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Interview with Designer Ange Looui

“I can be inspired by anything that surrounds me at the moment.”


Ange, can you please introduce yourself briefly and tell us about your journey into the fashion industry? What sparked your interest in fashion design? My profession is a Technician of Garment Technology. Currently I am a student of the International School of Costume and Fashion Design in Warsaw and in Business Law at the School of Banking. I am a Founder of brand Looui and Looui Bridal.

Since childhood I have been interested in fashion and sewing. Always fascinating to me, what did my uncle, a tailor suits, but I never wanted to create for men. I prefer to dress women. I started with small steps and created something out of nothing. I have the impression that the design accompanied me always, even if not to the end, I am aware of that. It is an integral part of my life.

What is it that makes the fashion industry so interesting according to you? Fashion is an art. For me it is a form of expressing my emotions, create your own image and create your reality. However, the most interesting is the fact that it is an ideal means of manipulation, since we create ourselves on the model of your idea. By changing our dress, look, in one moment we can become someone else what resulting playing a game with the environment

What is the story behind Looui brand? How did you come to start your own line? What does the Looui clothing line entail and offer for sale? I created my own brand when I was only 20 years of age, and that time was still under my real name Wysoczarska. I finished school in the profession of fashion designer and decided to quickly enter the market. Quickly I became drawn into the vortex of commercial production, which was not right for me. In Poland, people are just beginning to shape theirs view on fashion. There is here a rather minimalist style, which completely is not compatible with my work. I did not feel fulfilled. Two years ago I received information from the fashion house of Dior, I got an internship at the studio Dior Haute Couture in Paris. Within a few months I learned French, I closed the company and went to Paris. After 6 months of internship, I returned to Polish with great motivation. I realized that I do not have to adapt to the environment. I decided to focus on an international career. This is how the brand Looui started.

Designer Ange Looui

How would you define your design aesthetic/philosophy? How do you intend people to feel when wearing your pieces? Most of my projects are hand created, each is an individual creation of not only my imagination but also of what my hands can do. My creations combine vivid colors and hand embroideries. I want my clients drew attention to themselves, look phenomenal and sensitive at the same time. Clothing ought not to obscure the beauty but to emphasize and bring out what is most beautiful.

Where do you draw your influences and inspirations for the label? I do not have a constant source of inspiration. I can be inspired by anything that surrounds me at the moment. When creating a collection, I try to devote more time to raising knowledge about art. I am inspired by getting to know new artists, their creativity in the fields of painting, architecture, and even music. When I’m in the process of creating I need solitude and silence, it gives me the opportunity to look at the world from a different perspective.

Do you have any fashion rules when putting an outfit together? Do you have a specific research process when you start a new collection? In the fashion I am trying to not follow any rules, they give limits, and I avoid restrictions in fashion. For each styling I approach individually. Fashion market is a big business machine, we now created a trend that human should adapt to the clothes and not the clothes to the humans. I would like to change this.

While working on the collection I tend to pay attention to current trends but now I look at them with a pinch of salt. I want to maintain individuality of the overall fashion market.

Describe your design process from mood boards to picking out fabrics to production. Do you come up with concepts for designs first or is it more of an unplanned thing? What part is the most challenging? In my case, the process of creating can be very diverse and quite unusual. Quite often I draw projects that never come to life. Once I’m filled with a lot of inspiration, I go to visit the store of fabrics. The material is the most important element in the collection and it is my greatest inspiration. Then I simply create. I swag fabric on a mannequin or do construction on paper.

What are your favorite materials and embellishments to work with? How do you select the materials you use? Definitely lace, tulle and silk. I really like when the fabric is delicate, noble and airy. Most often decorations create themselves. I use hand-woven designs in my collections.

When you create something, what goes through your mind? Everything that arises in inside my head at the beginning, it looks completely different in the end. I do not stick to the projects by analyzing, correcting and changing. Usually, I have a great mind map in my head and gradually I put everything together.

