FBC co-founders Alison Whelan (L) and Courtney Blackman (R) with Joseph Velosa and Imran Amed
Amidst the crystal beads and magnificent showcase of sparkly eye candy at the Swarovski CRYSTALLIZED™ Concept Store & Café, sat a group of fashionistas, PR gurus, stylists, photographers, boutique owners and fashion editors. There was a buzz in the room as Joseph Velosa and Matthew Williamson took to their seats. Matthew sat elegantly poised in the front row in his signature style whilst his business partner, Joseph Velosa, had us captivated by his eloquence and clean–cut charm.
Imran Amed, FBC member and editor and co-founder of The Business of Fashion and Luxury Society, conducted the interview with stylish aplomb. Imran’s carefully considered interview questions directed at Joseph were enlightening and gave us a rare glimpse into the brand we have grown to love and associate with exotic charm and embellished glamour. We learnt about the brand’s overwhelming passion for retail, the spin-off collaborations with the likes of High Street giant H&M, future ventures with Bulgari and the imminent menswear collection. Joseph talked about bricks and mortar and the challenges of offering a customer experience on the net. He stressed the importance of brand-building and the value of partnership. He spoke about the impact of Matthew Williamson returning to the runway at London Fashion Week and the expansion into the Far East. We had a glimpse into the future of the brand with the faint scent of a fragrance label and home ware too.
Imran Amed and Joseph Velosa
We were privy to an audible feast of colourful detail expressed through the words of Velosa. Joseph spoke about separating womens wear into RTW and Escape, explaining in no uncertain terms that: ”Retail for us is a 3D manifestation of everything we believe a brand to be. The most powerful thing is for a brand to have a clear identity and for us, our focus is RTW”.
Imran concluded by asking Joseph to leave us with a ‘pearl of wisdom’ and with that Joseph threw his hands into the air and exclaimed: “Good Luck!”
Juliet Hutton-Squire, Editor of Adorn London & FBC Member
A feature from a jewellery editor wouldn’t be complete without a little jewellery focus. I managed to capture the jewels of some of those present on the day. Here’s what the members were wearing – ‘Street Style’ at FBC…
Matthew Williamson with his jewellery collection designed in collaboration with Swarovski
Courtney Blackman, co-founder of FBC and Managing Director of Forward PR was wearing an Ada Zanditon dress, a pink stone dome ring by Queensbee, the ‘Blade’ pendant by Annika Burman and ‘Galaxy’ hand-hammered silver necklace by Nikki Galloway all available from Mayfair’s Nude Jewellery as well as an Elsa Peretti bone cuff from Tiffany
FBC member Charlene Campbell, founder and Director of Style News was wearing a simple Tiffany heart necklace.
FBC member Lizanne Senior, Marketing Manager of Eksandar Ltd wears a layered statement piece by Danish designer, Monies
FBC member Michaela Wenkert from Lady Double You, wears an eclectic mix of jewellery finds inspired by travel. Her necklace was from Portobello, and arrangement of rings from Greece, Marrakech and New York City
FBC member Hatty Stevens form Harriet Maria Bespoke PR and Creative Consultancy wears delicate multi-layered neckwear by Alex Monroe and Penhaligon
FBC member Kira Heuer, owner of Biba&Sola wears multi-strand metallic beads from a boutique in LA
FBC member Mireia Llusia, Founder and Director of Milli Millu Ltd wears a gold bracelet from India
FBC visiting guest Jaqueline Adholla, Editor of G Fashion Week, wears a bold link choker from Carnaby Street, bangle stack from the High Street and geometric ring from Dubai
FBC member Deryane Tadd, Director of The Dressing Room wears a statement Fiona Paxton neckpiece
Photographs courtesy of Adorn London and David Wise photography
In association with media partner: VOGUE.COM
