Anja Wakeham is a designer, tailor, and all around sewing machine. She is also my mother’s cousin. On a family trip to Germany in June, I saw (for the first time since I was 14) just how hard Anja works. Though she and her husband, Dave, took some time out of their busy work days to make us breakfast and show us around Hamburg, where they live, Anja was constantly working. From restaurant uniforms to wedding gowns to her own line of organic clothing, Anja sews it all. Luckily, I had time to hang out in Anja’s home studio and hear a little about what she does.

How did you dress as a teenager, and how has your style changed since then?

As a teenager I was a punk. When I was 15 I went to London to learn more English. When I came back after three weeks I wore my new black and white checked trousers that I bought on Carnaby Street and my hair was red. My mother’s first question was: “Does that wash out?” My style is still a bit rock ‘n’ roll, but more stylish. When I started to study fashion design, the biker style was very trendy and I made a lot of stuff out of black leather and studs for myself. That was in 1989.

How old were you when you first started sewing? Why did you start?

I was 18 when I first started sewing. I still went to school and I made trousers without a zipper, because I couldn’t do difficult things like that. I just sewed loops on them for a belt and the belt would hold them up. Some people even asked me where I got the trousers from. I always knew exacty what I wanted and so I thought it was better to be able to make it myself. It happens to me all the time with other things, like shoes, that I want something that I can’t find in a shop. Sometimes it’s in the shops a year later!

Did you study fashion in school?

I studied in two different private schools in Hamburg, Germany. The first one was a one year preparation where I learned sewing techniques and how to make patterns. Later I studied Fashion Design at the AMD Academy for Fashion Design where I learned design, drawing and textile technology. Other subjects where photography, Italian, and how to run a business.

What things in particular inspire your designs?

I get inspired by films, especially historic ones. An example is a parka I made where you can fold up the sides with a pushbutton which was inspired by a Prussian cavalry uniform. It’s a modern uniform for riding your bicycle in the city. I really loved the TV series The Tudors for the costumes and I will try to use details from that in the future. I certainly always look at trends, but these days there are so many different styles, that it’s more about the shape.

What do you hope to accomplish with your designs?

My intention with everything I design and make is very easy: I want people to look good and cool. That’s all I want and I believe that that’s what fashion should be. If you wear a good piece of clothing it makes you feel good. I also think of practical details.

Besides designing your own line of clothing, what else do you do?

I do a lot of different things. I design service uniforms for the gastronomy, as well as workwear (for dentists, for example). I make made-to-measure evening dresses and bridal wear, I work one day a week as a freelancer for a company that makes sportswear, and I sew curtains for customers. I even designed and made a cuddly toy for a friend who is a cartoon illustrator. The character was an elk named Roffe.

You often use organic and fair trade materials. Why do you think that’s important?

All fabrics I am using now for my Organic Fashion collection are fair trade and made of organic cotton. Some are even hand-loom or naturally dyed with herbal colours. When I studied we had a project with a school in Berlin called HDK Universitiy of Art. The students there were studying how to create a marketing concept and corporate identity for a product. We had to form groups, and our part was to design a collection with a certain concept and they had to create the marketing. That was 21 years ago, in 1990, and I had just read something about pesticides in cotton and how dangerous it can be. I suggested to design a collection made of organic cotton. Looking back now, I was far ahead of the times, because now many labels are doing this. In the past I worked with natural un-dyed linen, because it was not possible to get organic cotton fabrics. When I was able to make my own small collection in 2009 it was clear that I would only use organic cotton.

Do your clothing designs for customers reflect your own personal style?

My own collection reflects my own style, but I also make clothing for customers how they want them, which I would probably never wear myself. I only wear certain colours, like black, white, grey, and pink.

When you’re not wearing your own designs, what do you wear?

I buy clothes from H&M, and I bought the first organic cotton T-shirts they offered. I am not willing to pay a lot of money for expensive labels. I make most of my clothes myself and I got fleece jackets and a rain-proof jacket from Jack Wolfskin. They have a good design and the materials keep you warm in the winter.

Interview and photography by Stephanie Fereiro

Very little about the whole John Galliano mess surprised me - the allegations seemed plausible, and the video was just the proverbial nail in the coffin. Even though I know it’s supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, I also know that where there is smoke there is usually a racist. (That’s the expression, right?)

What did surprise me, and I mean this in the best possible way, was LVMH’s swift and decisive action: immediate suspension, followed by termination. It surprised me because it seemed like such a reasonable response to a terrible situation. Lets be real, the fashion industry is not known for handling these situations reasonably.

