“Personal style is about taking a risk,
trying something unexpected,
but always being true to yourself.”
~ Ralph Lauren
~ How we Fashion Retail signage across London.
“Style is the only thing you can’t buy. It’s not in a shopping bag, a label, or a price tag..” — Alber Elbaz
“Paul Smith shop was fun as it was in the heart of Soho and surrounded by many great boutique retailers bars, cafes and makers. The gold went on like a dream and the 2 facades glowed in fresh, Italian gold leaf…”
FASHIONING MODERN HAND PAINTED RETAIL SIGNAGE
“Elegance is not standing out, but being remembered.”
— Giorgio Armani
Tactics, fitness, stroke ability, adaptability, experience, and sportsmanship are all necessary for winning.
Fred Perry
Fashion never stops, does it? And I love retail. I was brought up in Palestine before it was Israel, and there were no shops. I had never seen a doll in my life before I came to England. – Barbara Hulanicki, BIBA
How Biba Founder Barbara Hulanicki Rewrote the Rules of Fashion
When you’re designing, you can’t wear anything that’s too “strong” yourself because you’re too conscious of what you’re wearing. You’ve got to sort of blank yourself out. Colour-wise, I was always in black and I still am now. When we first started, in 1964, black was a no-no colour. It was a rebel colour. Most young people didn’t wear it – can you imagine?
How did you get your start in fashion?
I went to Brighton School of Art [now University of Brighton, School of Art and Media] to do fashion, but I felt like it would take too long, and I was impatient to leave home and be out on my own. I thought illustration might be quicker. There was tons of illustration work in all the fashion houses in Paris, so I was able to see all of that, which was amazing—and amazing how boring all the clothes were. I did four years, and it was enough. My husband, Fitz, said, “I think you should try to get back to designing.” Mail order was growing like mad, like online shopping is now. I could run a drawing in the newspaper, and we would sell the garment that way. It was absolute hell! Fitz and I had to pack orders at night because we both had jobs during the day. And we were just about to give up when Felicity Green from the Daily Mirror called me and said, “I want you to design a dress for us.” So I came up with a pink gingham dress that was very cheap—25 shillings. In the end, we sold 90,000 dresses, all one size and one color.
You’re in your 80s, and you’ve never stopped creating. You did the interiors for Chris Blackwell’s hotels, you just illustrated the new Bottega Veneta campaign, and for spring, you’re launching a new label, Hula, with the digital fashion platform BrandLab360. What keeps you going?
Fashion never stops, does it? And I love retail. I was brought up in Palestine before it was Israel, and there were no shops. I had never seen a doll in my life before I came to England. So I was just so excited about being able to buy my own clothes and things. And that excitement never went away. In the ’60s, the posh old women would arrive with their drivers to the department stores and work their way up floor by floor. They’d shop, have their hair done, then their makeup done, then have tea and drink themselves stupid. It was all lifestyle! And I think that would work again now, because who wants to worry about fighting traffic and parking and all that boring stuff? I’m watching that space very, very carefully. I’d still love to do a shop.
I don’t do fashion. I am fashion.
Coco Chanel
Retro
An adjective that means similar to styles, fashions, etc. from the past, or going backwards or looking at the past
Product List
Retail Classic Signs
Trad-Mod Vintage Twist sign stylists.
Fashionista New
For Minimalists
Oh so cool Minimal shop signs.
Areas we cover:
North London Sign Writer, Central London Sign Writer, East London House Numbering Sign Writer, North London House Numbering, Central London House Numbering, Traditional House Numbering Sign Writer Hackney, Council Sign Writer. N16 Traditional Sign Writer, Central London Office Sign Writer, Central Traditional Signs WC1, WC2, W1, W2, Signwriter in N1, N2, N3, N4, N16, N17, E2, E3, E4, E17 NGS Signwriter and Graphic designer.
