Ballard Of Interview

Ballad Of…Your A/W 2011 collection has a very modern, hard edge to it, but how would you describe it?

Flik Hall…Yes I guess we could say it has a harder edge, it’s certainly more mechanical in a way. The collection is based around the problems of free will and to what extent we are subject to unalterable authority. I am interested in questions such as: ‘How much of the past controls the future?’ and ‘Is the universe no more than a chain of events following one another according to the law of cause and effect?’ Finally, if the universe consists of a series of events stretched across a period of time there must be a beginning, there must be other force/being outside it must have caused the beginning. I am not stating through my work that I think this is the case – there is too much to take into account, but it’s an exploration of possibilities.

The shapes and prints illustrate what it might be for another being or mass looking ‘bird’s eye’ into our world. The foam representing rooftops of houses, both man made and mass produced. This follows through to prints abstracted from images of villages from the sky but in more exuberant colours. Another key material in the collection is made up of holographic squares used in panels of some of the garments. I have used it to give a trompe L’oeil effect of looking inside a 3 dimensional shape representing the world.

B…Do you design clothes for yourself, if so how would you describe your style?
Or for a ‘Flik Hall Girl’, and if so, what’s she like?

 F…The Flik Hall girl is uncompromising, meticulously aware, and clear about what she desires.

B…Where else do you draw inspiration from – for example, what inspired your S/S 2011 baby arm print?

 F…I draw inspiration from around me as much as I do from books and research. I am particularly interested in how impressions or original perceptions of things form. What strength do these impressions have, when you later think about it once the idea is based entirely of your memory of awareness at the time of that experience? I am also interested to what extent the impact of outer perceptions such as sensory experience, and inner perceptions such as mental experiences have on us and how they form ideas. I find that sometimes I might not realize that something has inspired me at the time or even interested me, but it re-occurs as a much stronger idea. I suppose you could say I’m inspired by how the mind works.

The ideas for the baby arm print transpired from imagery of a collection of dolls that were part of the memorabilia of Mexican families displaying alters in their homes.

B…Why do you think you love to work with print so much, and what is your process behind creating one?

F…For me print is so much more than just an image translated statically onto a material, it has the ability to completely make a garment. Aesthetically print is so dynamic in how it can be used; it can totally change the form of a garment through the angle of its placement. There are endless possibilities of what you can do with it and digital printing enables so much more lucidity and control than any other medium.

B…Working for Henry Holland and Giles Deacon – did these experiences inspire you to start your own label?
If not, then what did?

F…Yes they did in many ways. Working there I learnt how everything works, the realization that I could actually do it myself became a lot clearer as I understood how to begin. When I worked at Giles women used to come in for private fittings and I just wanted it to be my clothes. I loved the energy in the studio at Giles and how experimental it all was, it was really rewarding because we were working on beautiful pieces that when they were finished you felt like it was really worth it. I think when you are working on someone else’s clothes for hours on end you have to really love what you’re contributing towards I guess I’m quite competitive and if I never tried to start my own label I would always be wondering what if.

B…What is your favourite trend that came through from A/W 2011?

F…I like that cropped flared trousers made an appearance a lot.

B...Who is currently your favourite designer and why?

F…Basso and Brooke I think I will always admire purely for their absolute skill in print design. I think Holly Fulton has give something to women that is perfectly hand in hand with modern sophisticated taste.

B…Name 5 of your favourite things at the moment.

F…‘Why Look at Animals’ by John Berger. Prada’s platform Brogues. Decorating the walls in my House. A picture I bought last week of a black cat and a washing line. Kate Mac Dowell’s (artist) entangled porcelain tentacles.

B…And 5 things you hate at the moment.

F…Working out accounts. Sourcing leather that takes print well. Pins seem to stick to my studio floor and it really frustrates me, perhaps by the end of the year I will be working on a whole sea of pins. People wearing shorts when it’s definitely not summer. Having glue stuck to my hands on a permanent basis.

B…Tell us an interesting random fact about yourself.

F…I quite like to paint eggs.

B…Who would be your ideal person to design for (alive/dead/famous/not famous) and why?

F…I don’t have a muse, I don’t think it’s important as I think my work appeal’s to a array of different types of women that have similar values.

B…Finally, what do the next 6 months hold for Flik Hall?

F…Probably having headaches almost constantly from the never ending banging in my studio – we are punching millions of holes into leather. We have done one day of it and I went to bed with it still resounding in my ears. The finished outcome will be worth it but it may take a month which could be quite testing. I want to continue to grow my label in my own way. I would like to say that I have planned my time better this season; therefore I will have more time to test new materials I want to try working with. I am very keen to branch out into other products such as accessories and shoes but not in a rush, just when it feels right but I would like to keep the business fairly small and exclusive. I like the idea of doing a show, but i don’t feel it is the only system to market a label and i am interested in finding other ways to promote the collections to press and buyers alike.

B…And the next few years – where do you hope to be or have achieved?

F…At the moment, I am focusing on my strengths in using certain materials and reinterpreting how they can be used and each season the collections will grow steadily. I like to introduce new things but sometimes the leap of what I’m inspired by each season is enough; I don’t want to over complicate things. If I begin to develop too many things in the same season that might not be suitable for the current season I start planning how things are going to evolve along time ahead. Some may see this is a valuable process but i prefer to reduce planning ahead as i feel my work will be less fluent than if it’s done for the moment. I am very keen to branch out into other products such as accessories and shoes but not in a rush, just when it feels right but I would like to keep the business fairly small and exclusive. I like the idea of doing a show, but i don’t feel it is the only system to market a label and i am interested in finding other ways to promote the collections to press and buyers alike.

 The lovely Flik