October 18, 2011 |
FROM THE VAULT (SUMMER 2011)
NAME: Cozette McCreery.
AGE: 43.
OCCUPATION: one of three knitwear obsessives.
CURRENT EMPLOYER: SIBLING.
FIRST JOB IN FASHION?
“The very first one was being photographed at 18 months old for some trendy gallery in Chelsea. My parents have images of me in a crochet dress flashing my knickers and beaming. Both tell me that little has changed in that department. One of the images was made into a poster and hung in the window. At the launch, apparently, I had a great time but didn’t think much of the ‘other’ model. The ‘other’ model being Jane Birkin.”
WHAT’S NEW?
“My fringe. Or at least will be once this goes to print. Am rather bored of looking like I’ve borrowed Rick Owens’ hair.”
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED?
“Honestly, I fell into fashion quite possibly headfirst. I didn’t want to be in London and dreamed of being a country vet. Being forced to move because of family and then meeting the London team of Max Mara, swiftly followed by Jasper Conran, Galliano and DJ Fat Tony put paid to that idea. Suddenly I was being offered work and, after realising that no one was joking, that was it: I was in. Fashion was such bloody good fun!”
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET TO THE TOP OF THE TREE?
“A large ladder? A high pair of heels if it’s a bonsai.”
FASHION IS…
“Without sounding dramatic or like a total twat I’d like to say that fashion is my life. Okay, just outed myself as a total twat…”
DO YOU EVER WEAR YOUR OWN DESIGNS?
“Even though it’s menswear, yes. I’m such a tomboy and, let’s face it, parts of SIBLING are quite unisex. And not forgetting SISTER by SIBLING – I have all the designs from that.”
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
“Lots of coffee, friends, music – the usual.”
FASHION IS…
“Repetitive, as you’ve asked this already.”
HOW IMPORTANT ARE HEMLINES?
“As I’ve admitted to showing my underwear I’d say not very.”
CAN YOU MULTITASK?
“Yep. I’m the female embodiment of a Swiss Army penknife, me.”
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE ON YOUR EPITAPH?
“‘Hello I Must Be Going’ but only to start another heated debate with Sid and our friend Guy about Phil Collins vs Mick Jagger. Not sure what the outcome was but it was very funny to overhear at 2am.”
ARE YOU ONLY AS GOOD AS YOUR LAST COLLECTION?
“God, I hope not!”
ARE YOU/WERE YOU A JUVENILE DELINQUENT?
“Oh I wish, but I’m such a control freak that I’d never be that bad, I’d never allow myself. Then again, wearing thigh-high leopard socks in a small village was pushing it, so perhaps in a very small way I was. Actually, I’m looking forward to being a senile delinquent. Or perhaps I’m there already.”
ARE YOU A SMOKY SOMETHIN’?
“And The Bandits. With The Bandits [Laughs.]”
DO YOU GET JEALOUS OF OTHER DESIGNERS?
“No, to the annoyance of ex-boyfriends I’m not the jealous type.”
DO YOU GET RECOGNISED ON THE STREET? DO YOU HAVE/HAVE EVER HAD A STALKER?
“Yes, but because I was on the door for Boombox and now Ponystep, so not for SIBLING. At least not yet. Richard Mortimer orchestrated a Ponystep poster campaign in Paris where Will Broome had drawn a massive THAT’S COZETTE arrow above my head and surrounded me with creatures. Suddenly, I was known in Paris. That was odd. Stalkers? Oh yes. Online, though. Bit intense. Delete delete.”
HAVE YOU EVER THROWN A DIVA STROP?
“Have you met me? I couldn’t diva strop if I tried. I have thrown a few divas, though! With my wit, not physically. Okay, perhaps once physically.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE WAY MOST PEOPLE DRESS?
“Sometimes I get nostalgic for my teens and early twenties, when there seemed to be these different ‘tribes’ dictated by how you dressed and what music you listened to. I had a child’s take on punk, dipped into ska, then new romantics, then rave, hip-hop… Great, now I sound like a right old fart!”
WAS THERE A PARTICULAR POINT WHEN YOU STARTED TO GET AMBITIOUS?
“I’ve always been ambitious. It’s a Capricorn thing, says Shelley von Strunckel.”
HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN ALL ABOUT FASHION?
“From family photo albums I’d say a definite no.”
ARE YOU A LEGEND? LEGENDARY?
“A leg end for sure.”
DALLAS OR DYNASTY? SUE ELLEN OR ALEXIS?
“Dynasty and Alexis. I love Joan Collins. At the height of her Dynasty fame a school friend and I took the train up to London and saw her in Harrods. We followed her around and finally cornered her at the Monet [glitzy costume jewellery] stand. Asking for her autograph, we were quietly told to piss off. We were THRILLED.”
HAVE YOU EVER LIED IN AN INTERVIEW?
“Only in a job interview because I didn’t want the job and thought that I’d throw them off. They offered it to me anyway. Typical.”
DO YOU HAVE A MENTOR? A MUSE? WHO/WHAT ARE THEY?
“Am recruiting for both.”
ARE YOU A BELIEVER IN HEALTHY COMPETITION?
“Yes, as long as it’s competition and not downright copying.”
WHAT DID YOU HAVE FOR DINNER LAST NIGHT?
“A vegetarian pie with salad, as post London and Paris fashion weeks I’m trying to eat healthily. Naturally after that I was still hungry and demolished a giant bar of Green & Black’s milk chocolate washed down with some chocolate oat drink thing. Suddenly didn’t feel quite so smug.”
HOW MANY LICKS DOES IT TAKE TO GET TO THE CENTRE OF IT?
“Depends. I might let Sid and Joe’s dog do that task, you know, if I wanted speed.”
CAN YOU WRAP YOUR LEGS AROUND YOUR NECK LIKE JANICE DICKINSON?
“Is this for Comic Relief?”
IF YOU COULD BE A SUPERHERO, WHICH ONE WOULD YOU BE AND WHY?
“Wonder Woman and only because of the outfit. I have the hips for it.”
WHAT IS GOOD DESIGN?
“Something that works for the purpose it was designed for and, in my case, makes me smile.”
DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR FIRST DRESS? SHOW?
“I remember my Mum buying me a dress from Biba. It was either very dark brown or dark purple and a long skinny T with overly long arms. She’d place a dark brown Biba sequined tank over it and stick my feet in matching patent boots. I loved Biba and the in-store sandpits. Sandpits? Mum just questioned that and realised that I’d been playing in the large sand-filled ashtrays!
FIRST SHOW WAS PROBABLY MAX MARA AS I WORKED FOR THEM. OR JASPER CONRAN.
The first show where I felt goose bumps was Galliano.”
WHAT’S VULGAR?
“The East End branch of the WI celebrating International Women’s Day by asking people to make patchwork squares for a vulva blanket. Erm, would we celebrate International Men’s Day with a patchwork cock throw? Here you go Mandela, gift for you.”
HAVE YOU EVER BANNED ANYONE FROM YOUR SHOW BECAUSE OF A BAD REVIEW? WOULD YOU?
“No, but never say never. I’d like to think that I’d rise above it but I bet I wouldn’t.”
HOW PRETENTIOUS ARE YOU ON A SCALE OF 1-10?
“1 minus 10.”
by Natalie Dembinska
Photograph by Sean Thomas – www.seanthomasphotography.com
