Blake LDN

DESIGNER NAME: Alice Ashby

BACKGROUND: “British based designer Alice studied at London’s Central Saint Martins. She has interned for various designers such as Alexander McQueen, Clare Tough and Nathen Jenden. Her first job was for Rag & Bone in New York as Assistant Knitwear Designer. Alice then went on to launch North Circular which is part of BFC initiative, Esthetica.”

SIGNATURES: “Effortless, wearable pieces supported by the fact that everything is made in the UK by true craftsmen. A modern day concept of what clothing should be.”

TRADEMARK PIECE: “The sweater.”

IDEAL CLIENT: “Anyone from twenties upwards, there is no age limit. We always try to cater for most people and age ranges with our signature pieces and our more editorial pieces.”

THE COLLECTION: “It all started with vintage ski photos, and adapting them into wearable current pieces. We looked at how chic people used to look when skiing back in the 50s with very chunky knits. We looked at panelling, racing stripes and the yoke of the sweater and included lots of texture and boucle in there too. We wanted to create striking pieces with great colour but very wearable for the modern woman at the same time. Team with leather trousers or a metallic skirt, heels or flats.”

CULTURAL INFLUENCES: “We keep very up to date on all exhibitions. We are regulars at gigs and hope this sparks off inspiration for the next season’s collections.”

PLANS FOR 2013: “Show our second collection at London Fashion Week, including a small capsule accessories range too. Launch our website in February at the same time, which is when our e-commerce store will go live. Build up our stockist list, push sales and increase our ranges."