25th April 2012 A few days ago we spoke to Heidi Chan, the designer behind Heidi London whose sunglasses caught my eye in Wolf and Badger in London (www.wolfandbadger.com). This is a collection that has an old-school vintage theme running through, brought up to date with modern details such as on-trend colour and pattern. In our interview, Heidi talked about her background and latest designs.
Can you outline the brand philosophy and your design intentions. The initial intention was to create a sunglasses wardrobe for sun lovers and snow bunnies, different silhouettes to suit different face shapes and complexions. Effortlessly wearable yet comtemporary, I wanted to see what would happen when my experience in womenswear design was applied to eyewear design. Now I am in my second season, I’m designing pieces that are simpler and more chic compared to the first collection, which was all about fun colours and patterns.
I love designing something that reflects the contemporary time and the current world. While the designs might change each season to reflect the now- one thing that never changes is that my ultimate goal is to bring happiness to people where I can, that’s the best thing; it’s the best feeling in the world when you see the sparks and excitment in other people’s eyes when they see what they love. I think that when people feel better, they look better, live better, and then they are happier. So my job is to make people feel good and look good.
Tell me about your training and why you chose eyewear. I trained in fashion design, and designed womenswear for several London based fashion houses before I set up my own label. It made sense to start at my roots, as I was brought up in the world of eyewear.
Could you describe your favourite sunglass style in your S/S 2012 collection. My personal favourite is the cateye – they suit my faceshape, I wear the khaki ones almost everyday when the sun is out.
Explain your plans for Heidi London. My first ever stockist was Harvey Nichols. We now have stockists from London to Tokyo, Dubai to St Barths. However, I like to keep the collection very exclusive, and aim to only have the best, most unique stockists in each city; I believe in long-term working relationships.
Tell me about the process you use for designing and producing your frames. I design the sunglasses as if I am designing a dress. In London, I pick the colours, dream about the shape, then make the pattern. The fit is as important as how a pair of sunglasses look, the level of craftmanship and the attention to detail. I work with a small factory with skilled employees who cut each acetate sheet, shape and polish the frames, before adding the temples and details. Then I check each one myself. I am looking for materials other than acetate for a new range, and as I am based in London, I’m looking in the UK.
Where can you get your sunglasses at the moment? We are stocked in luxury department stores through to unique fashion concept stores, and some of the very best and quirky opticians. www.heidilondon.com CN