Do you remember the very first article of clothing you ever designed? What was it? I don’t remember my first project. As a child, I designed a lot of things for dolls. Clothes were not available like now are. Usually, I glued fabrics with glue for paper. When I was in fashion school I sewed a lot of creations but they have never seen the day light.

If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself when starting a fashion label? I would like to say to myself: “listen to the heart, be assertive and do what you feel.”

What is something that most people just don’t understand about your field? I think they do not understand the whole process and that the end result is an art piece. For most people it is just a simple thing. They think that they are paying for the material and production only. They are wrong, because a designer puts in it much more. A designer gives a part of himself, a piece of his/her soul. My brand is not involved in mass production, my every project is individual and I work on it personally.

What has been the most difficult aspect of getting your brand off the ground and how did you overcome that? How do you go about getting Looui known? The most difficult aspect for me was to find my own style. I think I always had it but did not know completely what it was. I played with fashion, tried different styles, I even designed Gothic dresses that are quite far from my artistic style. Now I am more aware of myself as an artist, I know what I want and I know how the future of my brand should look. I think that if I keep a consistency in my creations I will reach even greater success.

If Looui could have any celebrity spokes model, who would it be? Definitely Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, one of the best models in the world. She is sensual and beautiful woman of angelic beauty. What captivates me about her is how she can change during photo shoots and fashion shows. She has a slender figure, intriguing face, penetrating eyes, she is of ethereal and graceful beauty. She would be an ideal woman for Looui designs.

 

In your opinion, what are some of your biggest accomplishments as a designer? Definitely my biggest achievements are being published in magazines around the world (over 60 publications). Fashion shows throughout Europe and cooperations with the best people in the industry.

I am most proud of internship at a fashion house of Dior, thousands of young people are dreaming about getting into the labs of one of the biggest Haute Couture fashion house in the world.

Few days ago, I was also invited to Fashion Week in New York. I hope to present my collections there.

What does style mean to you? The style is more character than clothes. This is the way we express ourselves on the outside, something elusive and very personal. Its source is in us. The image of how we present ourselves to environment, , how we think about ourselves and how we connect with it. Dressing is an expression of ourselves and our identity and cannot be copied by others.

Who are some of your personal favorite fashion icons? Christian Dior: one of the greatest fashion designers. He broke the conventions and stereotypes. He showed a new look at fashion. Dior’s works and style is very close to me. I was fascinated by his works for years, I always watch his shows and was always interested in the history of Dior.

Christian Dior’s New Look showed a unique beauty of a woman. He created from premium materials, took care of every detail, even the smallest. Finished perfection. Dior understood the needs and dreams of women. My designs have strong associations with his work.

In your opinion, what three style habits should not every woman break? Mismatched clothing size is, in my opinion, the most common mistake in the style of both men and women. Also, I still do not recommend wearing visible granny underwear and wearing typical Polish socks with sandals.

Do you have any social media channels where we can stay up to date with your designs? Looui: facebook @AngeLooui. Looui Bridal: facebook @LoouiBridal and Instagram @AngeLooui

What are you fascinated by at the moment and how does it feed into your work? Since the beginning of the year I started a lot of new projects, I create two parallel collections for the brand Looui and the latest Looui Bridal. I signed a contract with the Russian company for which I design evening dresses, and now I am waiting for my departure to Moscow for a few months. In the near future I also plan to continue my education, I am interested in the university of Fashion Institute of Technology based in New York.

What is your vision of your perfect day? A perfect day is the one when the powerful creativity comes in. I get up in the morning and start sewing. I finish sewing late in the evening, but I don’t feel tired. During such day I can even create two designs. As a result, I fell happy and am filled with motivation for the next few days. You could say that I live in my own creative world.

Please tell one surprising fact about yourself. Hmm, I am activist in Peta.

Thank you, Ange.


Published 2017 March Vol I: BUY NOW

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