Just Who Is...Luella Bartley?

27-11-2008This Month 27th Nov 11:00

The buzz surrounding this lady at present has almost unrivaled in terms of coverage and praise. Having just been crowned as Designer of The Year at Tuesday night's British Fashion Awards, the world has literally gone mad for Luella Bartley.

For us 'fashionbodies' though, this sort of praise and accolade has long been overdue, as she's been the one to watch for a few seasons now. You only have to look at her SS09 show to see how creatively different and quirky she and her designs are, and to be awarded this sort of honour firmly secures a place among fashion royalty.

This award is the culmination of a truly successful couple of years for the down-to earth designer, who was already on to a winning streak back in February when she was crowned International Designer of the Year by Elle Magazine.

So just what is so special about this particular designer, which makes her a cut above the rest? Well, she started like so many others at Central St Martin’s and initially turned her back on designing to pursue a career in fashion journalism, working at British Vogue and Dazed & Confused among others.

However the allure of designing proved too strong and she soon returned to what she knew best, launching her 1999 collection, called 'Daddy I Want A Pony.' It was low-key, yet stylish and had a strong British theme behind it, which proved popular with the fashion pack. Next season Bartley secured a show at London Fashion week, a place where new, creative talent is said to flourish more than anywhere else.

‘Daddy, Who Are The Clash?' was one of the most anticipated shows of the week, and featured The Clash and Kate Moss as eager audience members. Her funky rock 'n' roll, punky edge was a huge success and made Luella the new queen of quirk. By her third collection, she had taken the rock theme even further and used inspiration from The Clash’s Paul Simonon’s comment that ‘pink is the only true rock ‘n’ roll colour’.

Bartley showed models in graffiti dresses strutting down the catwalk, and that in turn propelled the designer to international fame. By next season the young Luella was being shown in Milan. The following season saw Bartley dabbling in the world of accessories, which featured Gisele Bundchen opening her New York debut show carrying a handbag called the ‘Gisele’.

True to form the bag was a major success and it firmly put the designer on the international radar. As a consequence of this she decided to stay in New York for the next five years as she developed her brand. Her big 'break' so to speak, came when she designed a hugely successful range for Mulberry, which every model carried down the catwalk and then went on to become one of the brand's biggest sellers for years to come.

Now an established talent, Bartley has settled in Cornwall with her three children and partner, in addition to designing one-off collections for Sony, MAC and O'Neill. In 2006 Luella was selected to launch Target’s Go International line, which saw her create a teenage line for the USA store.

Last September the fashion world held their breath as she returned to the London stage to show her new collection, and it also coincided with the opening of her flagship store in London’s West End.

With Celebrity fans said to include Cate Blanchett, Lily Allen and Chloë Sevigny, this 'Designer of The Year' is set to stick around for a few seasons to come yet- Roll on AW09.

FemaleFirst- Laura Terry