Visiting Coco Fennell’s sample sale event was an eye opening experience. It was held at The Hoxton – the venue’s black glass exterior was easy to spot on Great Eastern Street.
Arriving for the advertised start time of 10:30, I found the atmosphere was very laid back and not at all intimidating like some fashion events. My first thought had been simply to photograph the clothes on display, but when I found Coco and her colleagues still setting up, I thought I might as well ask for an interview – and she kindly obliged.
In case you don’t know, Coco Fennell is a young British designer who enjoys creating extravagant styles of clothing to fit curvy shaped women at reasonable high street prices.
She started her enterprise from her flat in Shoreditch when she was 22. Six years later she has created a successful business which attracts the attention of global celebrities such as Rihanna. She says she ‘had never felt so proud’ as when RiRi wore one of her Graceland jumpsuits.
You might think it’s been made up to sound like the world famous Paris designer Coco Chanel, but Coco Fennell is her real name and not a brand name.
London’s Coco uses mainly moss crepe and silk to get the retro look which she is associated with. She refers to these as the “flattening material of the older generations.”
I asked if she would branching out in new directions. But Coco replied that for the time being she would stick to just clothing.
When the clothes she comes up with are as good as these, that’s no cause for complaint.