I had an opportunity to meet and interview an incredibly talented Womenswear and Accessories designer Kirin Atwal who presented her collection in London Ethnic’s and Capital FM’s LFW Closing party at Rise club on 17th of September 2013.
Kirin Atwal is a British-born London based Womenswear and Accessories designer with a rich family heritage from Dubai. She studied in London and graduated with a degree in Fashion and Textiles from Middlesex University’s fashion department.
Tell us your story, where did it all start for you? Why did you go into fashion?
I’ve always been interested in fashion. Since young days, when I chose to do textiles and art. Then I progressed to A level whilst I was doing bigger, merchandise and sale. Also taking art, textiles and photography. That was a good blend and a good platform to enter a fashion industry.
What is your brand’s signature?
I think all my outfits are very clean, and simple. I think that is my signature. Colours and schemes are very season-to-season, but everything is very clean.
How would you generally describe your collection that you are going to present in London Fashion Week 2013?
The inspiration behind it was Dubai and I saw Dubai as a jewel desert. Middle East, this is where my inspiration started. Because I was travelling, I came back and started my projects. I started just when I came back. I was in Dubai, Abudhabi, Saudi Arabia. I was spending so many weeks there. This is how my pre-collection excelled. Overall, it has to be jewel in a dessert, just because of the purity of the religion and culture, where the whites came from. With the contrast of this westernised city, with these pops of colour coming through, which is where the bold checks almost come through, more traditional against the modern access aspects coming through.
It’s a contrast but it works together.
In your collection you also have 6 oversized clutch bags that accessorize the look. How did you come up with this idea?
Yes, each outfit is finished of with an oversized clutch bag. My main inspiration was Dubai, the Arabic culture, they very fond of the accessories, just because this is how they can show their wealth through their bags, jewellery, shoes. Women in Dubai go crazy with accessories cause of the culture which is pretty strict. So that was another way to show the culture off and the wealth combination. Just to make a big statement with an oversized clutch bag, which you can’t miss. Colour scheme comes from the pictures of my travelling. The cluth bags were a statement for the overall outfit.
Could you name a designer that is your favourite and you would relate to the most?
It definitely has to be Celine. The collections, accessories are amazing. Everything blocks the colour, no fuss, it’s just very simple, clean, but effective.
Are you not afraid to be too simple for London’s crazy, extrevagant fashion as it is? Are you not scared to be too simple?
Absolutely not. I think simplicity is difficult. You need to get the balance right. It’s classic. If you get it right, you can’t go wrong.
What do you think is coming up in fashion?
Well the trends are always changing. Definitely monochrome, animal prints, textures. Also whites.
Kirin Atwal is a designer that brings up the simplicity into fashion industry, which is highly missing in the modern world of extravagancy and designers’ desperate attempts to stand out by creating overwhelming outfits. Let’s beautiful colour tones and shapes of Kirin’s collection talk for themselves.
http://londonethnic.com/kirin-atwal/
London Ethnic’s LFW 2013 closing party at Rise Club
Pictures taken by Mike Mzajac
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