“I’m a strong believer that no amount of money can buy you style; it’s an instinctive quality so I design for normal girls with an individual approach to fashion.” Jump into the mind of Westminster BA Graduate Annie Phillips.
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Collecting the glitter her mother’s dress had shed after a Christmas party, Annie Phillips’ passion for fashion was first evoked by the women who raised her. Perched upon her Grandma’s lap, young Annie learned how to knit way back when. Now bezzie mate and new designer superstar Ashley Williams is inspiring the Westminster graduate. A charming talent with a distinct creative vision, she is the bold and beautiful womenswear designer who cast the inimitable Daphne Self as a runway model for her graduate show last year. She idealizes Gwen Stefani and Sade and i-D adores her. Take a peek inside the mind of this week’s Generation Next rad fashion grad.
What are you wearing right now? Wearing FILA jumper with a cuppa and Oreos :)
What’s your best beauty look? I don’t have one! I’m obsessed with eyebrows though. Real talk always have good eyebrows
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What has been your best outfit ever? Probs my vintage Versace blue leopard and zebra print suit and black Nike air kicks. It’s like the only thing I own that I feel like an adult in.
What is your favourite colour? It changes… but red right now
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What kind of woman do you design for? I design for a normal girl who might mix designer with sportswear or timeless classic pieces from years ago. A woman who doesn’t really follow trends, who likes a bit of fun and who most definitely has a sense of humour. Basically, I design for my friends and for myself… for people I know and what I think they’ll look good in.
What were your creative processes from the initial start point to the curation of the final show? A lot of trials. Trialling fabric manipulation; tasselling, prints, foils, working with sheepskin, changing shapes and toiling. We had numerous lineups, cancelling full looks and reworking them into new ones. In terms of making coats and dresses, it was very testing at times but it was well worth it. That’s why I think the Westminster standard is always so high.
What was your featured runway music? Born too late by The Poni-Tails
Tell us more about the prints used in the show? They started with the cats, mainly from my research and all these crazy old women and their pets. I love show animals anyway so I found the persian cat from these old show magazines and placed it with the persian rug pattern.
Where do you want to be in five years, what will you be doing, who will you be doing it with and what will you be wearing? In five years I want my own label. Wearing my own stuff and with a shop selling amazing garms. I want all my fave people involved with that one, the girls I grew up with and a couple of girls from the course. We’ve got it all worked out, haha
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How did it feel to see your final collection on the runway? So good! Firstly Daphne walking and everyone cheering her was the best thing ever. I was jumping around backstage. The girls all looked amazing so I was just happy and then I had a realisation that I could act like a normal person again
What have you been working on for the past six months? Working at Warehouse, my own collection and working with Ashley Williams for Fashion East (can’t wait!)
What was the last book you read, text you sent and tune you played on your iPod? The last book was The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson, last song I played was Kendrick Lamar’s Swimming Pools and I literally just sent a text saying night to my boyf.
What three things could you not live without? Reese’s Pieces, Come Dine with me and Bonnie, my dog.
What are you looking forward to next? A holiday! And the show of course :)
Text: Milly McMahon
