Text by Brian James
Aimee Joyce brought her eponymous label to our collective attention with a breathtaking debut womenswear collection ” A Love Letter to Women” which premiered during London Fashion Week.
Inspired by childhood visits to the Royal Opera House where Aimee was mesmerized by the dancer’s grace and strength, the collection took the elegant and elongated frame of the Prima Ballerina as its primary influence, together with a love of the 50s silhouette and the insouciant decadence of 1950s Soho and the Left Bank.
While these biographical and historical references underpinned her motivation, it is Aimee’s meticulous attention to craftmanship and garment construction which saw the creative process come to life at a beautiful presentation entitled “After Hours” which was held in an achingly apt and atmospheric Soho basement bar.
Created with an intentionality, key to which is that the pieces are imbued with the characteristic of becoming timeless heirlooms, Aimee Joyce London designs are very much intended for the woman of today and tomorrow.
I spoke to Aimee at her Ladbroke Grove studio after the LFW dust had settled to ask about her inspirations, the complex journey which has brought her to this point in her career and her future aspirations.
Congratulations on the collection and the presentation. Everyone who attended was so impressed. The collection is called “A Love Letter to Women” so if you were going to be sending a letter to the woman who is going to be wearing Aimee Joyce London what kind of message would you send them?
I think for me it’s about reinforcing that we should stay true to ourselves and be unapologetic as to who we are and to not be influenced by the pressures of today’s society. Growing organically and becoming the women that we’ve always longed to be without thinking about it too much, ‘flaws an’ all’. I think that would have been a very handy love letter to me back in the day growing’ up back in the day myself. Our imperfections are what make us even more interesting so shining a light on them instead of airbrushing over them so to stay true to yourself, owning it as opposed to considering it a flaw, that mentality is contagious.
What specifically inspired this collection?
It’s difficult for me to pinpoint inspirations, a lot of people are very quick to say nature or travel but for me I think it is the story of women, women themselves, trials and tribulations, challenges and overcoming them.
When I look at my garments and what I’ve created I can’t help but see that there is this form of armour aspect to them, even without thinking about it too much. I consider my pieces a creation of my subconscious, not forced, but fueled by my story, experiences who I am as a woman and where I see myself going, so honestly trying to pinpoint a specific theme or inspiration is difficult, more a natural reflex. As I develop the brand and learn more about myself, maybe the themes and inspirations will form organically, aligned with my own journey as opposed to forcing one,
The more I talk to women and hear their stories the challenges they face my subconscious can’t help but absorb this information and create based on its findings. Therefore, instead of pinpointing a specific moment or a theme its more about how the garment is going to make them feel.
I find the moment I zip up the dress on a person, the initial reaction is quite interesting, in that moment I realize if the garment has achieved what I set out for it to do.
Does their back lengthen, do they walk with a wide stride, eyes wide, feeling strong, powerful yet feminine all the well-balanced ingredients for that femme fatale woman. Capturing that and savouring it is what I looking to achieve.
You channel the 50s silhouette to a certain extent? What attracts you to that era?
I do and I think we need to be reminded of the past. it’s such a fast-paced world that we live in, and we forget the finer details as to why we are the way we are and the beauty of things we so easily bypass on a day-to-day basis. I want to be that person that makes us stop and think, reminds of how things were and the beauty of them. The quietness and stillness of them. Some of my best memories of watching the 50s films, how they would transport me for reality, so well imbedded in my memory, I want my garment s, campaign, imagery etc to have the same effect drawing you into a different world. People’s priorities were completely different back then but as a result the people were completely different and acted completely differently. I think for me it’s just about finding ways of reminding people about these times and if you can do it simply through clothing or a certain aesthetic or a certain set design and immerse them into this alluring world.
You’ve described your creations as timeless heirlooms and that they can be passed down the generations. I wondered if that intergenerational style and garment longevity inform the design process.
