#MODELLOG || Danielle Foster

We simply couldn't wait to catch up with the incredibly talented Danielle Foster - in case you've been living under a rock for the past couple of years, Danielle is a successful accessory designer, model and young entrepreneur who knows what she wants and is most certainly not afraid to get it! And her fearless approach to life has seen this London College of Fashion alumni showcase her graduate collection alongside Charlie Le Mindu's quirky millinery during London Fashion Week, to launching her own accessory line from which her first ever collection sold out like hotcakes! In fact - there isn't much we know that this talented young lady cannot do, but what we do know is that she definitely has a bright future ahead and we are very excited to watch her grow into a world-established name!

Elite: Hi Danielle. Tell us a little about what you do?

Danielle: I moved to London to study accessory design at London College of Fashion when I was 18, from where I graduated and showed my first collection during [London] Fashion Week in 2010. Shortly after I got scouted by Elite and I've been with them for two years this summer. I launched my own brand over a year ago and I am now on my third season, which has just been released and I have my press day in couple of days!

E: Where did your love for accessory design first begin?

D: I was always into design from a very young age, sketching and drawing on family holidays... Which has lead me to get an interest into textiles and womenswear design. I then found out about London College of Fashion through a friend back in A-levels, so I did an art & design course there, which basically meant that I got to do a bit of everything; I took a real liking for accessories - it felt like I had a natural knack for it! And my tutor warned us not work with leather because we didn't understand how to at that stage in first year, so I challenged that and went straight to the London factories and brought leathers and made my first ever leather bag when I got told not to!

After that year I went on to doing a foundation year, which is actually a two-year course, and I did that because I wanted to learn everything I could and then get myself out to the industry as quickly as possible. I always believed that a person will learn more by actually being a part of the industry as opposed to being in uni. So yeah, that's where it all began for me – it all kind of fell into place, and I have not had any regrets about my choices yet... Touch wood!

E: What would you say your main inspiration is?...

D: My main inspiration comes from erotica, 40s bondage-style, it's all quite dark and sinister.... I like to embody death. That all gets my creativity going, and I worked a lot with human hair and marbelling, which represents blood. It all seems very dark, but the end product doesn't come out like that! My designs are very monotone, but I do like to use dark burgundy colours... But overall, the majority of my stuff is black – classic goth-type thing! I also use a lot of hardware which was inspired by my eqestrian background, like bridle wear - I look at what clasps are used and the overall detailing. And a lot of my products are raw edge, which basically means no lining. I do some linings, occasionally I will stick in a pig lining for certain styles, but for the majority not because, one - that's my style; and two – because I get everything produced in London so it keeps the cost down and it allows me to make it feasable and cost-effective.

E: Would you say that your handbags and accessories reflect your personal style?

D: I would say yes, in a way that I myself wear a lot of dark clothes and my products are dark, but then I also focus on creating a product that someone in their twenties would like, someone who is really into fashion... But then it also goes to the side where my mum and my sister would like it, who aren't necessarily that much into fashion but they are trendy and like to look good – so I try and fit it across different characters. But to wear one of my bags you have to have the confidence to wear something a little bit quirky, classic and rock-edgy, and that to a certain extent to rubs off my personality. But my overall moto is that personality should outshine bright and loud clothes – you shouldn't wear clothes to create attention, your personality should do that for you!

E: This kind of leads onto our next question – who is the girl that wears Danielle Foster bags?...

D: Like I said, there is no specific person, it is someone who is confident and wants something different, a little bit expensive-looking, all-leather accessory that adds to your outfit.

And you do want to stand out and make a statement, because the bags have all the hardwear – but at the same time, they are timeless. Some pieces are quite directional, but I do try and go for something that a person can wear over and over again.

But yes, overall you have to have the confidence to wear my bags and now allow for the bag to wear you!

E: Gotya. So you gotta have the balls to wear it!

D: Yeah, you do basically!

E: Tell me where has your career taken you so far and what have you been doing since launching your brand?