In any other profession, just the allegations of offenses like anti-Semitism, racism, sexual assault, or child labour law violations would be enough to get someone fired. Yet when it comes to people in fashion - be they designers like Galliano, editors, stylists, photographers - there seems to be a never-ending stream of people who rush to the guilty party’s defense. It’s all a conspiracy. He’s a sweetheart. He was provoked. She apologized. You’re being too hasty. By far the worst defense I saw was that Galliano could not possibly be racist because “[his] multi-ethnic shows, celebrating the beauty of nomadic worlds, and looking into visual languages of forgotten minorities (from everywhere on this planet), has brilliantly proved it to everyone from collection to collection since years.” Being “inspired” by a culture’s fashion doesn’t mean you can’t hate the people wearing it.

The fashion industry does not get a free pass on bad behaviour just because they happen to create great clothes. It goes without saying that John Galliano is an incredibly talented designer, but he’s an employee of LVMH first. An employee who professes to love Hitler simply cannot remain on the payroll of a responsible corporation. Well played, LVMH - I hope that more businesses follow in your example. Most importantly I hope one day I won’t feel like applauding those who stand up for basic ethics like “don’t be racist.”

- Haley Mlotek

interview by Anna Fitz
photography provided by Yokoo
Atlanta-based designer Yokoo has been picking up steam on the internet, gaining recognition not only for the oversized chunky knitwear that she makes and sells but also because of her eclectic sense of style, minimalist self portraits, and that trademark haircut.

Where did your name come from? Was it inspired at all by Japanese designer Tadanori Yokoo?
Years ago, I had fallen in love with my college freshman English professor, and he had decided to give me a Y for my birthday. It was wonderful. The next day I broke up with him.

The three “O”s were not always so cute. They actually started out as zeroes. When I found them they were rather humble little things. They used to tell me how they were all going to be big, big movie stars one day. I told them if they wanted to be movie stars then they had better change their names, because no one would ever give an Oscar to someone named Zero.

Finally, they agreed and decided to call themselves Oscars. I told them that was just plain stupid, and then they settled on just “O.” Oh, and I fell in love with K because she can cook. But don’t tell her that because she’s really sensitive.

How did you dress when you were in high school?
One has to understand that high school used to be nothing like it is today. Dressing up was not a part-time job the way it is today. You had maybe like three or four kids that put a lot of time, if any, into chiseling a look out for themselves. Because it contrasted so drastically with my environment, I was fascinated with the whole preppy lifestyle. I had a certain fondness for United Colors of Benetton. Then I would incorporate a lot of the underground hip hop hippie movement into my style as well. People like De La Soul had a huge impact not only on my way of dress, but also on how I started to perceive the world. I wore the hippie hip hop haircuts, the big medallions, and a lot of Nikes.

What was your day job before you concentrated on your own designs full time? Did it have any impact on what you do now?
I never had a job for more than a year. Yeah I was definitely one of those that had a hard time with submitting to authority. I would sit at my desk and daydream for hours. I was always inventive. And I always somehow knew that there was something just beyond the horizon of what most people considered success. I didn’t know what it was until I became a little older, and a little wiser. I started to see other young people that were my age doing amazing things with backgrounds that were similar to mine. This left me with a rather concrete diagram of what was possible and how to go about becoming financially independent.

You do a good deal of your business online; how do you think websites like Etsy are changing the way independent fashion designers work? What do you think about people selling their copies of your work?
Esty is a wonderful tool for leveraging your work against the same people you’re selling to. Because many of the sellers are also buyers, the marketing is built right into the website — unlike eBay, where the buyers and sellers are so varied that one has to be a marketing guru to build up a following.

But at the same time, they have made it much harder to brand. Brand is a strange balancing act that goes into the way you approach everything you do. Etsy has allowed me to express my company at a smaller scale. It also allows me to make mistakes that can go relatively unnoticed. But at the end of the day what really matters is the product, and whether your product is worth buying.

It’s okay if someone is influenced by my work, because copying is an art form in itself. I mean, all of my favorite musicians and writers copied in some way or another. But it’s how you allow that artist’s influence to permeate your work.

You seem to be very inspired by movies, like Woody Allen’s Interiors, which you pay homage to on your blog. What other directors and films do you find inspire and shape your work?
Besides Woody Allen, definitely Adrian Lyne has and continues to have a huge impact on my style and work. He is responsible for movies such as Flashdance, Nine 1/2 Weeks, and Fatal Attraction. His and Allen’s styles are so subtle and subdued that no matter how much fashion changes, most women would never readily comprehend how distinctive their looks are. It goes over most people’s heads, allowing it to remain fresh and new. John Hughes’ films I would say motivate me to dress up, but don’t really have much of an influence on my style. Not anymore, at least. I hope not.