It’s not a conscious effort of mine really. It’s so interesting, when I create a piece, it just happens to embody the past and the future and it just happens to have that heirloom element to it with the ability to be passed down through generations. It’s very difficult to pinpoint the design process when it’s really just a play on my conscience and what I surrounded myself with and I don’t think we really realize how susceptible we are to the information that surrounds us and it just so happens that I’m very much about the woman of yesterday and the woman of tomorrow, my designs have reinforced that I suppose. For me the creating heirlooms element is extremely important as I think, or garments can tell stories. If someone says to me, “I saw you walking down the road the other day” I’ll say, “what was I wearing” and straight away I’ll remember. If we can tap into that engagement with the garment or piece, there’s this emotional attachment to it too. I think we are looking after our pieces; we are nurture them. It’s no longer clothing anymore is it, it becomes part of who you are, ‘your heart on your sleeve’ essentially. Maybe I’m just an old romantic, I’m not sure but for me clothing is our business card, it’s our first impression, it should do the talking before we have to, a massive part of who we are. Too often people are focused on what we wear as opposed to how it makes us feel
How do you want the lady who wears one of your creations to feel when they go out wearing it?
As if they can take on the world. I feel we have been force fed a lot of doubt. Social media, peer pressure, unrealistic expectations. to know I may have played a part in helping to make them feel confident and aware of who they are is really important to me. I had a difficult childhood within school and used clothing as a mask maybe. Considered clothing a form of armour, clothes that would make me stand a certain way, taking on scenarios that I never would have without the use of a certain ‘outfit’. I suppose that’s why my garments take on the form of armour, because for me they were when I was younger. Again, it’s not a conscious decision I make, it’s really just the subconscious of past scenarios playing out in the design element.
You staged the presentation in Milroy’s basement “The Vault” in Soho and named the event “After Hours”. Why did you give it that title?
For me the “After Hours” element was trying to portray a situation of women when they believe they are not being watched. It’s quite a beautiful thing, the unawareness of her surroundings, in her own skin, uninterrupted. There’s something quite intimate about that, I thought that how wonderful would it be to create a scenario where these women are not being observed in their unwinding part of the day. The fact that it was in Milroy’s and not in this beautifully gilded room where you may expect my garments to be seen, was a reflection on the brand, in the sense that even though they are beautifully classic pieces, they are for women who aren’t afraid to roll their sleeves up and get things done. She’s not sipping a glass of champagne; she’s probably having a stiff whisky or talking for hours unapologetically. It reinforced the other side of the woman we don’t normally see, this unwinding moment, no-ones watching, a little bit mysterious.
I thought the juxtaposition of Milroy’s with the beautiful clothes and the industrial style brickwork was so effective. How important was it to find a location that was going to create that dichotomy?
It was so important to me. I like to do things that are unexpected but not unexpected in a shocking way. Perception is such an interesting thing, we look at a garment and perceive it to be set in a certain scenario based on what this kind of woman she is, and what she gets up to. Often there are other sides, sides we don’t want others to see for fear of it not being ladylike or appealing, I wanted to shine a light on that other side. To have the ability to tweak someone’s perception on something can be quite ground-breaking. Milroy’s aesthetic helped me in reinforcing this.
What was the catalyst for you starting the brand?
It’s all I ever wanted to do since I was six years old in an Indian restaurant in Fulham drawing dresses on a napkin, so I’ve never wanted to do anything else.
What has been the journey that has taken you from that six-year-old girl to setting up Aimee Joyce London?
The whole path was purely focused on how I get from A to B to C to D. So, I went to design college when I was younger at 16 and spent two years there. I then moved to Milan, I I found internships over there and went the long way around things. I didn’t go to university and just continued to work with different houses and within marketing and styling. I would sometimes question why hadn’t started the brand sooner, when actually if Id started the brand any sooner than I did, I wouldn’t have had the experiences within the different sectors of fashion. It’s so funny that I find myself tapping into the roles that I’ve had in the past that I thought would be completely unrelatable, when actually, they’ve all played a massive factor in the bigger picture of me doing what I’m doing now. The apprenticeship at Ralph and Russo for a year was a great insight into the couture world. Learning the dos and don’ts first hand.