D: It's all taken off really fast since launching my first collection, which was spring/summer 2012 which sold like hot-cakes! It completely blew me away as not once did I think it was going to go that quick! I honestly thought that this was going be 'hey I am here and this is my collection' kind of moment, and that sales really weren't going to come in until my third or fourth season! And my first collection sold out which was amazing, and with that I got appoached by a couple of PR agents and at this point my stuff was selling really well I got my first agent in May which is with Sane Communications. I launched my autumn/winter 2012 collection with them, and it appeared in Glamour magazine, The Metro, Timeout magazine... I had some great features through them. I've done a couple of collaborations, and I've just launched my spring/summer 2013 which, like I said before, the pressday is this week... So it is all very exciting! But everyone loved my autumn/winter collection and I was really happy about that. And I've got exciting collaborations coming out, and I am taking part in a competition in the next couple of weeks which consists of four giveaway bags, but sadly I can't say much about at this moment... It has all been quite amazing with all of the support I've had and the amount of interest.

E: How do you manage being a modelling as well as a young enterprenuer?...

D: Well, the G&T's always help!!! (JOKE.) Elite have been brilliant and very supportive, and they allowed me to book out a week or two when I've been very stressful and had deadlines. And my flatmate, my two bestest friends have always been there, supporive and coming round whenever I need them for moral support and that extra bit of help. My family have also been amazing... But time management is the key, and planning ahead. For example, I'm going away in a week so I made sure that my spring/summer collection was made, shot, and all sent off to my PR's ready for my press day, as well as getting all my orders come in, whilst still looking after my A/W 12 at the same time. So it's all just about managing your time effectively, and making sure that you get enough of free time relaxing. Don't overdo it, like working past midnight... I always make sure I do a bit of relaxing otherwise it can get a little bit too much.

E: In what ways would you say that your modelling career has helped you towards your brand?

D: It definitely helped me a lot, because I meet potential clients every day through modelling and I always carry my lookbooks with me. I did a shoot with a Rankin, and a stylist there saw my products and ask me to commision a piece for Volt magazine. I met the editor of Grazia and I've been able to speek to her about my collections... And because I've been modelling for two years, I've met some incredible people who support me as a friend as well as a client. And of course, with modelling also comes confidence which has helped me to speak confidently about my products, and doing interviews... So yeah, modelling has helped in many ways!

E: Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?

D: I'd love to be established worldwide, and for people to know about my brand around the world – that would be amazing. And have my products distributed in largedepartment stores, like Selfridges, and Liberty's... As well as having my own store! That is the ultimate dream. And, just to tip it all off, for Kate Moss to wear my bags! I love her style, she completely nails it for me. I suppose I look to her for inspiration, as well as Sienna Miller, who has already shown interest in my bags! They both have a really cool style.

E: Would you say your designs are typical of London?...

D: Yeah definitely, like my bags that I think are very British with all the leathers used, and I try and keep it handcrafted using old techniques, like marbelling.

E: Where can we buy your handbAags and what is the price range?

D: You can buy them online on my website which is www.daniellefoster.co.uk and I also sell online with Bengt Fashion (www.bengtfashion.com) which is a platform that supports emerging fashion designers, they've launched in 2009 and they're great. And also sell with Bottica, Stud and Stud and they are also sold in store with Blessed Fashions, situated in my hometown of Newark - which makes my mum very happy! And they are also opening a new store in Lincoln.

E: Your bags have quite a distinctive style, do you get stopped a lot and asked where your bag is from?

D: When I wear my own product I do get asked a lot about them, especially on shoots and castings - I usually tend to wear my handwoven ones because I can fit a lot in them. People would ask 'where is that from?' and it is so good to say - that's one of mine! And I have used human hair in some styles and that definitely gets me the attention on the streets!

E: That's awesome! How and when did you first start working with human hair?

D: I collaborated with Charlie Le Mindu in 2010 when I graduated from LCF,

When I was in my final year at uni, we had to do a 'pretend' collaboration with a designer, so I based my project around him. Once I had my designs finished I got in touch with him and sent over a photo of a product I designed as if we were to do a collaboration and he replied back saying that he would love to collaborate with me for his upcoming collection! So that was my first collection, and I used no hair in the second A/W '12 and then I brought it back into my spring/summer '13 again, because everyone loved it and it received a lot of positive press!

Thank you Danielle for sharing all you amazing story with us - you are one helluva inspiration!

If you would like to get your hands on one of Danielle Foster stunning bags, click here to enter a competition in association with Stylist.co.uk!