Interview with designer Katie Rose

Interview with designer Katie Rose, currently in the midst of launching her new collection and tipped as the next big thing.

Katie is currently at Vivienne Westwood and has just returned from Poland where she showcased her new collection of knitted berets.

I myself have one of her beautiful mohair and Swarovski crystal berets and am always asked about it and where it is from - well now you know!

You can have hats custom made by Katie or browse her website for the latest range.

My inspirations:

Fashion inspirations wise I have always loved Vivienne Westwood. I saw her moc-croc platforms at the V and A at a Street Style exhibition in 1993; I was 8 and I fell in love with them! I love the way she takes things like orthopedic shoes and safety pins and creates something sexy and appealing from them. I also love Biba; Barbara Hulanikki was Polish like me, and she used the most amazing textures, prints and colours in her fabric. Ozzie Clark and Celia Birtwell's prints have always inspired me, I love the gipsy style patterns and floaty fabrics, also I think the dresses are very flattering and feminine.

My Icons: Again Vivienne Westwood because she broke out of a marriage and her job as a primary school teacher and was an enormous catalyst in creating the Punk movement in the 70's. This shows me that pretty much anything is possible if you have a courage and don't care what people think! A lot of people tell me my work 'isn't commercial enough' but I just think 'good!' because I don't want to please the general public, I just create things that I love. Its amazing to be working at Vivienne Westwood because I can wear what I want and feel natural. My other icons are Jane Birkin, Jean Seberg and Katherine DeNueuve for their style and beauty.

Beauty products: I love Bobbi Brown because their colours are so vibrant and glam rock! I love the ruby slipper nail varnish and the metallic eye liners. I love YSL lipstick 'Orange Fuzz' and 'Ruby Starlet'. They do really unusual shades such as peach and in between pink and red, they taste of peach and stay on for ages. I also love New York Red by Chanel which tastes of roses. I buy a lot of make up from Primark, they do glittery eye liner for £1 which is great!

Favourite hang outs: In London are anywhere that my friends are really but I absolutely adore Greenwich Park, Cafe Royal, BubbleGum in Deptford, The Amersham Arms, The New Cross Inn, Koko, Goddards Pie and Mash stall in Greenwich, The V and A, The National Gallery and The 100 club.

My style: Is eclectic. I wear a lot of vintage, prints, stripes, sequins, berets, I love to mix old and new styles together. I adapt a lot of my clothes, and accessorize with costume jewellery and vintage bags. I love my tassels on everything, I love high waisted jeans, shorts, skirts and dresses, and I love to change about 3 times a day! I was born in Hackney but grew up in Hastings which defiantly influenced me. Hastings is quite bohemian. Its full of artists, drunks, weirdos and musicians. A lot of friends are creative and very open. I did art foundation at Hastings College and it helped me to experiment.

A lot of things outside fashion inspire me. I take photographs everywhere. I love interiors of himes, things that people collect and the way they arrange things. I love the photography of Diane Arbus and Weegee. I love pre- Raphelite paintings especially Ophelia by Millet. I love films such as 'Belle De Jour' and 'Donkey Skin' and I am obsessed about collecting junk! My Polish Grandmother inspired my final collection. She has an obsession with hoarding because she lost everything in the war so she never throws ANYTHING away. She keep egg boxes, clothes, broken toys, bits of fabric. She was a dress maker so has a huge amount of amazing clothes and shoes from the 1920's till now. She still goes to bootsales and buys more. She has given a lot of clothes to me and I wear something from her house almost everyday. The problem is the house is falling to hits and one room has already burnt down and she has left it like that. I made a lot of my collection out of clothes from her house which were full of burns and holes, but it really produced something quite extraordinary and beautiful.

Favourite books: 'Whatever you think think the opposite' by Paul Arden'Kitchin' by Banama Yashimoto'The Alchamist' by P. Caleo.

Favourite designers: I have mentioned and artists Basquiat, Andy Warhol, Millet, Rubins and Pauline Botti and Freda Carlo.

Favourite food: Fish and chips and mushy peas, avocado, honey comb ice cream from The Ivy with hot chocolate sauce, my mums roast, moules and frites and a good old fry up.

Favourite films: Donkey Skin, Belle De Jour, Repulsion, Blow Up, Blade Runner, Walk the Line, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Breathless and Vivre Sa Vie Favourite wine; Pink champagne

Favourite songs: Me and Bobbi Magee by Janis Joplin, Tennessee Homesick Blues by Dolly Parton, Holy Rolla Novacane by The Kings of Leon, Black Dog and When the Levve breaks by Led Zepplin, Gone Gone Gone by Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, Hey Joe by Jimmi Hendrix, Wet Sand by The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, The nights too long by Sandy Rodgers, 20th century boy by T-REX

TV programmes: Desperate House Wives, Sex in the City and Top Gear

Dead or Alive table: Maralyn Monroe, Jimmi Hendrix, Andy Warhol, Johnny Cash, Elvis, Marc Bowlan, Pauline Botti, Edie Sedgwick, Eistein and my cat Pinky.

Shoes: over 120 only 3 designer and most of them vintage from my granny

Jewellery designers: The Great Frog, Hannah Martin, vintage Chanel and Johnny Rocket I also love native American Indian jewellery

Shoe designer: Vivienne Westwood

Handbags: I'm not really a hand bag girl but my must haves are an alligator clutch purse, a tasseled black leather shoulder bag and a fake book clutch bag

Trends I am loving: Are the maxi dress, orange nail varnish and floral print with goth style studs and black

Trend predictions: Are the round mirrored glasses that Paul McCartney wore will come back soon!

I would love to style Alison Krauss or Duffy cos they need help! And Johnny Depp, Robert Plant and Gwen Stafani because it would be fun, not that they need styling though.....Also Madonna cos she needs to to embrace old age and stop wearing leotards on stage!

Check out some of Katie's designs or have a beautiful hat custom made: http://www.katierosedesigner.co.uk