Jessica A

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Jessica Awad is a talented Australian designer, she's the creator of Jessica A label and is no newbie on the scene, with much experience and expertise after working for different brands gaining her experience in the industry she has brought her own mark to the fashion industry. 

I featured her label in my current shoot 
HERE- 


What inspired you to become a fashion designer? Tell us a little about your journey so far…

As a little girl, I was always inspired by clothing and what the new upcoming pieces were, as well as looking through my mother's wardrobe  filled with funky pieces from the 70's and 80's, this was my first steps in loving fashion and knowing I wanted to be involved in some way. After studying fashion through high school, i knew this was the industry for me. Through years of experience working under the umbrella of a fashion house and helping brands develop and create pieces into store, it was time to step away from the umbrella and begin my own label to get a touch of Jessica A to public.

     What was you experience studying fashion design?

After failing to get into the design course I wanted. I applied and successfully got into a fashion production and design course at a Tafe institution, this in fact, turned out to be my better pathway as it allowed me, not only to learn about fashion design, but the process' involved in taking a design, to a pattern and into production. This was a great stepping stone in learning the trade steps and helped me enormously when i began working in the industry. 

 

Your inspiration behind your current collection 

 Our current collection "Blossom into winter" range was inspired by the beautiful blossoms in summer I was surrounded by when developing my winter range. As i knew it was going to drop in the colder months, i decided to make the floral a subtle  greyscale tone, so it suited the season correctly. Using the blossom print, i wanted to create beautiful but easy silhouette styles, that customer could wear from work to dinner to out on the town without having to change anything but their flats to their heels.

  How do you go about sourcing your fabric?

I'm very lucky when it comes to sourcing fabrics, as I have an awesome fabric agent overseas who helps source out the quality fabrics I'm after. When I am forecasting I will look at the upcoming trends in fabrications that are coming through and decide whether or not they are right for my target audience. At the start of every sourcing season, I will send a list to my agent who will find the fabrics that i'm after and will send a library of different options for me to select and choose for the coming range.

 

      Tell us a little bit about your process in creating a collection - from concept to design and creation?

Every collection that is created takes a lot of thought processing and time. I begin by forecasting the trends filtering through from the catwalks of the US and European fashion markets. Its at this point, where I will create a plan of action on the upcoming trends, colours, fabrics and styles that will be the in thing for the upcoming seasons. From here I need to calculate how to change these points of trends to suit the Australian market and to ensure that the Jessica A The Label identity is filtered through these future crazes. Once I have worked out what key points I would like to grasp from the trends, I will begin to design the collection, with a hint of trend but ensuring that our key easy gal attitude of Jessica A stays within the collection. As much as Jessica A likes to be up to the market with designs, our focus of forecasting, mainly transparent's through our prints, colours and fabrications, as we like to keep our styling simple and not overly commercial, as we want our ladies to be able to wear our collections for seasons to come. From here, I then send my designs and specifications of our standard fit to my factories, whom then begin sampling the collection. They will then send these samples to my team and I for fitting, the sampling and fit process will go back and forth until the fit and collection is right. It's at that stage we will begin selling the range.

          What is the most challenging thing about creating a label? ……And the most rewarding?

The whole thing is a challenge, from the general fears of whether or not the label will be loved by  the world and how to get the word out there that Jessica A exists!!! To the ins and outs of not only running a label but a business ahhh!! It's not all creative vibes flowing, there's even mathematical challenges I face almost everyday, that drives me crazy but it's all worth the stress and lose of night sleeps, when you see a customer in the streets or on social media excited to  be wearing your label!!! 

 

  

  How do you feel the name change of your brand? Are you targeting a different audience and what was the story behind the brand label name change? 

I am very excited with both the label name change and our new website launch. The new name is a lot more appealing and clean, which relates to the styles that we have always and will always offer. Easy to wear and fresh styling.This season Jessica A. offers retailers a collection that puts a heavy focus on creating pieces that have a designer aesthetic, yet still keeping the collection commercial and wearable, appealing to the labels original market. 

We are not targeting a difference audience, we are just wanting to expand it. We are looking at making Jessica A. a brand that will appeal to the Boutique market, as well as continue to sell to our more mainstream retailers.  We want to strike a great balance, of still being able to offer our more commercial customers what they want and expect from the label, however our focus has now moved to creating exclusive designer capsule collections within all our ranges, which will be offered only to the Boutique market.

 

    Your biggest achievement with your brand?

Stocking with The Iconic

Describe Jessica A in  3 words 

Fresh, Easy to wear, Price driven

Chocolate

 My Hubby

Dancing the night away (and singing even though my voice is no Whitney Houston)

Family/friends

Beach life

Get to know Jessica a little more…… 

I never leave the house without my… my phone

Favourite song at the moment : John Legend and Sam Smith song  - Lay me down

My most prized item in my wardrobe : My prada case bag

flats or heels : heels 

Tea or Coffee: Coffee

 

Special thanks to Jessica xx 

 

Alyce Cowell

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Alyce is a blogger, stylist and writer and is superb at what she does. I met Aylce briefly at the InHabit launch party at Westfield. Her personality is bubbly, friendly and very outgoing. Alyce has experienced many different genres of the fashion industry, she shares a fascinating insight in our interview about her experience. It is a must read to all inspiring bloggers, stylist and fashion writers.

