bite
fashion
L
ocated over 300 miles away from
Britain’s fashion capital, it can be
quite easy to deem Scotland’s
fashion contribution as parochial.
However, since the establishment
of the Scottish Fashion Awards seven years
ago, designers such as Christopher Kane,
Holly Fulton and, now, William Chambers
and Hayley Scanlan have put Scotland on
the global fashion radar, proving that stylish
success is possible north of the border.
At this year’s Scottish Fashion Awards,
hosted by TV personality and international
style icon Alexa Chung on June 11
th
in
Glasgow’s Clyde auditorium, Scotland
presented a wealth of great fashion talent.
Renowned milliner, William Chambers won
Accessory Designer of the Year Award for
the second time while 28 year old Hayley
Scanlan walked away with theYoung Scottish
Designer of the Year Award based on her
debut collection. The Bite Magazine spoke
to both the designers about their success,
inspiration and future plans.
Tucked away in Glasgow’s industrial
city centre, entering William Chamber’s
studio was like stumbling upon a secret art
exhibition. Every time I returned to look at a
wall, I discovered a new piece, embellishment,
material, or colour from classic ladies church
hats to trendy flower inspired pieces made
out of straws. Humbly passing the studio off
as “messy” was William himself, whose hats
have featured in
Vogue
and
Elle
and have
graced the heads of celebrities such as Roisin
LONDON MAY BE ONE OF THE
CELEBRATED FASHION CAPITALS
OF THEWORLD BUT SCOTLAND
IS FAST PROVINGTHATTHEY HAVE
VAST FASHIONABLE TALENTS INTHEIR
MIDST.
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EDUCATES US.
Takeover
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Murphy, Suzi Perry and Scissor Sisters’ singer
Ana Matronic. “A hat is made to be worn
and a hat comes to life when it is worn by a
personality, especially a celebrity.”
Originally planning a career in textile
design, William gained a first class honours
degree at the Scottish College of Textiles
in 2001. However, with the lack of job
opportunities available, William left the
textiles industry to work as assistant manager
in VV Roleaux Glasgow, where he created
handmade headpieces for customers. Smiling,
William said, “I then got bitten by the bug
and decided to pursue millinery starting with
an evening class at Glasgow Metropolitan
College.”
In 2007,William Chambers Millinery was
set up and, within a mere matter of months,
William’s career was kick-started when
pop artist and fashion icon, Roisin Murphy
wore one of his hats on several dates of
her European tour. “It is so surreal to work
on a piece in the studio and then to see it
on a celebrity. When it comes to product,
celebrity definitely is power.”
From that moment onwards, William
Chambers Millinery rocketed to success.
With a unique avant-garde style,William has
impressed many with his forward thinking
millinery. “When I started making hats I
became obsessed, everything I looked at
became a hat,” William laughed. “I can take
inspiration from almost anything, from
nature to photographs and illustrations.”
William’s keen determination and passion
for design resulted in him designing pieces
for the 2010 Dressed to Kilt fashion show
hosted by Sir Sean Connery in New York,
appearing in many features on Vogue.com
and showcasing at the Art of Contemporary
Millinery exhibition at the Menier Gallery in
London.
This year William’s designs have reached
a whole new level of popularity, winning
William his second Scottish Fashion Award
since 2010. Sitting up proudly, William said,
Hair & Make-Up: Jenn Mathieson & Sam Johnston
The Academy of Make-Up
www. theacademyofmakeup.com