There is a line from the movie High Fidelity, “what really matters is what you like, not what you are like.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement?
No, it’s definitely the reverse. Who you are and where you come from dictate what you are naturally drawn to. It’s just that many people don’t feel who they are inside is good enough for whatever reason, so they have placed one’s ability to to say “I like this” as precedent over “what they are like.” And this works on a rather surface level. And most artists do begin this way. But it soon exhausts itself. I find that it is much easier to be an artist who expresses who she or he is as an extension of where she or he is from. One’s own self-story is the gift that keeps on giving. Or at least that’s how it’s been for me.

interview by Laura Hensley
Manitoba born designer Angie Johnson is the founder of design label Norwegian Wood. Her handmade line consists of revamped vintage pieces and original designs all created her in Montreal apartment. When she is not sewing copious amounts of goods and running her own boutique Headquarters with her partner, Tyson (and of course reading Worn), you can find her on her blog hqgalerieboutique.blogspot.com, and her Etsy store I Heart Norwegian Wood.

When did you know you wanted to be a designer?
Since I was about 9 years old. I remember only colouring in the clothing in colouring books, and learning to embroider when I was about 6, and being really into the clothes in my mom’s old Betty & Veronica comics (I used to trace and then draw my own clothes on - I still have them!). I also did the classic “sew some clothes for your Barbies” before moving on altering the clothes I found in my grandparents basement in my early teens. Soon after that I started sewing from patterns, and when I was about 16 I started selling my designs in local boutiques. It’s kind of just always been there, so it was really never a question of NOT doing it, more of “in what WAY am I going to do this..”

Why did you decide to make the move from Manitoba to Montreal? How did that move affect your creative outlook?
I had always told myself that if my BF (at the time) and I broke up, I would move to Montreal, and lo and behold, we did indeed break up. My job in Winnipeg with Silver Jeans was going well and I wasn’t sure what to do. And then I met Tyson. We dated for a few months in Winnipeg, then he suggested that I move to Montreal at the same time as him, and the rest is history. Oh and now we’re engaged, whoa! Who knew that whole thing would work out so well!

It undoubtedly had a huge impact on my creative outlook. Winnipeg is a small city, with limited resources in terms of inspiration. When I moved to Montreal I got a job as an assistant designer right away. I learned a lot, worked with a great team, got to travel to Hong Kong and the States and work on designing from a different perspective than I’d been able to before. From that job I moved into a position at a new company as the head designer where I did a lot of traveling all over the world, as well as learning about the local manufacturing industry and business in general from my boss at the time. In the end, the move helped me reach opportunities that just wouldn’t have been possible in Manitoba.

What is the most challenging aspect of running your own business and design label?
Well, this is a pretty boring business-y answer, but cash flow is probably the most challenging thing! I remember being in entrepreneurship classes and the teacher would always be talking about cash flow, and saying how it was one of the most important things, but I didn’t really GET it until now. Basically if I get an order for 20 skirts or something, and I don’t have the cash flow to buy the fabric, I’m kinda screwed. Juggling everything so that there’s money to re-invest back into the business is a challenge.

What has been the most successful point in your career so far?
Hmm, it’s kind of hard to pin it down to one point… maybe I just get excited really easily, because I feel like I’ve had lots of great little successes over the past few years. But I think I actually feel like right now I’m the most successful I’ve ever been, because I’m finally doing my own line full time, as well as helping Tyson with the store. Some of the highlights so far I guess have been:
- Working with Susie from Style Bubble on a custom dress
- Having a bunch of amazing fashion bloggers from around the world blogging about my stuff and wearing it, it’s the hugest compliment in the world!
- Selling some leggings to Courtney Love (my 14 year old self would have lost it, my 28 year old self was ever so slightly more calm)
- Selling my very first item on Etsy to Todd Oldhams BF. Todd was one of my first favorite designers when I was about 11 so this blew my mind!
- Being at home every day just working on my own designs, it’s really great.

Do you think the age of online technology has significantly helped your company?
I literally say “thank god for the internet” almost every day, and I definitely say “thank god for Etsy” every day! I absolutely could not be running the business the way I am without either. Of the total sales I make each month, I would say only about 1-5% is to Canadians. So instead of limiting my sales to whatever businesses I could reach in person the internet allows me to reach the entire world, which is the “small” detail that allows me to be in business. So instead of having to move to a major city like New York or London and increase my costs, I can stay in Canada, but reach those fashion savvy customers in the bigger cities. Plus I really like reading blogs.

What is your best piece of advice for new upcoming designers that are trying to break into the industry?
Get some experience at an established company, but go in with a good attitude. If you have little to no experience, you’ll probably start off in a really shitty position (don’t worry, it’s normal!) but if you have a good attitude they’ll notice right away, and will give you some fun and interesting jobs and you’ll learn a lot. But if you go in with a shitty attitude, they won’t help you at all. Do that for a few years, and you’ll learn so much you’ll be REALLY prepared to do your own thing, if that’s what you want to do (some people decide they actually really like working for larger companies, which is totally legit too!)

Angie’s Top 10 fashion blogs
1 - Style Bubble
2 - Kingdom of Style
3 - The Coveted
4 - Bits and Bobbins
5 - luluandyourmom
6 - Karla’s Closet
7 - Jak and Jil
8 - childhood flames
9 - Disney Roller Girl
10 - That’s Just My Vibe