cook and have dinner with my son in the evening, then I sometimes go back to my office or studio to finish things off. I read or listen to music before bedtime, I rarely watch television.

Use your passion, but above all else have a mission and a purpose. Create, be yourself and be original.

Positive; Nothing is more fulfilling than knowing that your designs sell. The joy of creating something amazing. Negative; You get copied. You need more than creativity, you'll need good communication, business and marketing skills. It can take a long time, many mistakes and a lot of finance to reach your goal.

Simple with a twist of wow.

Personality, creativity, perseverance.

My eyes, paper, scissors, ink, glue and silkscreen printing. The Adobe suite on my computer, my art books, sewing machine, museums and the world around me.

I live in an inspiring place and I step outside to enjoy a change of scene if I need a break from work. I live in a beautiful and inspiring part of the world which refreshes my mind.

About a year.

Did you design it all yourself?

Men and women who like art.

Print design, as they can be turned into wearable pieces of art.

To sell the current collection and launch the Home collection in Winter 2018.

I create the designs myself, but develop the designs with a team of free-lance assistants.

I am working on some new prints for interior design.

By email bianca.elgar@biancaelgar.com

How did the brand come to be? I went to live abroad for 6 months and had to travel light, keeping clothes to a minimum due to limited space. I decided on my favourite black basics, and a variety of bright scarves to dress them up with. I was inspired by this opportunity of creating a variety of looks with just a few items, as well as showing off print in new ways. Wearing beautifully made items of clothing, in a variety of ways, inspired me to think outside the "dressing up" box.