As the American teeny popper Jesse McCartney sang in 2004’s ‘Beautiful Soul’: ‘I don’t want another pretty face/ I don’t want just anyone to hold/ I don’t want my love to go to waste/ I want you and your beautiful soul’.
The Miss Butterfly collection (SS10), imagery throughout courtesy of Beautiful Soul.
If only London-based designer Nicola Woods had created her label Beautiful Soul back then, he’d have realised you can have the eponymous as well as the aesthetic quality. Indeed, this is less about a label being ethical – although, of course that matters greatly – so much as the fact it would be a travesty for Beautiful Soul not to up-cycle some of the gorgeous vintage kimonos and saris which it makes use of. As it is, Woods was at that time in the midst of an 11 year career as an insurance broker, after which she won a place at the London College of Fashion.
Celebrating its first birthday this month, Beautiful Soul was born of Nichola’s invitation to spend summer 2008 in South Africa with community-focussed charity, Tabeisa. While there, she helped establish a small cooperative, Umdoni Creek, from whom she sources the embellishments and accessories for Beautiful Soul.
Rei Coat, taken from Smallprint collection AW09/10).
Once back in London, the garments are produced by a registered women’s project. Beautiful Soul’s debut A/W 09 collection ‘Smallprint’ included Fair Trade cotton and satin and jersey made from sustainable bamboo alongside up-cycled kimono fabric from the 1940s. Swathes of fabric in muted, patterned materials are gathered into rouching, and structured collars add definition to compelling silhouettes. The collection precipitated a run of awards, including Ethical Fashion Forum’s Innovation Award in February 2009 and more recently the brand won a Future 100s Budding Entrepreneur on the Horizon 2009 recognition.
Yoshie Coat, taken from Smallprint collection AW09/10).
Beautiful soul’s critically acclaimed second collection ‘Miss Butterfly’, was shown at London Fashion Week’s Estethica with a more colourful direction. Each style in the Madame Butterfly-inspired S/S 10 collection is named after a famous Japanese geisha; Korin is a turquoise shift evocative of a waterfall, the Satoka coat is a fabric-heavy shrug while the Mineko skirt is a structural dream with high, thick waistband and tulip gathering at the hem.
Izuko blouse and Kimie skirt taken from the Miss Butterfly collection (SS10).
Nichola believes Beautiful Soul’s target audience to be women ‘aware of the importance of originality and quality in a garment, relishing also the story behind each creation’. It’s a formula which has proved popular, as this spring Beautiful Soul adds the V&A to its list of stockists, which also includes Ascension Boutique and Junky Styling. Not bad, we’re sure you’ll agree, for a one-time city insurance broker.
Kimina dress and Cio Cio coat taken from the Miss Butterfly collection (SS10).
Tags:
Ali Schofield, Ascension Boutique, Beautiful Soul, estethica, Ethical Fashion Forum, Future 100s Budding Entrepreneur on the Horizon 2009, Jesse McCartney, Junky Styling, London College of Fashion, London Fashion Week’, Madame Butterfly, Nicola Woods, Tabeisa, Umdoni Creek, va
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