Aylce started her career with a Bachelor of Journalism, specialising in public relations and marketing, before relocating to sunny Melbourne six years ago to style for Sportsgirl (later becoming Head Stylist) and blog for 2Threads as a paid contributor and Fashion Week reporter.

In early 2010, Alyce was appointed Editor-in-Chief of COVET – a fashion and style magazine based in Melbourne – where she worked with renowned photographer Anthony Licuria to create the publication.

Soon after, Alyce defeated over 1,400 competitors in a nationwide search to find The Westfield Insider and Australia’s Savviest Shopper meaning she blogs, shops and styles for a living as well as running social media channels, attending events, presenting video and acting as a fashion commentator and brand ambassador for print, TV, radio and online media such as WHO Magazine,Mornings, A Current Affair and Yahoo!7.

Most recently, Alyce joined forces with fellow bloggers and fashion addicts Alice McGenniss-Destro of Catwalk of Words and Ashli Templer of Walk the Stalk to create THE INFLUENCER – a fashion blog with a difference focussing on their three very different styles, personalities and ways with words.

With the growth of her career and following on social media, Alyce now splits her time between being The Westfield Insider, blogging at THE INFLUENCER and broadening her freelance career.

Behind closed doors, Alyce likes music, sunshine and her friends and family. She is particularly fond of Australian fashion, counting Ellery, Dion Lee and Josh Goot as some of her favourite labels.

http://alycecowell.com/story/

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What did you study?

I studied a Bachelor of Journalism at Griffith University on the Gold Coast before making the move down to Melbourne! I chose this because my passion has always been writing, which is why I went into fashion writing and blogging.

What firstly made you want to become a stylist? And how long have you been a stylist for?

I’ve been told I’ve always had an ‘eye’ for putting together interesting outfits, but it wasn’t until I moved to Melbourne in 2008 that I started working as a personal stylist in the Style Me Studio at Sportsgirl. I love creating unexpected combinations!

 Had you previously study any fashion related courses? Or did you learn on the job.

I’ve never done any fashion-related courses, but I had always loved fashion and enjoyed putting outfits together. As for things like body shape, what shapes work together, colour combinations and that sort of thing – I learnt all of that on the job. I believe you can learn the technical side of it, but you need to have a natural knack for what looks cool!

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You have worked and experienced for so many different genres in the fashion industry from working as Editor-in-Chief of COVET to blogging as well now being a stylist tell us about having experienced all this what was it like to be apart of these different aspects of the industry?

I’m one of those people that gets bored easily, so I like to move around and break up my day. This is why I dabble in styling, writing and blogging! They all go hand in hand so it works quite well. What would you say is your favorite part about working in the fashion industry?

People say the fashion industry is very superficial, but for me it’s fun! And if I’m going to spend five days of my week doing something, it needs to be something I like doing and enjoy waking up for. I love that we get to play dress ups all day and it’s a really creative industry to work in. I’ve always wanted to do something creative! Tell us about your exciting current role as a The Westfield Insider what does it entail?

In 2010 I won a nationwide search to find The Westfield Insider, which means I shop, blog and style for a living. I blog about current trends, how to wear certain items, what I’m wearing, beauty tips and that kind of thing. I also take customers on personal styling sessions, attend events and act as a media ambassador too.

Most treasured item in your closet?

When I was about 19, I got really into op shopping. I once found a MOSCHINO belt (the black one with gold letters, as seen on Peaches Geldof!) for 50c. It’s missing the I but I don’t even care! It’s my favourite wardrobe item.

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You were previously head stylist at sports girl style me studio what was it like?

Fun! Customers could sign up for free styling sessions with me and I would take them through body shape, what suits them and current trends before playing dress ups for an hour.

Five items every girl needs in their wardrobe?

A pair of jeans in the perfect fit

A wide brim hat

A leather jacket

A stripe tee

A pair of denim cut-off shorts

If you had a time machine what is your favorite fashion era you would like to travel to?

The 70’s! I’d be decked out in paisley flares, fringing and a floppy hat.

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Favorite stylist trick?

A wide brim hat makes everything cool.

Who inspires you?

In terms of fashion, when I see girls in the street with a real sense of personal style, that inspires me. They don’t follow trends, or they at least put their own twist on them, and they really don’t care what anybody thinks.

When it comes to my career, I get inspired by really hard working people who have reached their goals. Corny but true!

Lastly what advice would you give anyone looking to work as a stylist or a fashion writer?

Do as much work experience as possible, even if it’s not a fun job. Fortunately, most of the girls I’ve worked with are willing to do that in order to get ahead! Don’t expect you’ll be styling the model, because you’ll probably be ironing 200 white t-shirts instead.

If you want to get into fashion writing, start a blog and give business cards out to people you meet so they can check out samples of your work. Spend time interviewing and writing fashion stories and try get them published in smaller fashion mags!

Special thanks to Alyce xx

Website The Influencer Westfield InsiderAlyce Instagram: alycealyce

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