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Interview with Sew That Jazz

Meet Louise and Laura from Sew that Jazz, a sparky duo who aim to show that loving fashion doesn't have to mean buying into the disposable culture. By Alice Blackledge

Sew that Jazz is a Bristol-based design team transforming old and unloved clothes into exciting new fashionforward pieces. Not only are they working some magic on unwanted garments, they're promoting a whole new attitude to fashion - one very in tune with the current rise in eco-consciousness. Creators Laura
Boyle and Louise Halswell want to create a generation of fashion lovers who are actively combining old and new and using their sewing skills to consciously recycle and reduce textile waste. It's an admirable mission, but one that the two seem to be taking in their stride.

So where did the original idea for Sew that Jazz come from?

It came from our love of making colourful, exciting clothes. We found that it was easy to find amazing
prints from clothes in charity shops and we love playing around with old things, making them into new fashionable garments

What are your backgrounds? Are they fashion or design-based?

Laura has a fashion background - she did a fashion and textiles degree and then worked as a freelance
knitwear designer. Louise has a fine art degree, which she was still doing when we first started Sew that Jazz - she has always made clothes in her spare time though.

How did the two of you meet and what spurred you on to start your own business?

We went to college together in Surrey, but only really got to know each other in Bristol through
university. Louise ran a market stall at the university and she called me to see if I wanted to
get involved because she knew I made clothes. From that, we got chatting about getting a studio
together, which we did in January. From working closely together in the studio, the business idea
was born and we entered a business competition- we came second in and won £2,500, which really
spurred us on to get our own label going.

What has been the hardest part of getting Sew that Jazz started?

The hardest part for us has been having to organise our time, because we both have other jobs. We work
all week in the studio and then all weekend in our jobs, so it has been very tiring! And also getting to grips with the business and admin side.

During the summer, you tour the UK with your own stall. Do you find people shop differently at festivals?

People do shop differently at festivals - they are more adventurous with what they buy, and
generally they go for the more crazy stuff because they want to add to their whole festival experience by wearing something new and exciting. Plus, the hoods we make go down really well, because they look great and keep you warm on the chilly nights.

Explain to us what happens in an appointment at your Hidden Boutique.

The Hidden Boutique is a chance for a very personalised shopping experience. The customer can come and design their own clothes with us, discuss ideas and materials. It is also a chance for people to come and try on clothes they may have seen online. We also have fancy dress for hire. 

How do you go about your design process?

We are usually inspired by the original garments - just by looking at them we get ideas about how we can make them better. We have so much stuff in our studio and we might see some other material that would go really well with something we have bought, so we experiment with ways of putting them together - some things work better than others and when we are happy with something, we try to repeat it again to build a little collection. For example, one of the things we make are sweatshirts covered with lace from wedding dresses. We also use old men's shirts to make girls' dresses.

Are you drawn to particular colours, textures or shapes?

We are drawn to anything bright and colourful, especially crazy patterns. We also love anything
glittery or with sequins on.

You sound really enthusiastic about your work, is it a lot of fun?

It is so much fun! We love being surrounded by loads of bright stuff, just looking around our studio,
dreaming up what we are going to make next! Theminute we start getting tired or frustrated, we just
imagine ourselves in a boring 9-5 office job and feel motivated straight away.

What would you say is the downside to the job?

The downside is not having enough time to see our friends and go out much. Also, getting to grips with
the business side, but we are getting there. 

A website has just launched selling your hoodies and the main online shop is due to go up soon - how have you found that?

We needed to get the website up really quickly so there were a lot of things to organise, like getting all the materials for the hoods - there are 25 different materials to choose from, then making
two versions of each hood, then the photoshoot, etc... but we managed to sort it all out in about two weeks. We've also had other orders and tight deadlines, so we've had many late nights. 

What are your hopes for the company?

Our hopes for Sew that Jazz are that our online shops are successful and we could continue to grow and sell our brand in more shops around the country and the world, with the hope of eventually opening a shop of our own in London.

If you weren't running Sew that Jazz, what do you like to think you'd be doing?

Laura: If I wasn't doing Sew that Jazz, I would still be making customised clothing but may also
have ventured into TV costume design - I like the idea of making all the wacky costumes for kids TV
programmes. Or I'd be making bespoke fancy dress for the rich and famous.

Louise: I would probably be doing exhibitions and making artwork. As long as I was doing something
creative, I would be happy.

What sort of ethics would you like to instill in your customers?

We aim to get people to think differently about ethical clothing, by showing them that up-todate,
fashion-forward items can be made from old stuff. We want to inspire them to try out a few
techniques themselves, so that instead of buying new clothes once the old ones are out of fashion,
they can change a few things and make their own clothes wearable again.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone out there who wanted to customise their own clothes, what would it be?

Experiment! Start with something simple, like turning jeans into a skirt, then add to it with a bow
or some sort of motif. The more you experiment, the more ideas you get. Play around with jersey
materials - because it is stretchy, you can't go too far wrong in terms of whether it fits or not. Never
be afraid - fashion is becoming more experimental these days, so discover your own personal flair.

To find out more about Sew that Jazz, visit sewthatjazz.co.uk and keep an eye out for
their stall at the summer festivals.