We met fashion designer Lucy Eggleton from Lu La Loop at her studio in South London. She gave us a tour, showed us her new collection Techno Monster and we spoke about LA, Instagram, how fashion industry has changed and how both scaring and appealing owning your own fashion label can be.

 

A: What is your background before starting Lu La Loop? 

 

Lucy Eggleton: I studied in Nottingham. I studied fashion knitwear, it was a specific degree. I was originally doing paintings before that, abstract paintings. I almost went into print because I was really good with colours. It literally  started with me and my mum having a cup of tea in the kitchen and she said “there is a knitwear degree in Nottingham and it sounds kind of cool. You get to go to New York to do a year in the industry”. So It kind of ticked all the boxes and I was like “that does sound kind of cool”. That is really how it happened, I was so blasé. My grandmother was a knitwear designer, technical designer. I don't remember knitting as a child but I guess it is sort of in the blood. I thought that it would be quite cool to do something that wasn't straight forward fashion. Also, I was scared that if I do a real fashion degree it would be very bitchy. So that's how I started doing knitwear. After that, I worked for a swatch studio who makes knitting designs to sell to different brands. I did knitting and concept for them and freelance. Collecting mood-boards and coming up with ideas is something I really love. It is very exciting, It's part of my everyday.

 

A: You get all the excitement of bringing things together and brainstorming.

 

Lucy Eggleton: Yeah, it would be nice to just be coming up with the ideas and someone else would do them (laughs). That's like the dream. I have done a lot of freelance work and full-time fashion jobs within knitwear design, within trending concepts too. I worked in a coffee shop as well. I worked for Anthropologie for two and half years. And that was really cool. When I moved back to London I thought it would be very easy to find work but it never was. It was always hard. It kind of comes in waves. I started doing knitwear collection in 2012 and I was selling knitwear in Shop172 on Brick Lane which is closed now because of the recession. It is very sad because they loved emerging fashion designers, supported us and used to sell at great prices. They really understood the market. There used to have a lot of these supporting stores but I think it is really hard now. Even big stores struggle to take in new designers because they haven't the budget or because they are scared. The economy has changed so much. Anyway, I was doing bits and pieces for the store while doing other jobs and I knew I wanted to do something and I thought “look, when am I going to do it?”. I just needed to take the risk of doing full collections. Over a year ago now I have been doing Lu La Loop full-time.

 

A: On your website, I saw three different collections.

 

Lucy Eggleton: I sort of rebranded myself as a multi-product label rather than only knitwear. So here I am. It still feels very new. What's important is the bespoke side of Lu La Loop, to offer a unique kind of thing. This is something I am starting to push more. I would like to have the permanent collections but also special concept pieces. And if I want to throw in a limited collection I do it. It can be aimed towards music people. That is something I really try to develop. I have started contacting singers or emerging music artists for collaborations. On Instagram for example, I found so many interesting people.

 

A: It can be an amazing tool indeed.

 

Lucy Eggleton: Yes, everyone is on it! People just contact you. When I am in touch with collaborators I don't go only on their website, I go on Instagram. It is very visual and easy to communicate with also.

 

A: It looks more personal, you don't have to act in a commercial way. It doesn't have to only be sale-orientated. It is still part of your portfolio but in a more personal way.

 

Lucy Eggleton: Yes, it has revolutioned everything, it's crazy.

 

A: Tell us more about the Techno Monster collection.

 

Lucy Eggleton: I often start working from music I am listening to. It sounds like a cliché but I love Berlin and I love the dark underground music scene and I love techno. I listened to a lot of beats and I wanted to do a darker collection. More punchy, more Japanese too. I was listening to a lot of 80's new wave. I was obsessed with black and with different levels of black. I started collecting different shades and metallics. It always seems to be a metallic element in Lu La Loop. It is either a texture or something that gives a bit of special. I wanted more of unisex. It is traveling towards it because I really think of doing menswear or unisex at some point. I had feedback from people asking me to do menswear or unisex.

 

A: I actually assumed it was unisex.

 

Lucy Eggleton: Especially the bomber jacket.

 

A: Or even the a black dress. It would be amazing on a male model.

 

Lucy Eggleton: That's interesting! I like to see what stylists or photographers do with the clothes. Everything comes alive when the clothes are on and I like to see it in someone else's story. It is the collaboration thing again.

