Holly Russell was a hit straight out of her BA when her collection caught the eye of Nicola Formichetti and was swept onto the back of Lady Gaga. She’s gone on to dress a roster of talented ladies, including Alice Delall and Marina Diamandis.

Having polished off her act via an MA at the RCA, Twin caught up with the fashion designer and took a sneak peek at her graduate collection, shot by Nicole Maria-Winkler. All irridescent tailoring and holographic suiting, her pieces are super sharp and sure to be as at home on the stage as in our wardrobes.

Why did you become a fashion designer?

I’ve always been interested by style and my fascination with image just grew as I got older. I feel as if I was lured into fashion as apposed to choosing it.

What’s your first fashion memory?
I used to make shoes out of paper when I was really young and walk around the garden in them.

What’s your own style about and is it important to your work?
I think my own style definitely influences my work and often the other way around. As with my work I like combining masculine elements with soft feminine fabrics. I wear variations of pretty much the same thing, long silk shirts, black jeans and chunky iridescent jewellery that I have collected over the years. I made neck cuffs and belts from moulded iridescent glass in my collection which was a definite reference to my own style. My makeup is probably what defines me the most and is part of my identity.

What fabrics and techniques are you drawn to?
I like taking luxury fabrics and treating them in a way to make them a bit younger and have more or a grungy feel such as fraying the edges and colouring the fabrics to make them look bruised. With this collection I hand painted all the fabrics; in the pale outfits I created subtle shades and tones to look as if the colour had been drained from the garments and in the darker outfits I drenched the fabrics with dye and painted them several times to build up a density and richness.

I combined tough buffalo leather with silk organzas and crisp iridescent jacquard with transparent chiffon. The iridescent jacquard all started out being a white, pearly colour but through sampling I realised that by painting the back of the fabric then heating it and dying it several more times, the colour variations of the iridescence changed. It was like a magical scientific experiment!

What are the most important and enjoyable aspects of your work ?
Creating clothes that I am proud of and that portray a mood as well as an aesthetic. The most enjoyable aspect is when you look at it and realised you have achieved this. Unfortunately that moment only lasts for a minute before you start pulling it apart and wishing you had done it differently.

Your designs have already been worn by the likes of Lady Gaga and Marina Diamandis, what influence has costume design and music had on your work?
I’ve always loved looking at the Hollywood actresses of the Golden Age such as a Rita Hayworth and Joan Crawford and the costume designers of that time, in particular Gilbert Adrian. Those women had such an effortless and refined sense of glamour. I definitely try to create an elegant but powerful image for women.

Can you name some of your favourite inspirations for your work – people, places, ideas?
My taste and aesthetic is something that has grown and developed for years and every time I’m inspired by something it’s like adding another layer to my catalogue of research. Even if I look back to some of my work from years ago, I can see a direct correlation to my taste now, I’ve always known what I like and don’t like. Therefore there’s not one particular place or person that inspires me, it’s a multitude of things.

What are you working on at the moment?
At the moment I’m focusing on getting a job within a large fashion house, hopefully in Paris so that I can learn more and be more knowledgable about the industry for when I set up my own label.