Sara Berman: Sister's Doing It For Femininity

10-04-2008 16:03

Flirty frills and romantic ruffles are what Sara Berman does best and with the summer trends being all about going back to our girly roots things are set to get bigger for one of fashion's fastest rising young labels.

Sisters Sara and Amiee Berman chat to Female First about fashion, family and femininity....

Growing up as the daughters of Charles Gray founder and successful womenswear designer Helene Berman meant that fashion was in their blood but although Sara founded her namesake label she wasn't always so keen to follow in her mother's footsteps.

“It's really funny because I really didn't want to but Amiee really did,” Sara confessed, “She's always loved fashion even as a little girl. She and mum would go off together shopping and I really didn't think it was my thing. I still actually don't like shopping. “

Fashion isn't about something that symbolises a woman it's much more about finding a way of dressing that expresses who you really areSara Berman

Despite this early reluctance Sara's passion for creativity led her to study at the infamous Central Saint Martins in London which has also spawned the likes of Stella McCartney, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen.

“It just kind of happened. I went to Saint Martins to do a foundation course then you get to chose what area you want to specialise in. I just thought fashion was a great way to creatively express myself,” explains Sara.

Even back in those early days when her own label was just a glimmer in Sara's eye her love for femininity and the female form was evident: “I was never one of these designers who wanted to do something really crazy,” she tells.

“I've always had my eye on the commercial side and I found fashion is a great forum for an expression of femininity. One of my first projects ever was about the female form and what it meant to be a woman wearing clothes. I've always been fascinated by clothes and femininity.”

This understanding of the great femininity and what looks good on a woman was given free reign when Sara graduated and, with a helping hand from mother, she set up the Sara Berman label under the safety net of the Charles Gray house.

Fast forward a couple of years and things were going great. Sara was expressing her creativity and women everywhere were taking note of the beautifully flirty fun dresses she was producing. However Sara was now pregnant and worried about what would happen to the flourishing business when she takes time off. Cue Amiee.

We live 5 minutes from one another, work opposite eachother and spend all our free time together. We're quite sad really! Amiee Berman

Aimee had followed the family passion for fashion and was also just about to finish her course at Central Saint Martins but didn't really know what she wanted to do.

“Sara and I always been really really close and we've always said we'd like to work together one day,” reveals Aimee, “It was a natural progression when I finished university and Sara was due to have a baby and was thinking who was going to run the business. So we ended up working completely together and it's brilliant.”

Mixing family and business has a history of causing trouble so taking Aimee on board at Sara Berman was a risky move. Plus who really wants to work a foot away from their sister everyday?

“We love it,” argues Aimee, “We live 5 minutes from one another, work opposite eachother and spend all our free time together. We're quite sad really!” Despite coming into the label late Aimee fits in completely with the feminine focus that Sara had already established. They work together to create beautiful garments that women just love to wear and this is something that has been instilled in both of them from birth.

“I think it's an understanding of being a woman is what's most important to Sara Berman,” explains Sara, “Aimee and I have been lucky that we have grown up in an unconventional manner. Our mother has always worked and has always been a very strong woman and all the women in our family always have been. “

“It never really crossed our minds that there was a glass ceiling or as women you couldn't do something or there was a set role for a woman. I think that's something that's always been a driving force in us.”

It's not just all about pretty bows and ruffles however- Sara and Aimee strive to make a woman feel good and feeling sexy is also a big part in that.

“We enjoy making clothes that we think are very very sexy but it's not about being very showy or flashy,” says Sara.

“It's about being a woman and understanding what it is about to be a woman in the sensual meaning of the word mentally and not just physically.”

“ Women have a very important role in society today. You're a mother, you're a career woman, you're a daughter, you're an aunty, you're a sister, you're a friend- you're all those different things and with all those roles it makes life very busy. Fashion isn't about something that symbolises a woman- as a dress has been in the past- it's much more about finding a way of dressing that expresses who you really are and that's what Sara Berman does.”

We know what women like and that they don't essentially want to be trendy, they want to be themselves. Women are much more savvy these days Aimee Berman

Aimee agrees and she thinks the media can damage a woman's self confidence: “We put a big focus on women being women and women feeling proud to be women and proud of their bodies and not being intimidated by this media culture of focusing on celebrity body, celebrity bronzing and celebrity dressing.”

“Women can feel very inferior because you can't live up to that image if you live a normal life like 99.9% of us do. We get up, we go to work, we've got family to see, we've got friends to see so we can't live up to this image that the media project.”

However Sara thinks that we are about to see a change in fashion as women rebel against trends and get back to what makes them feel good: “I think it's about being yourself. We've gone through a series of trends when it's been about the 50s, the 70s, the Mods, the this, the that, but you know what- now it's just about have a strong sense of self and putting together a look that matters to you,” she said.

“That's something we've always done. We know what women like and that they don't essentially want to be trendy, they want to be themselves. Women are much more savvy these days. They are exposed to so much media but they know how to make a choice. You don't see a woman walking down the street wearing every trend. She will pick and chose what works for her and that's something we feel quite strongly about.”