The apprenticeship at Ralph and Russo was a massive help in understanding processes and terminologies and techniques, couture is one thing and dressmaking is another. I try to use as many couture techniques as possible when we can to assure longevity of the garment.
Another part of my journey was with The Princes Trust, a charity that I would love to tap into again. I took them my business idea and they gave me some form of structure to work from, you find yourself talking to people who were in the same scenario as you, who didn’t go to university but have this big idea or big dream but don’t really know how to attack it. You can feel slightly lost on your path and working alongside other people in similar situations, similar mindset, was so helpful to me to keep pushing. They were really helpful in reinforcing you can do this. London has so many opportunities you just need to look for them. So many things in place to help you. I also attended a government funded college, Fashion Capital, where I learnt about pattern cutting and constructing garments. Taking the longer route allowed me to learn a lot about myself, something that may have been stripped from me at university. It was however extremely challenging at times, so that was also a massive learning curve.
What did you learn from your tutors and industry mentors at that you have taken with you into Aimee Joyce London?
I was very aware of my surroundings, conversations that we were being had. You witness brands trying to put themselves in a certain box when they hadn’t yet gained the respect, the knowledge and the reputation that they needed to be considered of that calibre.
When it comes down to the practicalities it was everything from covering a hook and eye, padding and wadding a mannequin, the list is honestly endless. It was a massive amount of information I absorbed which I would’ve willing paid for.
What I also witnessed were the hours these women/men put into these garments, the passion they put into them, it’s a real labour of love what they do and the amount of patience they show. Pulling something apart and starting again to ensure perfection, that really taught me that there’s nothing fast about what we do. You have to really love it; you can see it and feel it when the loves not there in the garment.
I’m so grateful for the team I have created, without them I’m merely a mad woman with a pencil, they bring my vision alive and for that I am truly grateful.
You are partnering a new technological initiative called SSMA and I wondered if you could explain this innovation to us?
I was quite devastated by the pandemic, with the High Street being hit so intensely. For me the High Street/in store experience is so important. Some of my best memories are shopping with my mother for maybe seven hours, in and out of shops, trying on, talking, stopping for lunch, having a drink, when you walk down the High Street now, these stores are empty it’s really heart-breaking. We thrive off that engagement, we really need it, especially as a creative. Maybe not many people are as aware as someone like myself who is extremely sensitive to information but we need that engagement and so when I came up with the concept our first pop up store “Creating heirlooms” it was very important that my first collection be seen exactly how I wanted it to be seen within the store experience and not restricted by an already established store guidelines, being told where your mannequin must go, no input of store layout, window concept. For me it was important to have complete control over aesthetics, how it’s going to look, the general experience for the client walking through the door. I found the right location, Elizabeth Street in Belgravia and then searched for the right brands to sit alongside my garments. What I realized as a designer was that I needed to be extremely aware of where the fashion world is going and that my digital presence was also important.
Peoples shopping habits are reliant on convenience as opposed to the tactile experience of touching the garments, they want it here and now. In order for my work to be understood, it needs to be from an in-store experience. Clients able too the designer, running them through how it was made, the inspiration, why I do what I do. I had to find a way of merging those two worlds: the instore experience and the online experience. SSMA are a company who are focusing on digitalizing the in-store experience, getting people back out onto the High Street. Based on our experience with our first pop-up store we are now looking at creating a new digital marketplace where what we will basically be doing is taking over a store in London. I will curate the store and find the right designers and the store will be act used as a marketing tool to show people the potential of the SSMA technology.
Working with our designers we will now find ways of when someone comes into the store demonstrating this new retail experience. The technology is based on visual recognition. You take a picture of the garment it then takes you directly to this marketplace. We’ll find interesting ways of explaining the garment, the inspiration behind it. The ideas themselves need to be developed a bit more but it’s about finding ways of merging the in-store and digital experience. The data that shall be collected for such a platform will also be extremely useful in tailoring marketing based on findings of your customers and evolving the brands.
