Editéur Plus Editéur Plus - The Twelfth Issue | Page 48

48
EDITÉUR PLUS
SIES!ISABELLE
FASHION DESIGNER
BY BEKIWE HLONGWANE
C
lose your eyes and imagine a world
where fashion is accessible. Imagine
a world where a thriving socialite, as
well as the mother of three, find highly
fashionable pieces that suit their style
and body type in the same store. Now
open your eyes in the magical world of
SIES!isabelle, a world created by clothing designer
Isabelle Lotter.
Designing clothes has long been part of Isabelle’s
story. In a humble factory in Doornfontein, she
learnt the ins and outs of the fashion trade and it
was in 2006 that she started SIES!isabelle, a now
established brand. It was first launched at South
African Fashion Week in 2010 and has grown con-
siderably since then, having been part of SA Fash-
ion Week for seven years. Though doing shows for
Fashion Week provides motivation for designing,
Isabelle has grown to find motivation in designing
itself. ‘I wilt when I don’t create new things, the en-
ergy I use to design feeds itself.’
This year’s collection at Fashion Week was inspired
by ‘the modern mommy’, and what should wear
throughout her day. She is the woman who wakes
up to luxurious leisure-wear in cocoon silhouettes,
natural fabrics and warm tones. This modern wom-
an wears versatile dresses, in winter, summer or in
spring, as she sits in the park surrounded by friends,
watching her children play. By night, she dreams
of wearing decadent silk and embroidered mesh, a
truly magical way to end a day. Cotton was chosen
for a majority of this particular collection because
of the way it feels. ‘Fabric needs to feel good on
your skin while being the best quality.’ Interesting
prints were added to the fabric, ensuring that it is
both striking and classical in its appearance. Isabelle
was excited to add that she uses a local supplier
for this organic cotton. This is just one way that
SIES!isabelle remains socially responsible.
Isabelle enjoys chatting to people and sharing her
reasons for creating the items she has made. This
was why she enjoyed this year’s Fashion Week.
She preferred being able to talk to people as they
looked through her collection during the installa-
tion, as opposed to the traditional runway show. ‘I
get to transport them into my world and share more
of my brand and my life than just the clothing. I can
tell a story, which I love!’ she says excitedly. She
enjoys seemingly contradictory parts of the fash-
ion process: she loves both the freedom to dream
and as well as practically creating the pieces. It is a
magical process of transforming designs into items
of clothing people can fall in love with. Having a
small team means that there is some overlap with
regard to tasks and job descriptions. Isabelle does
EDITÉUR PLUS / THE TWELFTH ISSUE