Worked with a super cool new fashion designer, William Tempest.

What is the name of your collection?
William Tempest: Noir Style… I was inspired by actresses such as Rita Hayworth and Katharine Hepburn, and played with the stereotypes that regularly feature in film noir movies, from the femme fatal to the private detective. The use of slats and straps in some of the garments references the use of harsh lighting, shadows and angles in the genre.

When did you graduate?
William Tempest: London College of Fashion - Womenswear July 2007

Are you working on a new collection?
William Tempest: At the moment I’m working in collaboration with
Diesel, where I have designed the new installations, window displays and
denim treatments for the launch of the new Kings Road store. When the project is finished I’m hoping to start work on some new ideas which I will be able to turn into a new collection.

Where are you from?
William Tempest:Cheshire, England

Are there any family members that inspired your work?
William Tempest: Thinking about it quite a few people in my family are creative. My Grandad Len used to love painting and his father worked with shoes. My Grandad Geoff is a structural engineer and produces amazing drawings in CAD and my sister is a florist. My grandma used to do lots of knitting for everyone. It’s good being able to create make
something from scratch.

What is your signature? Is there a specific fabric or print that you are known to use? Or a detail?
William Tempest: I love shape making and tailoring and mixing them together. I love working with beautiful wools, silks and leather and making fabrics act in unexpected ways.

Who are your favourite designers that you look to for inspiration?
William Tempest: Balenciaga and Lanvin

Where are you working now?
William Tempest: Giles Deacon and Diesel

Who are your dream stockists?
William Tempest: Libertys, Harvey Nichols, Browns, Independant Boutiques, Selfridges

Which celebrities would you most like to see wearing your collection?
William Tempest: Sienna Miller, Bjork

Do you remember your dreams?
William Tempest: Yes, quite often I wake up and can remember my dreams vividly, I often have really imaginative dreams sometime in bright colour. Sometimes I have dreams that I have dreamt before several years ago, or from when I was a child.

Do you eat breakfast?
William Tempest: Yes I always eat breakfast, usually toast and a glass of
orange juice

Do you have a pet?
William Tempest: I don’t have a pet now. But I used to have lots of pets when I was younger. I’ve had a few rabbits, guinea pigs, a budgerigar, fish and some dogs at one point. I really like macaw parrots though, it’s amazing they can speak.

Favourite food, restaurant?
William Tempest: I’m vegetarian but I like simple english food and also Italian pizza and pasta

Favourite places to shop
William Tempest:Dover Street Market, 59 Broadwick Street, Selfridges

I was styling some of the female contestants for ITV’s entrepreneurial reality show Tycoon in Reiss just off Regent Street.

Interview with ½ of Day Dream Nation:

Jing Wong

360 Fashion:
I love the name Daydream Nation, how did you come up with it and what does it
mean to you and the label?

Daydream Nation: It was the name of Sonic Youth’s album, but it only struck me one day
when I read about a theatre director called Phelim who believed that society
has a ‘Racism against Daydreamers’. Being born in the rigid Hong Kong
education system that stifles creativity, we found it our mission to cultivate
a culture of imagination that links us back to the poetics of life, integral to
a society’s creative potential.

360 Fashion:
There seem to be a few sister and brother design duos out there. Do you enjoy working together? Do you think it gives you an advantage over
other design partnerships? Do you ever
fight?

Daydream Nation: It is a Love/Hate relationship. We know each other so well collaboration becomes economical; we know
each other’s strengths and weaknesses and we don’t have to explain things a
hundred times, but seeing your sibling all day at work and after work can be a
little too much. We can be as frank as
possible to each other (that’s a good thing) and we know whatever happens we
still love each other. And yes of course we fight,
but in a very civilized manner, so blood is spared…

360 Fashion:LondonUK
You’re from Hong Kong and spend a great deal of time there, but have a studio
in and consider yourselves a abel. How does that work?

Daydream Nation: London To be exact, we have finally based ourselves in Hong Kong as a Hong
Kong label for the economy of production, but we were both trained in London, so creatively we still feel very akin to the London spirit.

360 Fashion:
Have you always wanted to have a fashion label?

Daydream Nation: Kay always wanted a clothing label as far as I know, and I just want to
do my Visual-led performances. What we
are doing is neither fashion nor theatre. It is more like two people, two friends being really interested in
creating and neglecting the man-made definitions of different creative genres.

360 Fashion:
What is your signature? Is there a
specific fabric or print that you are known to use? Or a detail?

Daydream Nation: It depends on the story we are telling that season.
360 Fashion: What are some of your
favorite colors, patterns, weights of material to work with?

Daydream Nation: We are in love with creamy
colours and details made with a handmade touch, such as smocking.

360 Fashion:
Who are your favorite designers that you
look to for inspiration?

Daydream Nation: Hussein Chalayan, Victor & Rolf, Jessica Ogden

360 Fashion:
Which celebrities would you most like to
see wearing Daydream Nation?

Daydream Nation: Emily Simone, Joanna Newsom, Charlotte Gainsbourg, the sisters from
CocoRosie.

360 Fashion:
What outside aspects inspire your
designs?

Daydream Nation: Puppetry, dance, theatre, film, photos, music and the Sham Shui Po area
of Hong Kong .

360 Fashion:
What were some of the struggles you had
to overcome when beginning the label?

Daydream Nation: Finance, Accounting, Planning, Administration etc. In short, everything a kid
hates doing.

360 Fashion:
What is the name of your current
collection and why?

Daydream Nation: SS08 is called ‘Good Morning I’m Sleeping’. The state of daydreaming is ideal for seeing
seemingly dull things with new eyes.

360 Fashion:
Where is the collection currently sold
and who are you dream stockists?

Daydream Nation: Our AW07 collection will be stocked in Harvey Nichols, Hong Kong;
Labour of Love and the Old Curiosity Shop in London; Gallery Simone, Paris;
Goggle, Coppenhagen; 2 tul aura, Belgium; and Ants in my Pants, Madrid.Dover Street Market in London would be our dream
stockist. They did come to our show in
February. Now they just need to buy in
our collections!

360 Fashion:
Do you both daydream?

Daydream Nation: So far our lives have been a dream, too good to be true. So yes, I suppose.

Went to the see Don Giovanni with Toronto opera director Penelope Cookson. It’s so great to see people dressed up for an event, and of course you can preorder your champagne for intermission!