10 Questions with Phoebe English

Let’s not beat around the bush - when fashion week comes around, the question of sustainable practice hangs over the heads of designers. Some ignore, and get sucked into the traditional way of producing and showcasing. For others, fashion week brings the opportunity to demonstrate how they truly do things differently. Case in point - for British designer Phoebe English, fashion need not be an overly extractive force, with much of her creative process rooted in sourcing localised materials and championing a circular approach to design. Now, with her upcoming SS25 presentation, she wants to share a sense of the natural world amongst the bustling streets of London.

Why do you do what you do? What keeps you motivated to keep creating fashion collections?
I have always had a drive to make things, I guess it’s just how my brain is wired.

Have you found a technique, or a supplier, or a contributing craftsperson that has excited you to incorporate into your new SS25 collection?
I have found a plant! We have worked with Ragwort - this yellow flowering plant is commonly considered a weed as it can be toxic to livestock. It does however, provide food for many pollinators. We gathered ours from a friend's farmland wishing to remove it. It gives a lovely hay colour. 

How do you keep healthy and energised in the runup to showing your new SS25 collection?
Good friends, good food and good sleep - as much as actually possible! 

Over the past few challenging years - with Brexit, post-Covid, with the retail landscape a bit of a mess - how have you thought about what you make and how to make it connect with your customer?This is an interesting question and I guess one we are looking to answer as we go along, I think we have decided to respond to this strange landscape with as much creativity as possible rather than diving headlong into pure product. As a small company you never know how long you might be viable for so I hope we have used this collection to be as creative as we can. 

Are you TikTok or Instagram? And why?
We are in both, but Instagram is what I feel most connected to, I’m not really part of the TikTok generation. 

Give us a link to a site you make sure to check out everyday that isn't the news!
The Gardeners’ Question Time podcast! 

If you had to recommend one product from your newest AW24 collection to buy, which would it be and why?
We all really like the split seam shirt. 

Why does fashion month and your show or presentation still give you an adrenaline and a creative rush?
It occurs in a very different way than it did when I was younger and starting out. It’s connected to my new family and my changing life in a different way to how it was back at the start. I have to be more measured and careful with my energy than I was back then.

How will you celebrate when the show / presentation / showroom is over?
With good friends, good food and good sleep!

What's the one product that is NOT your own, that you can't live without, or has stayed in your wardrobe for constant use, and why?
A black long sleeved jersey wrap top I got when I was a teenager from New Look in the 1990’s. I wear it at least once every week.