Who are you?
We are Les Filles en Fleur!
Where are you from?
We are from everywhere and nowhere. Alexandra PR and Marketing director Is born and bred in London but her heritage ranges from New York to Native America, while Creative Director Alessandra was born in South Africa but grew up in Florence with Anglo- Italian parents. We now both live in London where Les Filles en Fleur is based.
What do you do?
Our small fashion house offers both exclusive made to measure evening gowns as well as a bi-annual capsule collection. We design contemporary classics with an edge, made in the finest quality fabrics and with the highest tailoring standards. We aim to create garments that will surpass passing trends and withstand the passages of time.
Your style in 3 words?
Classic, romantic, uncontrived
What is your weakness?
Chiffon and leather
What is your strength?
Chiffon and leather
What makes you different?
Our designs unique yet comfortable. We only chose the highest quality fabrics and manufacturing systems. Each item is designed to flatter the body with a combination of feminine flair and powerful choice of fabrics and we offer everything in a made to measure option at a very accessible price. Everything we produce is entirely sourced and made in the UK as we feel it is very important for us to support the British Fashion industry.
How did it all start?
Five years ago we were introduced by our parents, who had just rekindled their childhood romance after 30 years. We were amazed at the many strange similarities we had including our names, Alessandra and Alexandra, and our love for fashion. We immediately started working on projects together and in the early days we would offer our services as a styling duo. Through styling we got to clients that would entrust us with their entire look and therefore we started to design dresses for them too. Over the years we started conjuring up ideas for a bespoke fashion label and as opportunity started knocking on our door our dream suddenly came in to play.
How did you come up with the name?
One day, during a silly romantic phase Alessandra picked À l’ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs, In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower, a novel by Marcel Proust and thought how perfect the name would be for our concept as it perfectly represented our ideals and painted the perfect image for our company.
Tell us more about les filles en fleur?
We work out of our Victoria studio where we like to invite clients round for tea and to try on our clothes in a relaxed and homely environment.
Alessandra researches and works on the designs while Alex manages the shoots and the close relationships with our clients. Together we brain storm and dream up new concepts for our collections and play off each other for ideas.
Anything coming up?
At London Fashion week we will be presenting a much bigger and brand new A/W 12-13 collection that will now include knitwear, eveningwear and a accessories.
We will shortly also be launching our online store where we will be offering not only our collection but also a few special pieces not found in the shops as well as collaborations with other designers.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
On the main show schedule of London Fashion Week, fingers crossed
By Cosima Bucarelli
