The Rise and Falls of Daisy de Villeneuve
It was with great pleasure that FBCers welcomed Daisy de Villeneuve to the March meeting at the Fakhreldine restaurant on Piccadilly. Stunning views of Green Park were the perfect back-drop to our bimonthly fashion business networking. It was all eyes on Daisy however, as she told the story of her career as a designer and illustrator.
Refreshingly frank and down-to-earth, the successful illustrator was happy to share her experiences with the group, good and bad. Daisy’s work first caught the eye of two publishers when she exhibited the work from her graduation show at the Euphoria boutique in London. The now famous felt-tip pen illustrations of faces were published in her book, ‘I Told You So’, and later reproduced in America under the title ‘What Goes Around Comes Around’. Drawn by hand, the brightly coloured faces are accompanied by a story of relationships told to the reader in the style of frank, chatty banter with a close friend. Later came the book ‘He Said, She Said’. A similar style and format that has been a hit with companies such as Topshop who first commissioned Daisy to illustrate a line of shoeboxes. Then came t-shirts, bags, hot water bottles…
“I thought it would be funny to make a career out of [using] felt-tip pens.” Said Daisy.
“So where were the falls?” you may ask. Publishers switching contracts, useless management, unique exhibits being thrown out with the rubbish, high street rip-offs… All have driven Daisy to be much more shrewd and responsible with her business dealings. Now the designer counts Moet & Chandon, the V&A and Boots among her clients, and with new designs for Habitat’s VIP range launching in August I think we can say that Daisy is one star strictly on the ascent!
Sarah Hardy Editor
