September 20, 2011 |
FROM THE VAULT (SUMMER 2011)
NAME: Joanna Sykes.
AGE: 32.
OCCUPATION: design director.
CURRENT EMPLOYER: Aquascutum.
FIRST JOB IN FASHION?
“Working in shops… Probably Gap.”
WHAT’S NEW?
“Tom Dixon’s restaurant at the top of Ladbroke Grove.”
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED?
“With the belief that I couldn’t possibly fail.”
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET TO THE TOP OF THE TREE?
“Talent, passion and determination.”
FASHION IS…
“Highs and lows.”
DO YOU EVER WEAR YOUR OWN DESIGNS?
“All the time.”
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
“At the moment, rock minerals and platonic solids…”
HOW IMPORTANT ARE HEMLINES?
“I prefer trousers.”
CAN YOU MULTITASK?
“I find it more difficult to do one thing.”
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE ON YOUR EPITAPH?
“‘Our beloved Jo, 1978-3000. Witty, sexy, intelligent and generous spirit who cared about the people around her. May she rest somewhere warm and sunny.’”
ARE YOU ONLY AS GOOD AS YOUR LAST COLLECTION?
“Yes, in small minds.”
ARE YOU/WERE YOU A JUVENILE DELINQUENT?
“Of a healthy measure.”
DO YOU GET JEALOUS OF OTHER DESIGNERS?
“No, I love having them as my friends.”
DO YOU GET RECOGNISED ON THE STREET? DO YOU HAVE/HAVE YOU EVER HAD A STALKER?
“Rarely and no, thank God.”
HAVE YOU EVER THROWN A DIVA STROP?
“Not really, but I’m working on it.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE WAY MOST PEOPLE DRESS?
“That it was done in the dark in Oxfam.”
WAS THERE A PARTICULAR POINT WHEN YOU STARTED TO GET AMBITIOUS?
“I’ve always been this way.”
HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN ALL ABOUT FASHION?
“I would also have loved to be a painter or a surgeon.”
ARE YOU A LEGEND? LEGENDARY?
“No.”
DALLAS OR DYNASTY? SUE ELLEN OR ALEXIS?
“I grew up on The Bold and the Beautiful.”
HAVE YOU EVER LIED IN AN INTERVIEW?
“I never lie.”
DO YOU HAVE A MENTOR? A MUSE? WHO/WHAT ARE THEY?
“My tutor Janet from college is my mentor and Vanessa my friend and stylist is a muse.”
ARE YOU A BELIEVER IN HEALTHY COMPETITION?
“Yes, it pushes us.”
WHAT DID YOU HAVE FOR DINNER LAST NIGHT?
“My boyfriend.”
HOW MANY LICKS DOES IT TAKE TO GET TO THE CENTRE OF IT?
“It can take a lifetime to get to the heart of things.”
CAN YOU WRAP YOUR LEGS AROUND YOUR NECK LIKE JANICE DICKINSON?
“No, my yoga has been on the back burner lately.”
IF YOU COULD BE A SUPERHERO, WHICH ONE WOULD YOU BE AND WHY?
“Probably that invisible woman from Dungeons & Dragons, so I could hide away and have some me time.”
WHAT IS GOOD DESIGN?
“Quality and longevity.”
DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR FIRST DRESS? SHOW?
“I had a box of dresses from the age of three that I referred to as ‘my finery’.”
WHAT’S VULGAR?
“Treating people with disrespect.”
HAVE YOU EVER BANNED ANYONE FROM YOUR SHOW BECAUSE OF A BAD REVIEW? WOULD YOU?
“No, I don’t have a problem with criticism so long as it’s well written.”
HOW PRETENTIOUS ARE YOU ON A SCALE OF 1-10?
“One.”
by Natalie Dembinska
Photograph by Alistair Guy – www.alistairguy.com
