London is an incredible source of inspiration. I expected Paris to be a huge trendsetter, but the truth is that I haven’t seen any cool street style over there

TOP: Last to leave class that evening: Alice Coral at Central St Martin’s. ABOVE: Alice preparing a garment for her final show in June.

 HAD ARRANGED to meet designer Alice Coral at her local coffee shop, Café Brera, situated by the entrance to the Four Seasons Hotel in Canary Wharf overlooking the River Thames. She had taken time out her busy schedule preparing for her final show at Central St Martin’s this June. Once the lattes arrived we began.

Christopher Whitfield: You studied law in Brazil before moving to England. What prompted the leap from law to fashion?
Alice Coral: I always wanted to be a fashion designer, but it wasn’t available in my city at the time, so my second choice was law. It was a bit disappointing, but I finished the five years and got a diploma. Immediately after graduation, I took off to Europe because that’s where I wanted to be, first Italy for six months and then London. Once here, I had a sudden urge to follow my dream. 

CW: After Brazil, how did you find adapting to life in cosmopolitan London?
AC: Quite easy, as I lived in a big city back in Brazil. The difference is that London oozes history and it is so well preserved. Its architecture and style are totally different from what I grew up used to. It fascinates me. 

CW: Central St Martin’s is notoriously difficult to get into and has been the starting point for many of the fashion industry’s biggest and brightest names. How have they nurtured your vision, the vision that caused them to select you from the masses of applications?
AC: St Martin’s emphasizes creative design. They allow you to be totally conceptual or non-commercial and a bit mad. Because my work is so inspired by fantasy I think I definitely thrived there.

CW: During your placement year you worked for Montana in Paris, Spencer Hart in Savile Row and La Perla. Was it a productive year for you? Did your placements have an impact on your work?
AC: Ideally I would have wanted to work with Galliano for a year, but that didn’t happen, so I tried to diversify to see how different companies act in the fashion market-place. In that sense, it was very interesting. I had a great time at Montana, where I was allowed more creative input, and being in Paris was a bonus.

CW: Are there any particular designers you admire or have influenced your vision in any way?
AC: I am a big admirer of John Galliano. I relate to him because of his ability to create a world of fantasy, a concept rather than only clothes. He puts up a magical show and he’s influenced me all the way.

CW: Images of strong, independent women feature prominently in your designs. How do men fare in your world? Will we see you branch into a menswear collection?
AC: I am crazy about men’s shirts and fabrics. I actually pay a lot of the attention on what City guys wear. Fine tailoring is a dying craft, unfortunately, and I feel really sorry for it. I have considered menswear. I would like to work with bespoke garments: there is always space in the market for luxury apparel.

CW: Do you have any sponsorship, was it hard to obtain and, if so, in what ways has it helped you with creating your final collection?
AC: Sponsorship is definitely hard to come by nowadays. I have tried many companies but young designers are pretty much left to their own means. Financing four years at university plus a full final collection is very expensive. I am still searching for financial help. Lucire has kindly offered to sponsor me with media coverage, and it’s important to get people to know about what we are doing.

CW: Where do you go or how do you seek inspiration for your designs? Is it possible to be truly original anymore?
AC: I look all around me at all times, Apparently, I am fascinated by strangeness and the bizarre, as quoted by my tutor Janet Lance-Hughes. I admit I find beauty in very ugly things, like dark alleys and derelict buildings—they are like gothic fairy tales for me; I like to find cartoonish images in an urban environment. However, my biggest passion is Japonism. Being Brazilian also makes colour very important to me. I think that being able to blend all aspects of life around you is what makes great clothes, like D&G do so well with Sicily.

CW: Is London the fashion capital of the world, as most of the cutting-edge designers seem to blossom from here?
AC: Yes, London is an incredible source of inspiration. People have such a good dress sense here and it’s so multicultural, you get styles from all over the world. It’s fascinating. I expected Paris to be a huge trendsetter, but the truth is that I haven’t seen any cool street style over there.

CW: Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?
AC: What I would really love to see is people all over the world wearing my designs. •

Alice still seeks additional sponsorship to help with her graduation show. If you can assist, please email her care of our feedback form and we’ll connect you.