BY HAND LONDON INTERVIEW

By Hand London is an independent pattern and fabric manufacturer. It's run by 3 sassy ladies: Charlotte , Victoria and Elisalex. They have 7 patterns all beautifully designed. They are one of my favourite pattern manufacturers as the clothing is styled as I would wear it on the website.Also each pattern comes with a booklet written in clear english explaining how to make the garment so I no longer have to get mum to "translate" patterns for me. All questions were answered by Victoria.

How old are you and where are you from?
Hey Issey, thanks for having us! I’m 24 and a born and bred Londoner.

What did you study at university?

It’s a bit of a mixed bag! I studied Fashion Design up at the University of Leeds, Charlotte went to Edinburgh to study Classics and Elisalex studied at Cordwainers to become a trained shoe maker.

What inspired you to start by hand London?
Well, even though we came from very different backgrounds, we had all individually noticed the ever-growing interest and popularity of the DIY and home sewing community and wanted to design womenswear sewing patterns which kind of bridged that gap between fashion and sewing. We aim for ‘up to date classics’ but basically we design things that we all love to wear - which can be tricky because we all have such different styles!

Who taught you to sew and how old were you?

My Granny taught me how to sew - she was a dancer so her and her mum used to make all her fantastic ballgowns- Elisalex is completely self taught while Charlotte is a relative newbie.

How old were you when you started dressmaking?

I made my first dress when I was 14, just after I’d got my first sewing machine for my birthday!

What was the last thing that you made?
We’re constantly sewing, as you can imagine, but the last thing I made for myself was an Elisalex Dress/Charlotte Skirt mash up in a lilac and orange 90’s print. It sounds horrendous but it wasn’t I promise.

What is the best thing you have learnt in the creative business world?

That thing’s will inevitably go tits up at some point, especially when you’re just starting out, but if you’re honest people are much more forgiving and more likely to listen!

Do you do any other crafts?
I actually don’t, but I wish I had more time to learn. I tried knitting but I’m very impatient so that was abandoned quite quickly.

What is your favourite thing you have ever made?
I think it’s my lace Victoria coat, maybe it’s a deep rooted narcissism but I literally wear it all the time!

What has been the best part of setting up by hand London?
It’s got to be the amazing and  people we’ve met through the online sewing community, they are endlessly supportive and we would be nowhere without them. We heart them a lot!

Thank you for the interview Victoria and for setting it up Charlotte. Good luck for the future and I can't wait for the holly pattern to be released!

ISSEY