Features

Pearl Lowe

Pearl Lowe was once the Acropolis of drugs, sex and rock and roll. As singer-songwriter, model, textiles designer turned businesswoman, she has now made her mark in one of the more sober businesses of retail. Re-channeling all her years of Britpop stardom and teenage angst, she has single handedly created a fashion label of her very own, specialising in bespoke, handmade dresses and decadent home interiors.

Her business makes for an unusual story in that she doesn’t want her own premises; she’s happy doing it from home because if the ‘quality’s there, the market will be there too’. With a clear focus on what you want to create and where you want it to be sold, you, can, do, it, from anywhere. Pearl says it’s all about patience and timely responses. It’s worked for her. She paves the way for fashion designers still freezing on stalls, wishing and hoping for their own ‘proper’ shop, thinking it will rocket them into being fully-fledged retail tycoons; they couldn’t be further from the truth. Pearl is quite a unique creature; her life as front singer for Powder in the 90’s led her to live a life that couldn’t even be visualised by most of us now. So you half expect her to be at least in her fifties, she is in fact only in her late thirties and looks like a beautiful mysterious silhouette; which no doubt has helped her branding somewhat. We met her in her London home to find out more.

How would you describe your fashion collection, do you have a signature style? I suppose it’s vintage with a modern feel. I like to think it’s clothes with a concept too. I’m about wearing what you like as long as it fits well and represents you as an individual.

You were in a band before now and were around highly influential icons in the nineties, how has that influenced your collections? I always looked so out of place with my peers in those days, the girls all dressed like boys, I just wanted to be like Blondie and dress like a woman.

Are there any designers who have greatly inspired you? Anna Sui, Vivienne Westwood, Ossie Clark, Jean Muir are the ones that really come to mind.

What’s your view on the UK retail industry, do you think there are any new markets merging or is there something that’s missing from fashion that you would like to see? I am not massively into fashion other than my own collection! I just like things that suit me, I tend to buy vintage. However, I think that for people who are into fashion, there are a lot of great new designers and wonderful collaborations out there, but I’m staying quite specific to my market and by no means trying to compete out there in fashion as it’s impossible to. There is simply so much available in fashion retail so it’s pointless. What it does mean though is that you don’t have to waste time trying to compete, instead you can concentrate on quality, fabrics and your patterns.

Where are your fabrics sourced? Do you source them out of the UK? Do you think it matters where your clothes are made? Most of my fabrics are sourced here in the UK, or they are vintage. If they’re not original vintage fabrics, I make them here in the UK, sometimes recreating or heavily inspired by an original vintage texture. I think it is important to keep my business fairtrade though.

How important a role should ethics play in a fashion company? Now we are aware of what is happening in places like India and China, it is really important that designers like myself make sure that what we are doing is ethical.

Have you always wanted your own business? No, all I ever wanted to be since I left school was a singer. I actually only started to want my own business about eight years ago. I just thought to myself I can do this, so in 2001 I launched my own business and focused on designing curtains, handmade dresses and cushions.

You have had quite a remarkable life, what would your motto be for life, and business? To live in the moment, the very minute you try to control things it all collapses and things never turn out the way you would like them anyway, so patience and moving into things organically is very important.

What makes for a successful woman? A woman has to juggle so many things. So I think to be sucessful you need a great memory and to be able to multi task and have the foresight to develop on things and see opportunities.

Would you say fashion is a safe industry and have you noticed any decrease in spending with widespread recession woes? It’s funny because there hasn’t been a decrease in the number of dresses that I sell. I suppose this is because I offer a bespoke service, so it’s quite specialised. There has actually been an increase in the number of curtains and tablecloths that I’m selling, so I guess the recession has made people stay in more and want to buy beautiful things for their houses! So it’s turned out rather well for us.

What are your largest outgoings as a fashion company now? Do you feel it’s important to have a premises? I work from home, so no I don’t feel there is a need to have premises at all now a days, it works fine for me. I think once you have made a product or an item of clothing that you’re proud of and it offers something different to people, you get that following. They won’t really care where they get it from, they’ll just want to have it. Having a shop of my own is not what makes my collections better than they are.

What qualities must you have to be a retail entrepreneur? You have to be friendly, but always a little tough too. You need to know what you’re paying for, where to get fabrics, who to deal with and make sure that you have the right people who you can work with and that you can trust. You have to also be confident and not scared of hard work.

Tell us more about the Britpop years and how do you think the fashion business has changed over the last ten years? The Britpop years for me were fantastic. I bought all my clothes from markets and thrift shops, I had no clue about business then at all, so I don’t know if it has changed in the last ten years. That’s what’s unique about businesses like me. It’s not just about capitalising on an idea, it’s about enjoying what I do and developing it slowly into something that’s fun but also making a profit.

What have been the greatest challenges in running your own business so far? The money side of things undoubtedly, as I rely on people paying for things in order for me to buy fabrics. So, if they don’t pay on time, then everything goes terribly wrong! I had an awful experience earlier in the year with an awful shop in Petersfield that wouldn’t pay for the dresses. Then I had to get them to send everything back, which meant that I couldn’t produce a Spring/Summer collection for them. It was just unnecessary grief, but it’s the nature of the industry. It can be fickle, but you move on and if there’s someone else who likes what you do, they will be willing to put the money down.

Are you thinking of going international? I hope so, I would probably need an investor first though.

How important is branding for you and how do you go about selecting the right concessions opportunity? It is really important to me, I designed a jewellery range for “Made” recently. I love how they work as a company and they have the right ethical approach. I will turn down opportunities that are not right for me though.

Would you say your collection is for a certain type of person? I make dresses for teenagers, all the way up to women in their 70’s, so no there isn’t a type as such and I think I like that. I don’t want to channel myself to produce just one type of item, it’s just not the type of label I want to be. If I have an idea I’ll just develop it into something, be it underwear, bed linen or a little boy’s jumper. That way customers also know they are getting something unique and well thought about too.

Have you ever thought of doing Menswear? I have made a couple of pieces for Danny (her partner), so perhaps one day.

What’s your marketing strategy? I don’t really have one as such. My daughter Daisy Lowe wears my clothes all the time as she loves how they fit so they get pictured in the press quite a bit. I don’t think it’s that important to have a huge marketing budget though. If you’re making stuff that’s good, people will hear about it and want to have it regardless.

A lot of your pieces seem influenced by antique, Edwardian decadence, was that a big factor in your collections? My clothes are heavily inspired by fashion trends that started long ago. There was something feminine yet interesting about styles then. Women looked so sophisicated and bold with their shoulders always emphasised and all the flattering cuts and accentuated waists.

Do you still see any of your party friends from the old days? A few, but not so many now. I live a very different life, my focus is my business, my children and just being able to spend time with them. I’m in bed by 9pm.

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