The clever thing about the designs on 'Strictly' is that the razzle-dazzle comes from the materials used in making the dresses rather than because the cut or style is plunging or revealing.
I just love the whole idea of conversational prints.
Fabric is the foundation of a collection.
Fashion is always seen as somewhat frivolous and self-indulgent. And I think people on the inside maybe don't see or understand how exciting and diverse a business it is.
My mom used to sell fabric and lace when I was younger. She would bring back these elaborate fabrics from Nigeria. I always enjoyed being around it. However, it wasn't until I started making music that I started taking a vested interest.
I have drawn my whole life. My parents were in the tapestry restoration business, and as a young girl, I would draw in the missing parts of the tapestry that needed to be rewoven.
I don't have a traditional design background, but it's inherent to me. My father was in the fabric industry, and even my grandfather and my great-grandfather were lace manufacturers.
I love working in the markets, I love working with fabric. So I'm not that conditioned to one thing.
There are people I've worked with who have never understood how fashion works. They keep saying they love fashion, yet they've never actually grasped that this isn't yoghurt or a piece of furniture - products in the purest sense of the term.
I love playing around with vintage fabrics and lace.
I am interested in the idea of 'taste.' And by 'taste,' I mean opinion, inspiration and the craft of creating a personality through fabric and design.
I always have a lot of vents and slits in the clothes I design, even inside the pockets so that I can slip my hands inside my clothes and touch my skin. I want to be able to feel my body naked inside my clothes.
My mom, the fabulous Bertie Kinsey, is an amazing seamstress. She quilts and sews and is so crafty. We call her the Southern Martha Stewart!
All the embroidery is made in my father's workshop in India... and all the cutting and sewing is done in my studio.
My mother worked at home, making clothes, trying to make some money.
