[Un]Discovers: Samantha Cole

Thanks to twitter, for letting me to meet this person so I can do an amazing feature for her.  Samantha Cole, a very talent British designer who has won the Best Womenswear Designer during 2009 New York Fashion Week has caught my eyes with her amazing collections. Her edgy, bold and fearless style is what set her apart from other designers and I am sure you will be addicted to her collection when you see some photos here. Here are some of the comments that the critics have for her.

"....a heavenly, pure white collection.... – Drapers

....Samantha Cole’s designs were the most promising, with a skill for quilted styles and padded leather her work has a certain promise... – House of Fraser

....she has no boundaries, she has a fierceness to her collections and definitely one to watch - Claire Ginzler, Fashion Director LFW’s ON/OFF

....she uses the female figure merely as a reference point at neck, waist and ankles, filling in the gaps with exquisitely fashioned, dramatic yet simple shapes - brave, bold and beautiful..... - Jennifer James, journalist

Samantha Cole has already created a cult following and is definitely a designer to watch - clutchmagonline.com "

It is my honor to be able to do a feature on her and her collection and without future ado, here are the questions I have asked Smantha.

Hi Samantha, thank you so much for taking your time to answer my questions. My first question is, how did you become a fashion designer?
It has always been my passion, my earliest memories are of my mother dressing up to go out, she always looked so amazing and I just enjoyed all the drama behind it. Before college I always re-designed my clothes to make it exclusive to me, it was fun having one of a kind outfits and I remember that I couldnt wait to go to college to explore and develop my skills, the journey was both fun and hard work.

I always love to have one of a kind outfits because they always make you feel special! Do you consider the 2009 New York Fashion Week your turning point as a fashion designer? If so, what did it bring you after the show?
It wasnt only a turning point but it was also a starting point. I had just put together my first collection and wasnt sure what was going to come of it, so getting selected to go to New York was a big deal and getting to showcase as only 1 of 6 designers out of over 200 that applied was quite a booster and winning was by far the icing on the cake....was it a turning point? It was much more than that, it was life changing. I was asked by asos.com to create a diffusion line to sell on their site, it turned out to be the biggest seller that week and sold out a few weeks later. it definitely brought a lot of attention and awareness to the label.

Once again, congrats on winning the Best Womenswear Designer Award during New York Fashion Week for your S/S collection! I know every designer does look up on some great masters for inspiration. For you, which designers do you look up to? Do their design styles affect your fashion creation?
The late great Alexander Mcqueen, Vivienne Westwood, Viktor and Rolf, John Galliano, Junya Watanabe and Issey Miyake.
Their designs and styles inspired my creative and passion to become and succeed as a designer. I was inspired by the level of their creativity and how it was projected, it made me look deeper and bring through my thoughts without fear of what any-one would say or think, it helped make me fearless in my approach and allowed me to stand strong in my ideas.

All the fashion masters you have mentioned are my favorites as well. They just have unique styles to make their collections stand out! In your own words, how do you describe your collections?
Bold, structural, fearless, indulgent, a cross between fantasy and reality.

This is exactly how I feel about your collections and that's the reason I like them! I realize you do not have a menswear line yet, are you planning to create one in the future? If so, what kind of style will we expect to see?
Im passionate about menswear and cant wait to start creating but will have to wait until my womenswear has found its feet. The style will most definitely complement my womenswear and will be approached in the same manner.

Since I am fan of your brand right now, if one day you are going to create the menswear collection, please let me know because I really want to get some pieces from you. I want to look unique in the Toronto fashion scene! What is your main goal in this fashion industry? 
Main goal is further development of my womenswear, introduce my menswear and diffusion lines. There are other areas of the industry that I would like to explore after creating the ultimate lifestyle brand.

Good luck and I am sure you can achieve all the goals you have right now in no time! Last but not least, are you working on your new collection now? If so, can you give us a glimpse of what we will expect to see in the coming collection?
I am working on my new collection but thats about as much as Im saying on that.

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It's time to discover what she likes and this will let you discover Samantha on a more personal level.

Dog or Cat?
Dog

Chocolate or Marshmallow?
Yummy Chocolate

Strawberries or Mangos?
Mangoes

Red or White Wine?
Neither

Silver or Shocking Pink?
They are both so over so Im going with Black, always fashionable

Retro or Futuristic?
Ooooh I really like both so Im going with a bit of both just because I can

Cotton or Silk?
Silk

High Heels or Sneakers?
Sneakers

London or Berlin?
London, all the way

Mickey Mouse or Barbie?
Mickey Mouse

Here are more information you will want to know about her.
"Samantha was recently appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador for -Stop the Child Hunger Campaign- under the umbrella of CATWALK THE WORLD-“fashion for food”, a high profile off-shoot of UNICEF an most recently received a nomination for Innovation in Fashion from Arise, Fashion Week in Johannesburg, SA 2009.

Samantha was most recently selected and sponsored by LONDON FASHION WEEK’S ON/OFF to showcase for February 2010 as “ONE TO WATCH” her UK debut was well received.

The Typical SCL customer wears this label to make a statement and convey a characteristic of their personality through unspoken words.
She challenges the definition of style and beauty and aims to make each garment an independent design capable of holding its own but still conveniently resides within the scope of the collection. SCLs philosophy is to interpret a trend, a thought, a mood by de-constructing the obvious signals projected and re-defining the concept to produce silhouettes that acknowledge the past, have a sense of the future and recognises that there are no limits or boundaries to fashion just to ourselves...... "

I enjoy reading the answers Samantha has provided in this feature. I am so honored to be able to feature her on this blog and wishing her all the best in the future. Her next collection is going to be something I am looking forward to see in 2010. All photos are courtesy of Samantha Cole and if you want to see more of her collection, please visit her official website. You can also follow her on twitter.