 

A: Especially with fashion. You may be the one making the garment but people bring a new whole idea of it when they wear it. And today you have platforms that really help to make this connection towards collaborations. Speaking of looking for collaborations, how do you feel about being independent and having to do everything on your own without extensive budget?

 

Lucy Eggleton: There is time where it is very hard. Everything in London is so expensive. But you also have to remember that we have freedom. Also, there are so many others out there and everyone is trying to do something with someone and it is really nice. It makes you feel like we are actually a family. Not everyone in fashion is a psycho. It doesn't have to be so dramatic. You have to hold on to this freedom and working with cool people. I think that is something much more valuable.

 

A: So you do feel more free since you have started Lu La Loop?

 

Lucy Eggleton: Yes. I struggle a lot but I am happier at the same time. It is weird. I have worked for so many different people and it has always been full of great experiences but I made the decision and I am gonna stick to it. Even if it is very hard, as long as you keep going and you are happy that's all that matters in the end. It takes a lot of time but it is exciting. Even though it is scary ,maybe that is what drives us as well. That fear and that excitement. And you always find ways to survive. If you really want to do something you will do it. You reach breaking points and you are like  “oh my god, what I am gonna do?” and then something cool happens.

 

A: It is more stressful than a comfortable life but it is more exciting.

 

Lucy Eggleton: It is interesting. Do you know Moonspoon Saloon? They are are from Copenhagen but based in L.A. They do kind of no-gender clothes. I did a catwalk piece for the girl behind it a while ago. Some of the pieces are in the vain of the dress: dark, circus. She collaborates with a lot of cool music people. She does stuff with Ryan Heffington somtimes. He is a choreographer, he did the choreography of Sia's Chandelier. He has a studio in LA which is about free dance. I like that when people do stuff with modern dance. That is something I would quite like to do. Or with ballet dance. I have this idea of a dark ballet with dark techno music. That will be fun (laugh). Like a good hybrid.

 

A: Can we look closer at the clothes? How do you do the prints?

 

Lucy Eggleton: The prints are all molecular because I was listening to the song from the 80s "Shake Your Molecules". It is a collaboration with a friend who is an illustrator. I used to share a studio with him and sit next to him and I was just like “hey do you want to do something together?”. I can do some graphic designs but I have friends that can do it better and quicker. Also another friend from Taiwan who has worked with me since pretty much the beginning. I want to do more prints myself but it takes me longer.

 

A: Do you sell in any stores in London?

 

Lucy Eggleton: I sell in Borderline on Brick Lane. They are very cool and support emerging talent. And in Berlin and LA. I have some projects I'd like to try and push further in LA. I feel like it is a good area to push on. They all are trying to do something there as well. Have you been? It is very cool. It is kind of a love/hate situation. Some of my best friends are from there so they took me out to great places. If you don't know the place it can be quite weird. It has this very dark side which makes it interesting. And the light, LA has this strange light. I think it's pollution (laugh).

 

A: What is Lu La Loop going towards visually speaking?

 

Lucy Eggleton: I don't know how the new works are gonna go but I think it is going to be even darker. I am really obsessed with space as well. There is always this sort of sci-fi element. I am thinking of a very dark element but that is connecting people to the planet. Something that is a bit more deeper without being arty-farty. Very space and Nature, sci-fi nature??. Here are some mood-boards I was thinking for singers. Very dark and golden. There is always a strong feminine figure like the Singer of  The Knife or Bjork. Just a cool strong character really.

 

A: I think all of your clothes seem to empower people when they wear them, they seem to make you feel stronger.

 

Lucy Eggleton: That's cool. That's what I love about the Pleat dress, it is a kind of modern samurai dress. I love the shapes. I have started to do a lot of one size shapes and that is something I want to push further in next collections.

 

A: Any exciting stuffs coming up soon for Lu La Loop?

 

L: I have cool creative friends in Los-Angeles- Jon Vaz Gar and Holly. Holly's presence is amazing. She is a singer and an actress. She has been in different bands, low-fi cool stuff too. She and her partner are making some sort of fashion shoots with music videos and they have just done a music video with the clothes which I am waiting for the editing to be done. And they want to do it again, every time there is a new collection! There is a new capsule collection that should be done by next week, quite 80's and inspired by kimonos. It is perfect for her so they asked me to send it to LA! They are really excited about it and you can just put stuff on her and she looks amazing! Everything is very low-fi which I like. I love people that are excited and have a strong vision and collaborative nature.