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Carolyn Massey has, in a short space of time, cemented herself into the British fashion industry. Collaborations with Topman and shows at Paris and London Fashion Week prove that Massey’s distinct world of menswear will continue to flourish. The Montebury met with Carolyn at her Hackney, London studio to discuss cash-flow, military garments and the inspiring nature of ‘chucked on’.
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“ It is survival of the fittest ”
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— CAROLYN MASSEY —
British Menswear Designer
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The Montebury — How did Carolyn Massey become ‘Carolyn Massey’?
Carolyn Massey — I am English and did a traditional fashion degree and then did an MA at the Royal College of Art. About six months after I finished, I started up my own label. When I finished studying, I worked for a company who works for luxury goods stores as a market representative in the UK. So, I was working for Bergdorf Goodman for six months as a base person in the UK, scouting for brands and doing market reports on things like shipping. It was really interesting in terms of the buying aspect because I was working with the buyers. That was good grounding for my business, but I am a creative person so I definitely wanted to start something that was more creative. I started in June 2007 and have shown in Paris every season and three seasons ago started showing on schedule as part of London Fashion Week.
The Montebury — Did you fund your business yourself?
Carolyn Massey — Yes. I had some support to start with, but I now collaborate and do some consultancy projects, which is a bit of a juggle. I really enjoy that though and it was always my thing to have my fingers in a few different pies. I find working with several different companies very fascinating.
The Montebury — Why in particular did you choose menswear?
Carolyn Massey — Menswear has more boundaries to it as opposed to womenswear which, in theory, you could design anything for. Menswear has a subtle code and history that I am fascinated by and design with a respect for. That is one side but also being a woman, I find it interesting to take the outsider’s view on menswear.
The Montebury — What parts of menswear did you set out to improve?
Carolyn Massey — When I started, I felt that contemporary menswear did not really give a nod to the past, even though a lot has changed now. I am very much about taking details and ideas from the history of menswear and evolving them forward into something more contemporary and accessible for modern dressing. |
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The Montebury — You collaborate with high-street brands such as Topman. How do you pitch your brand?
Carolyn Massey — I am a contemporary designer label. I think it is brilliant to break down hierarchy within the ladder of fashion. Fashion should be accessible to different people, and this ‘breaking down’ filters things out through the market, which I find fascinating. A lot of the people who go into Topman to buy my stuff, go directly to Topman to buy my clothes. They make the trip and go in to buy it on the first day it hits the shop floor, which is really exciting for me. I was picked up to do Topman in the first season I started and I think designer collaborations as a whole have spawned massively. A lot of people are doing collaborations now and I think it is great.
The Montebury — What is inspiring you at the moment?
Carolyn Massey — I have acquired some military patterns, which have been very fascinating to work with. Ideas from the history of menswear and particularly from military garments are interesting. My own personal brief is to take those ideas and push them forward into something more contemporary.
The Montebury — Has practicality increased in menswear design?
Carolyn Massey — Yes. I think for menswear, it has to be practical and functional. The pockets on the inside of your jacket have to be big enough for your mobile phone, which can get a bit geeky and gimmicky sometimes. There is always that element there that has to be addressed.
The Montebury — Will you ever take the step into womenswear?
Carolyn Massey — It is the question a lot of people ask. Not for the foreseeable future. I am very happy building up my menswear business at the moment. The womenswear market is massive, much bigger than the men’s market, but it is a personal choice. I am a menswear designer and I think of a man when I design.
The Montebury — As a designer, what attracts you to London?
Carolyn Massey — I am very much inspired by London. Walking around the streets and seeing how people put things together is very inspiring. I go to Paris at least every six months for showroom and I love the way people dress there, but it is almost too perfect. I like how London is a bit more honest and ‘chucked on’, which I find fascinating. That sense of grit is something that I feel really inspired by. Also, London as a creative hub for young designers is fantastic. It has the most support, it has the most nurturing and there is so much available to young designers, which is why we have such a strong, creative fashion week. |
“ For menswear, it has to be practical and functional ”
“ You need to experience the realities of working in this industry as soon as possible ”
The Montebury — Do we do enough for young designers?
Carolyn Massey — I think we do a hell of a lot and speaking to someone recently who has a label out of Italy, she was saying that there is no support there at all. There is the odd competition in Europe, but we have a lot of support here which I think we forget sometimes. It is easy to be a young designer who complains but I am extremely grateful for what I receive. I have support from NEWGEN MEN and I am also on a programme with the Centre for Fashion Enterprise who support young designers. However, there will always be the question of “do we offer enough support”?
The Montebury — What do young designers need help with?
Carolyn Massey — There are a couple of really hard demons and one of them is your cash-flow. It is not that you just have to be a great designer but you have to be great at sourcing, cash-flow, accounts etc. The amount of hats I have on my head in one day is quite a lot and I very much would like to think that we run as a professional studio, getting our orders out on time and trying to work as hard as possible. It is a lot of things to juggle and if you do not have the right support, or not enough support, it is very difficult. If you come out of the education system and start up straight away, sometimes you feel that there is nobody to bounce off of. People in duos have support and can bounce off of each other but when you are on your own it can be quite lonely. I have learnt that it is about getting a team of people around you who can support you so, for example, one of my best friends does all my graphics, another friend of mine does my website etc. I am very lucky now, because I have someone for each problem. People are very happy to help, which is great.
The Montebury — Was there ever the temptation to give in and work for a big company?
Carolyn Massey — Yes, there has been and there still are. There are always dilemmas to come across but I am proud of the strong team that I have built here. The support I have gained in the last two years proves that it is really going somewhere, so to leave now, would be a waste. It is survival of the fittest. |
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The Montebury — Who has inspired your work?
Carolyn Massey — I like looking through photography books and there is a photographer called August Sander and I always go to his book called ‘Citizens of the Twentieth Century’. It is amazing and a lot of designers reference it, but it is really fab. It is about people in the twenties in Germany and Poland, living real lives and in their own situations. When I travel, it is interesting to see how people put clothes together and draw upon different references to create different looks. I have been going to Tokyo quite a bit through several different sponsorships to do with UKFT. Tokyo is mind-blowing and very cool.
The Montebury — Where do you see the future of Carolyn Massey?
Carolyn Massey — I would like to carry on showing and have the support to do that. My collaborative and consultancy work is something that I would like to push forward and I would like to consult for a more traditional English brand because I am very interested in the history behind brands, which is something that can be forgotten sometimes. We have some amazing brands but I think you can get quite scared by not knowing how to push things forward and still retain the core customer.
The Montebury — If you had one piece of advice for somebody who wants to become a designer, what would it be?
Carolyn Massey — Internships are invaluable. You need to experience the realities of working in this industry as soon as possible.
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— March 2010
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