Flutter By Daisy.

In the world of handmade, one can find many wonderful items. So how about some beautiful garment pieces??? Dresses, skirts, tops and even the accessories to go with them?? Our next interview is that of a one of a kind fashion designer Natanya Bryant, who makes the most interesting, gorgeous pieces I have come across over on Etsy. Her dresses are feminine with a bit of an edge, and affordable. Even her photography is amazing, the way she showcases her clothes, like a dark, pretty dream! I am very happy to bring you our first ever fashion designer interview here at The Little Red Suitcase, she will fit perfectly with all the other handmade loveliness!!!


*Natanya Bryant*

1. Hello there, so you will be our first clothing designer to be interviewed here on The Little Red Suitcase. Tell us more about the girl behind all the lovely dresses!

She writes in her sleep, loves chiffon and ballerinas, wants to lock herself in a little hut on a hill one day with lots of pencils and write a book by hand like Rold Dahl did, wants to meet Rolf Harris, David Attenborough, loves to read Plath and Poe, goes to university sometimes, wants to live in a daydream where news papers and 'mean' doesn't exist, thinks that fairies are real, wants to have a giant bunny farm... with chickens too, loves cheese sandwiches and summertime, checked picnic blankets and her sewing machine who's name is Mo.

2. Flutter By Daisy is the name of your clothing line/shop. What is behind the name?

I was thinking of lots of names but this one stuck, and I'm happy it did because I like it now more than my own name : it's about butterflies and secret gardens...

3. Your pieces are amazing, so flowing ,feminine and of course very unique. How does a dress start for you? Do you carry a sketch book with you and jot down ideas? Are there patterns involved? Basically run us through the process of putting together one of your pieces.

I should carry a sketchbook! but I don't .. sometimes I end up scribbling on receipts from my pocket ... but most of the time I think I dream up dresses that I would love to wear myself, or could see butterfly people wearing so when I wake up it's already in my head. I don't tend to work from patterns I just go straight to dummy but sometimes I will take inspiration from vintage patterns.

4. When did you first fall in love with fashion design? Can you recall the first thing you might have sewn.

I think I have loved fabric and dressing up since I can remember. My Nana used to sew and she taught me lots of things, she used to keep a big cardboard box with pretty scraps inside that she would let me have... I loved to wrap myself up inside and pretend to be a princess, mermaid or fairy. After my draping stage I started to sew them together, and make sequin butterflies with her. When I started ballet lessons I discovered a love for stage costume (just the pretty ones) and later at school I started making dress up clothes for parties and Halloween for me and my friends. A teacher at school asked me to dance in one of her plays and to make my own costume and the leading ladies that was the first time my clothes were on stage and It kind of went from there...

5. Who would you say is a huge inspiration to you, especially when it comes to your craft?

It wouldn't have started without my Nan... but also, pretty things people and stuff in general like gardens, bunnies, Katie Jane Garside, sparkles, stones, Edgar, fairy tales, vogue, dreams, keys, a painting of mermaids I remember from childhood at Ferrens Art Gallery in Hull, drift wood, petals, Picnic at Hanging Rock, butterflies, 'Planet Earth', ballerinas, old piano sounds, clouds and birds. The designers I think I most adore are Betsey Johnson, Alexander McQueen and Jared Gold.

6. Well since you sew up all these wonderful garments, you must wear some. Can you recall a time when someone stopped you and asked you where you got that dress or skirt?? And what did it feel like to have someone be interested in your work?

It's lovely, but ... I'm most proud when I see my pretties on my flutterbydaisies and they look happy... *

7. Is their a certain design period that you are interested in, i.e the roaring 1920's or perhaps the 50Ty's, and why?

I think the mainstream dresses of the 50's were pretty - the big poofy ones with lace and frills in pastels. I also love the Victorian style, especially the petticoats and corsets ... but I think at the moment I'm most inspired by the 'Lolita movement' that started from a book, grew up in Japan and came back again... there's something lovely about feeling like a little girl again in lovely frilly dresses and patent Mary Jane shoes.

8. With running a shop and selling your own handmade pieces, there are alot of pros and cons. What would you say have been the pros as well as the cons for you? Would you change anything?

Because I'm based in UK and my online shop is based in America and I have customers all over the world sometimes there's a bit of confusion with money conversion, especially because it changes everyday ...
but that's it ... I love what I do!

9. So, describe your workspace to us. What do you surround yourself with while your sewing or designing?

I have a sewing / writing room filled with pretty things that inspire me... lot's of clippings pinned to my walls and fabric piled high on top of boxes of ribbons and buttons... I keep all my old books and my own clothes in there too. The clipping on my wall are mostly of fairytales, illustrations, models dressed as broken dolls and fairies, I pin up my little receipt sketches and notes to myself too. I also have a little section saved for special pretties, like old bunny stamps, stones, dried flowers, vintage keys, my taxidermy butterfly, cat statue, and my ghost doll my friend made for me

10. Now for the finally question: Five things you just could not live without!

eek! eeeerrrrm .........
1. Needle and cotton
2. Pencil and paper
3. My best dress
4. coffee
5. Day-dreams I think I cheated a little with the 'ands' but you can't have one without the other :)

Love and Bunnies, Natanya*

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