Contemporary Fashion Design with Japanese touch by Natsumi Zama
Talk a little bit about yourself
Oh… I’m good at sewing but not so good at talking about myself. :)
I’m a womenswear designer and maker based in London, UK. I studied fashion design at Bunka in Japan and also graduated with a BA Honours in Fashion Design and Technology, Womenswear, from London College of Fashion in 2009.
During my study I was working for Louise Goldin as an assistant for a year. After graduation, I launched my own label and started to work as a freelancer machinist, but now I’m focused on designer job and I’m currently working on my own next collection.
What tools do you use and why?
I’ve been using the same tools since I started studying fashion 8 years ago. Same rulers, same pincushion, same shears. All these tools are Danjyuro by Kiya from the School shop of Bunka. I’ve used these tools a lot to get my job done. It’s a kind of lucky charm for me.
Where do you get your inspiration for your collections?
In the past 2 years I was interested in all kinds of vintage clothes. From Kimono, Japanese traditional clothes, to beautifully tailored western classic clothes, such as Burberry’s timeless trench coat, Yves Saint Laurent’s vintage Jacket or Givency 1960’s two piece day dress. Usually I’m inspired by well-made, practical, yet simple things.
In which online fashion communities are you involved and what are the advatages of being part of it?
It’s not a fashion community but I sometimes use Facebook. You can reach and communicate with people easily. I’ve got many new friends who found my work somewhere and gave me contact through Facebook.
What websites do you use to promote your brand and why?
I launched my own website last March. I designed the website by myself to make it the right place to show and present my work. I liked this way of having my own site because it’s free and easy to upload, but I shifted to current one because I wanted to design the page from the start and thought it’s more professional and effective to introduce about my design and style.
Before my own website, I’ve been using a blog as my showcase by uploading new work and products, and the site is still online as Natsumi Zama archive. I’m also showing my work on Not Just a Label, a quite famous and huge website.
What kind of fabrics do you use and why do you like them?
I always tend to use heavy cotton and wool. They are easy to handle, suitable for making three-dimensional shape, and good for making durable clothes. I like durableness rather than delicateness. I also like soft and comfortable fabrics.
I use to buy fabrics from retail shops, and the name of the fabric shop I mostly use is Macculloch & Wallis. They sell various quality fabric in adequate price.
What fashion design software do you use and why?
I used to use Photoshop and Illustrator for my college work to make portfolio or spec drawing, but I recently don’t use much.
I don’t use any software for my patterns. All of the patterns are made only with my hands and that lucky charm tools.
What are some tools that you think are a must have for any fashion creative?
I think that nowadays a PC and access to the internet is a must. In the field of fashion, there are so many blogs/websites updated everyday with matters of fashion. Following those massive information is very important for creators to see what’s going on in the field. Fashion is always changing. We need to see the movement as well as looking at ancient movements.
Magazines are of course good as well but information on the internet is very fast and we can see lot of people’s opinion in real time.
I’m also using Google Reader to follow some blogs, and DELL’s laptop.
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