Amelia’s Magazine | Charlie May: S/S 2014 Preview Interview

Charlie May S/S 2014 by Rebecca May Higgins
Charlie May S/S 2014 by Rebecca May Higgins.

Last season I was most impressed with the new collection from up and coming designer Charlie May: sadly this time around I missed her show at St Martins Lane Hotel. Here the talented young designer talks about her love of minimalism, working with British mills to create bespoke materials, and teaming up with Hudson shoes.

Charlie May S/S 2014 by Claire Kearns
Charlie May S/S 2014 by Claire Kearns.

Where does your love for sleek minimalist designs come from – can you trace it back to any early influences or inspirations?
That’s a tough one – I think coming from a farm where it’s always busy and messy and you have to dress for the mud, you natural want to create the opposite. I’m always inspired by the feeling I get from being in the countryside, there’s a calmness that I like to translate into my collections.
 
Charlie May S:S 2014
Charlie May S:S 2014
The Charlie May girl wears a lot of white and pale colours – any tips for keeping the look fresh and clean?
Every season I plan to use black and I always manage to phase it out! I think it’s got something to do with a clearer cleaner vision and the same goes with personal style. I always feel like I’m dressed better when I’m wearing lighter colours. At the moment I love the look of black shoes with a white look, I think that looks fresh and not overdone.
 
Charlie May S/S 2014 by Slowly The Eggs
Charlie May S/S 2014 by Slowly The Eggs.

I understand you worked closely with mills to create a range of exclusive fabrics this season, what was that process like?
It was really fun and quite eye opening. I’m used to working with exclusively natural materials, so weaving polyester and silk together created something quite unique to me. I think it was a natural step for me to push for more creative fabrics and something that’s not readily available, I’m looking forward to doing it again for AW14.


Charlie May S:S 2014
Charlie May S:S 2014
You used some stunning pearlescent and metallic print fabrics for S/S 2014 – where did you source these from? 
Thank you, it started with working with the mills on the pink metallic woven fabric, and when I saw the butter soft blush foil leather I knew it would be the perfect accompaniment. The collection was meant to be a bit tongue in cheek with references to my youth and the spice girls – so it goes without saying that pink leather was meant to be there! 


Charlie May Dress by Claire Kearns
Charlie May S/S 2014 by Claire Kearns.

How did you get involved with Hudson shoes and what was the process of producing a limited edition shoe? where can fans buy a pair?
I met Hudson through my blog, Girl a la Mode. We quickly got talking about collaborating on a shoe for my SS14! I love their classic, elegant brogues and boots and knew they’d be the perfect choice. They will be a limited edition, available to buy through my site (www.Charlie-May.co.uk) from January. 
 
Charlie May S:S 2014
Charlie May S:S 2014
What are your aspirations for the coming year?
I hope to keep growing as I am and developing the collections and brand image, I’m excited to develop knitwear for AW14 too. 

Categories ,Charlie May, ,Claire Kearns, ,Girl a la Mode, ,hudson, ,interview, ,London Fashion Week, ,Rebecca May Higgins, ,S/S 2014, ,Slowly the Eggs, ,St Martins Lane Hotel

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