Countdown To LFW: Alexandra Wall
"Our aim is to reconnect you to your clothing, rebel against fast fashion and pave the way for a modern, refreshing and sustainable future. let's take this journey together. "
In the run up to London Fashion Week, we wanted to interview some of the UK’s finest up and coming designers! Alexandra Wall is a 25 year old fashion designer from Cardiff who established her own brand at 23! Xandra Jane explores gender fluid sustainable streetwear through zero waste processes and up-cycled luxury.
How would you describe your design aesthetic in 3 word?
Sustainable, contemporary, rebellious.
What is your creative process when designing?
It varies time and time again, evolving with experience and inspiration. In general terms I become fascinated by a concept and explore it every way I can in the time I allocate. One of the luxuries with slow fashion is a larger window of time to fully realise your designs to their maximum potential. I sketch, drape, sample with fabrics, play around with pattern cutting and eventually produce a collection which is often edited down to a small final release collection. Anything that doesn’t quite make the cut either gets held back for future inspiration and development or donated to my many awaiting friends to avoid waste.
What has been your favourite project so far?
That truly is difficult to elaborate on, so I’m actually going to throw a curve ball away from my collections and say the Digital Pattern Library which we offer through the blog. Our strap line is to “Reconnect you to your Clothing” and to truly offer that we needed to make designer fashion less exclusive and more accessible. So now our customer can download a sewing pattern at a fraction of the premium price and obtain their own garment alongside the accompanying tutorial on the blog. We offer a full range of sizes and really listen to what our customer wants and provide those designs for them. It’s also a great step forward in sustainable design as we only produce one garment and the rest are digitally downloaded and made to order. Minimum waste, maximum style.
How do you avoid getting stuck creatively?
I live on a farm, on a mountain overlooking the city of Cardiff. If I’m greeted with a designer block then I detach myself from work and head outdoors, away from the confinements of a room, equally I also find burying my head into a book has the same effect and transports me away from the creative stresses. It’s important to give myself a break and not feel pressured by occasional hurdles, I need to overcome them one way or another so really what is the point in worrying?
Who would be your dream client?
I would love to dress FKA Twigs, her style is so unconventional and yet effortless she just oozes owning her own sense of being, which I think epitomises the entire point of fashion, to extend your personality and dress as ‘you'.
It is really interesting that your brand focuses on gender-fluid sustainable streetwear! What do you think the fashion industry could do to improve and decrease waste?
Communicate with honesty and transparency. Every garment we sell is assigned a unique journey card highlighting not only where the fabric has been sourced or who was involved in the process but how long it took to construct and each step from creation to wardrobe. We jump at the chance to answer any questions about our brand and hold our hands up to admitting we’re not perfect, as perfection doesn’t exist. Our sustainable approach is still a journey we are taking too, but the journey cards invite the customer to join us and look not only at the style but into the story of our designs.
You can check out Alexandra’s brand Xandra Jane, her blog and all her social media handles right here!