Bridge Magazine - Part 1

WORDS IMOGEN THORNTON
Fashion
FORwaRd
From tribal jewellery to bold arm candy...
three young designers to watch
POPPY SEXTON-WAINWRIGHT
ANd LAuREN SkERRITT
It is hard to believe it’s just
four years since this clever
duo met at university. It
was there that they first
recognised in one another
a simpatico approach to
design and, more specifically,
lingerie. They initially put
their instant rapport to use
as part of a college marketing
assignment, judiciously
registering the name of their
then theoretical business
along the way. And thus
Beautiful Bottoms was born.
That the brand, which
officially launched during the
Equestrian style
dominates at
Danielle Foster
girls’ finals, is now stocked
in Selfridges, Fenwicks and
Anthropologie is testament to
their drive, and the fact that
it was a long-held aspiration;
Skerritt dreamt as a child of
owning a lingerie business,
as was evidenced when she
uncovered a diary in which
she’d outlined her earlier
ambitions. For 2013, the pair
have added beach loungewear
to the covetable collection.
We say: Delicate fabrics,
arresting prints.
They say: “We’re inspired by a
mixture of nature, retro print
archives and travel.”
Beautiful Bottoms
combines pretty shapes
with bold prints
Buy: beautifulbottoms.com dANIELLE fOSTER
No sooner had ex-model Danielle Foster
graduated from the London College of Fashion
than she was asked to produce five bags
for Charlie Le Mindu’s SS11 show. It’s been
onwards and upwards ever since, with further
collaborations in the pipeline with Charlie May
for her AW13 collection.
We say: The stuff of instant obsession, her
bags draw inspiration from the 1940s and,
more curiously, equestrian bridle wear.
She says: “My style is relaxed, monotone and
I’d like to think there is an element of elegance.”
Buy: daniellefoster.co.uk
fIONA PAXTON
For Fiona Paxton, the fashion gene reared
its head early. “From the age of seven I kept
scrap books of my favourite catwalk reports.”
Armed with a surfeit of references, she
began her training in textiles before an
experimentation with jewellery saw her
change direction. It’s a move the fashion
elite has rejoiced ever since; Kate Moss
and Rihanna, among others, are fans.
Paxton’s SS13 collection is inspired by
cloud-watching and features iridescent
stones and laser-cut metals.
We say: A compelling mélange of the
tribal and contemporary.
She says: “Bjork’s fusion of fantasy and
modernity has been a big influence.”
Buy: fionapaxton.com
Designer NOTES
Fiona Paxton’s artful
fusion of the delicate
and the bold
BRIdGE MAGAZINE 19