William Tempest, spring/summer 2010
“Victoria looks amazing in my pieces! I think my clothes really suit her style.” It looks like things have come a long way for London College of Fashion (LCF) graduate William Tempest, especially being able to style fashion icon Victoria Beckham.
Starting out at LCF, Tempest comments that “It was a really great experience for me both in learning technical skills and also developing contacts in the industry. I think most importantly it gave me the time to experiment and develop an aesthetic.”
William Tempest, spring/summer 2010
Whilst studying Tempest worked with Giles Deacon, giving him an insight on how different aspects of the fashion industry are run. A word of advice from the designer is that “anyone looking to go into the fashion industry, do as much work experience as possible when at college”, as it pays off.
Upon graduating, after his show at Graduate Fashion Week, he was able to freelance and work for the Diesel brand, helping design the windows and store installations in the London flagship store. William Tempest’s first break into fashion came from getting into the final of Fashion Fringe in 2008, then going onto win the first Vauxhall Fashion Scout merit award, quoting that it was “an amazing opportunity”.
It was when working in Paris for Jean Charles de Castelbajac, that Tempest finally went about working on his own label, using Fashion Fringe as a platform to raise awareness about his label. Inspired by “lots of different things, but mostly beauty and structure”, Tempest has become one the designers to watch over recent years. Starting his design process firstly with his inspirations, which “come from everywhere. Everything you see, do and hear can start a design process”.
William Tempest, spring/summer 2010
Tempest’s newest line must have derived from a trip to the cinema after being inspired by none other than lothario spy James Bond. Describing the collection as “directional yet elegant, alternative yet timeless”, Tempest comments on the inspiration for his s/s 2010 collection: “My research for spring/summer started when I saw a 1940s lingerie advert in a vintage copy of Vogue Magazine. I loved the panelling and detailing on the garments. At the same time I also visited the Crazy Horse Paris and was watching quite a few of the old Bond movies and everything seem to fit together and felt natural.”
With so much achieved so far, Tempest designs to “makes women feel beautiful and look unique” and I’m sure Posh isn’t the only one who agrees.
Image credit: copyright William Tempest
William Tempest
London College of Fashion
Vauxhall Fashion Scout
