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Check out Lola Antobatele’s Lookbook.
Tell us about Lola. Who are you? Can you give us some insight into how you became started in the industry?
For the designer, I’m a late bloomer. I actually got into fashion by error; my mother was a fabric designer but I was never interested in fashion until my late 20’s. When deciding who and what I wanted to be, it just clicked.
You design graphic tights, how did the idea of designing stockings come from?
I do a lot of traveling in China and while I was traveling I was thinking of getting a tattoo. The tattoo artist was really cute; I felt compelled to get one but didn’t have the guts to go through with it. The experience left me thinking, “Wouldn’t it be nice if I could have a tattoo on my stockings rather than my body and therefore change what type of tattoo I wear everyday according to my mood?” The concept was born.
What do you think sets you apart from other designers?
I design my collections according to my instincts and what I do like at that point in time. It’s very intuitive, I go with my gut; I always have. A lot of designers follow trend and pattern predictions. I don’t, I’m a bit of a non-conformist that way.
What has been the best moment in your career thus far?
Being able to make my dream of making my tattoo stockings into a reality. Creating my line was partly due perceived shock value. The idea that it might frighten my mother to death kinda tickled me, but also frighten me, you know how mothers can be!
I figured that if manufacturers could make colored graphic tights, they should be able to put a design or have the design woven in with the tights. The first batch we produced was ok, but they felt heavy. I wondered if it was possible to have the designed to look like tattoos on the skin. When we perfected the process, I had my “ah-ha!” moment.
What has been the most challenging part about designing?
Coming up with inspiration everyday, which might sound easy and is pretty hard.
What is the next thing you are looking forward to for the business?
Global Domination! I am determined to have my designs worn all over the globe.
What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started?
That it can be very, very lonely at the every step of the way and not just the top. The only way to get over that is to keep on designing by getting inspirations with my travels, environment and everyday life.
When the line launches, where can we buy it?
The stockings collection comes out in April 2010 and you can get it online at Talflife
Beside yourself, who do you think is the next big name?
I love H & M. I think their collaborations with emerging, indie designers are going to be get bigger and better. I also love the website, Sense of Fashion.
Check out Lola Antobatele’s Lookbook.
Author Bio
Darryl had a problem. He needed to find clothing that was relevant to him, appropriate for where he was going, popular and affordable. He couldn’t find an answer on Google, Wikipedia, Dictionary.com or Flickr. So he started building Clashe.
