Blog » Kiera Ann Marie Philips

Kiera Ann Marie Philips

27th May 2014

Role: Fashion designer

Company: Kam Couture

Track Record:

Track Record

KAM Kouture is the parent brand name for the Ready To Wear (RTW) ‘Fun’ range, ‘Lady Bridal’ collection and ‘Hand Made’ party accessories by Kiera Ann Marie. A 1st Class graduate in Fashion Design and Textiles, Kiera Ann Marie, from the rural outskirts of Lisburn, demonstrates her enjoyment of fashion by creating pieces which are out of the ordinary.

Kiera Ann is an active member of Unify NI, a business established to facilitate local designers in advancing their careers as part of a collective. She showcased her current collection at the highly successful Unify Fashion Showcase — a unique two-night fashion event in one of Belfast’s most iconic buildings, the historic Titanic Drawing Offices.

The Unify Fashion Showcase, in association with Charles Hurst Specialist Cars, included spring/summer catwalk shows and live mannequins dressed by the very best of Northern Irish designers, up-and-coming design students and unique local boutiques and supported the A21 campaign, a global campaign to end human trafficking.

8am

I travel in from Moira every morning and try to be in the Unify studios in Spires Mall by 8am to get a head start on the day. We work long hours in the fashion industry and my first task once I’ve caught up with the other designers in the studio is to plan out the day ahead. Most of my clients come in for their consultations in the afternoon or evening, so I have a few hours to prepare for them.

9am

Keeping abreast of fashion trends is an important part of my job and as well as seeing what is making waves on the catwalks, I try to keep an eye on trends from around the world. You never know where inspiration might come from and while a lot of my work reflects nature and the countryside I grew up in, I like to make sure I keep my eyes peeled for the extraordinary and inspiring.

10am

Interest in my designs has been growing steadily since I joined Unify and whether it’s an email or a message through Facebook, most days bring a new inquiry. I usually take an hour in the mornings to read through new enquiries, return phone calls and emails and schedule in first time consultations as well as responding to any queries from clients for a few hours each morning. Currently the majority of my clients are mothers of the bride, bridesmaids and wedding guests looking for a one-of-a-kind outfit for that special day.

11am

Because my work is very intricate and couture designs take a lot of time and patience, I spend a lot of my time in the studio working on embellishments and embroidery, which contribute to my signature style that reflects nature. I like my dresses to have a three dimensional element which brings them to life and many hours are spent working on the detailing to bring the creations to life.

1pm

Lunchtime is spent with the other designers in Unify. Having started out working from home, it is great to be able to interact and bounce ideas off experienced and new designers. The group working out of Spires are just so talented and to be able to have a support system like this is fantastic for young designers.

The fashion industry is notoriously tough, but I have to say the advice and help I’ve been given by both the founders and other designers has really helped me along the way. We help each other with ideas all of the time and it’s great to have an outside opinion on things.

2pm

Afternoons are back to work and are spent busily working on my designs. Depending on what stage of the process I am in, I could be developing a sketch of an initial garment, sewing a toile to give a client a first impression of how their outfit will look or putting the finishes touches to a dress.

4pm

Late afternoon is spent in consultations with new clients. I like to take time to get to know my clients, and have been very lucky with the clients I’ve had the privilege to work with as they have already seen my work and how it reflects their personal style. My clients want something that is unique to them — something special that they haven’t been able to find on the high street.

We work together in these first consultations discussing styles, materials and of course taking measurements so I can get started on the process of making a made to measure dress. I have a range of sample material in the studio and by the end of the consultation I have a clear idea of how the final creation will look.

5pm

Consultations take about an hour and I have more clients scheduled in for their second, third or fourth fittings in the afternoon. The process is very involved and clients come in to try out their toile.

A toile is a roughly sewn version of the dress, which allows me to check the fit of the garment and make any adjustments to the pattern before I start working on the actual fabric. If we are at the final fitting stage, really it is about making tiny changes to make sure that the outfit fits perfectly and that the client is happy.

It’s great to see a happy client leave the studio with an outfit that showcases my designs but also reflects their personality and makes them feel special.

7pm

I try my best to leave the studio by 7pm, but it’s usually 8pm and if I am gearing up for a show — like the forthcoming Unify Fashion Showcase in the Titanic Drawing Offices — I could be sewing late into the night. While the hours can be long, I absolutely love what I do and can’t imagine doing anything else. I am also lucky to have an amazing intern, Grainne Brennan, who is from Salford in Manchester, and is assisting me in my studio during her placement in an honour fashion design degree at Salford University. Her assistance is invaluable to me.

The great thing about being in the Unify studios is also seeing the amazing amount of talent coming out of Northern Ireland. We have so many creative people who are making a great contribution to the economy and hopefully our work and the Fashion Showcase can inspire more people to take the leap into design.

10pm

I work Monday to Saturday in the studio and once I get home I like to relax and wind down from the day. Of course you can never really switch off but where possible I spend time with family and friends, enjoy a glass of red and catch up on news before heading to bed.

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