You are at the emergent stage of your career but have already had a lot of experience in the industry so I wonder how you would like to inspire that generation who are coming behind you and what advice would you give to them?
The fact that I might even have the potential to inspire others makes all of this worthwhile. I think based on how I have gone through my process, I think its inspiring in itself, to show that it wasn’t the obvious route, off-piste and extremely unconventional. How I would like to inspire others is simply just by saying “anything is possible”. Never give up on the dream. Surround yourself with the right people and the rest is simple. Especially today, it’s extremely competitive with social media, believe in yourself and keep going. I think that the next phase for me will be a to create my own Foundation.
I love making clothing but there is more to what I am doing than just the garments. I need to utilize the platform I’m about to create to really give something back. I know that if Id met someone like myself years ago who could have given me the guidance, I needed then it would have been life-changing almost. I also feel that if an intern has some form of creative input on a garment, then it’s only fair their name is alongside mine on the label, with a percentage of the funds going to the.
I feel if we all make a conscious effort to do these acts of kindness to be empathetic towards people then essentially the world would be, cliched as it sounds, a better place. These acts of kindness are contagious, and it doesn’t take a lot sometimes, the slightest of adjustments can go a long way.
2022 has begun with Aimee Joyce London staging a debut show during London Fashion Week.
What goals and aspirations do you have for the brand for the remainder of 2022?
We move into our new office Westway on Portobello, which is a charity funded building, from March. They have a foundation within the same building that helps people get back into work, developing different skills and just generally preparing them. I want to find so many ways of tapping into the fact that we are going to be within the same building, and I really want the Foundation to be a massive part of what I do now. Finding ways of building that, is a priority. I feel a genuine obligation to do something
From next week we begin developing the new stores concept alongside SSMA. Add structure to our next steps. We have some other people that are going to be working with us in creating the logistical side, with me being the creative driver.
Aimee Joyce’s attention to artisanal detail in every beautiful garment that she constructs, and which was so artfully displayed at her debut London Fashion Week presentation, sees her eponymous brand on an upward trajectory which is richly deserved.
Marrying that craft and these traditional skills with the new technology which will revolutionize the post-pandemic 21st century in-store experience is an undertaking that will hugely strengthen her ability and that of the other brands that she is taking with her on this journey, to navigate this emerging phygital marketplace.
More than this, Aimee Joyce is a designer who not only references the city of her birth in the brands name but who is determined to give something back to that city. In particular, those who live and work in the parts of West London that she continues to call home. Whether it bringing interns from previous roles to work at her studio, crediting her team on the garment’s labels, or working with a charity to get Londoners back into work, commitment to community is integral to Aimee’s values.
With a gift for creating stunning womenswear and an ethical ethos, Aimee Joyce is a designer who has completed a studiously observed fashion apprenticeship to provide us with the most glorious collection of timeless heirlooms. I’d encourage you to take the time to look at them.
You can connect with Aimee Joyce London here https://aimeejoycelondon.com/ and on IG https://www.instagram.com/aimeejoycelondon/?hl=en
Credits
Photos : Greek Street, London 20th February 2022. Aimee Joyce London presents her collection as part of London Fashion Week Autumn Winter 2022. ©Olu Ogunshakin/ Chris Yates Media
Creative Director: Aimee Joyce
Stylist: Chalisa Guerrero
Hair: Julien Anthony Sega (using products by Authentic Beauty)
Make Up: Caterina Mannarino
Shoes: DiMinno Shoes
Gloves: Cabretta Couture
Director: Raffaele Nocerino
Photographer: Olu Ogunshakin / Chris Yates Media
Studio Team: Aimee Joyce Studio
Assistants: Joey Yip, Patrizio Capoluongo , Georgia Louise, Marzena Cielen , Ray Tonha.
Thanks also to Thea and all the team at The Vault, Milroy’s, Greek Street, Soho.