Julia Omoarukhe, 24, and Lyande Kaikai, 25, are the duo behind the chic and stylish ladies brand Jewel Clothing. We caught up with the London based designers to learn about their influences, favorite designers and the best design advice they’ve ever received.
How did you get into fashion design? Started making dresses for ourselves then it grew from there to making dresses for friends. What inspired you to get into fashion design? We loved clothes and we had an urge to be unique. The desire to stand out and really express our individualism and also avoid eveer being caught in the same dress as someone else.
What is your favorite show that you’ve done? Jump Off. The atmosphere was brillian and we had great back up dancers called Vortex.
What is your favorite shoot that you’ve done? Our website shoot as we were able to be in control of the end result
What is your personal style like? Funky, sexy and sophisticated in an understated way
Who is your favorite designer? Why? Vivienne westwood as she is uber unique and matthew Williamson as he has his pulse on what women want.
Are their works reflected in your designs? Maybe a little in terms of the different types of materials mixed together and the need to be different whilst creating something that people would love wearing.
Do you have a muse? Not in the typical sense of the word, however we would say that London is our muse. Living in such a cosmopolitan place is amazing, so many different things and ideas and they end result is a beautiful and interesting city.
Has any celebrity been spotted wearing any of your designs yet? No celeb has been spotted out and about, however celebs and upcoming stars have worn our garments via various magazine, video shoots and live performances.
Which celebrity would you most like to wear one of your designs? Why? Victoria Beckham she is a trendsetter and always confident in whatever she wears. Kimora Lee Simmons she is fierce and so real. She represents a different kind of woman in terms of her size and jewel is for every woman.
What is most challenging about your work? Marketing and promotion, constantly having to make people aware of our brand
What are some of the perks of being a fashion designer? Making a new outfit whenever we feel like it and having a never ending wardrobe.
Did you go to fashion school for this? No
How did you get into the industry? We forced our way in after a huge push from our mums
Did you have to train or apprentice with another designer? How was that? No, but would love to
If you had a choice of all designers in the world, who would you prefer to work for? Why? Zac Posen and Christian Kane as they are super talented designers who are relatively new in the industry. It would be great to learn from them.
Where do you see yourself in five years? Well known international designers with our own boutique in London.
Have you won any awards for your designs? Not taken part in any competitions yet
What inspires your designs? Femininity and flattering a woman’s curves
Why did you go for ready-to-wear and not couture? Ready to wear is easily marketable and distributed and therefore creates greater brand awareness for new designers such as ourselves.
If you weren’t designing clothes, what would you like to be doing? Definitely doing something that requires us to be our own bosses.
What are your favorite hobbies? Kickboxing, swimming, weekend city trips
Where can you clothes be brought from? Bespoke garments can be bought directly from us and our SS10 collection are available from boutiques in London and online stores just keep updated via our website.
Who was your style icon of all time? Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe
What trend do you think will be next? Prints are going to be huge this year, especially florals and tribals
Do people recognize your designs? Yes, especially our dresses with lace
Describe your philosophy about the art of fashion. Everybody is a jewel and deserves to shine like one in anything they wear
What do you love most about fashion? The freedom of expression and creativity and the ability to wear whatever you want without fear of judgment
What do you think about fashion industry? Is it as bad as they say? It’s extremely competitive and very difficult to become a well known designer
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? Believe in your brand, your idea and yourself
Interview by Annika Allen
