When sharp-dressed Sin-er Mik Scarlet visited the London Edge alternative fashion trade show for us earlier this year one of the stand out stands was Kate's Clothing. Their range of custom designs Necessary Evil took Goth and Alternative standards and gave them a superb individual twist, that means when you wear them you stand out even in a crowd that loves to stand out in a crowd...
Kate's Clothing is run by boss and chief designer Kate Seagroatt, ably assisted by her team up in Birmingham, one of the historic hubs of the alternative scene. I must admit I'm a huge fan of Kate's designs, as she not only creates some amazing outfits for women, that cover the whole gamut of the alt scene, but she also has a great range of menswear.
Personal men's wear fave's are the Odin's Men's Military Jacket which sells for the most reasonable price of £39.99, Lothur Zip and Pyramid Jeans and Jacket combination which retails for £49.99 and £44.99, Men's Leather Coat with Buckles £129.99, and their Men's Zombie Killing T-Shirt at £19.99, which will go down a treat if you have a computer games designer in your family. My wife worked in the industry and it seems that Zombies and Monkeys are a major obsession. . maybe a Killing Zombie Monkey's T-shirt is the next step?
Kate's women's wear range covers a many different niches, from retro 50's through to Fetish wear. If I were to list all of her designs that I are must buys this article would become a boring shopping list, but my Top of the Pops are their Hell Bunny Tartan Zip Front Halter Dress at £38.99, NE Neith 40's Style Pink Butterfly Dress at £39.99, NE Anahita Fur and Seatshirting Hooded Bolero at £29.99 and NE Ladies Trousers with Side Detailing at £49.99. If I'm honest I also love the entire Steampunk range... in fact just go check out the site ASAP. Not only can you find their designs but it's a kind of one stop shop, with shoes, boots, accessories and hair dye too.
I chatted with Lauren from Kate's Clothing to get the inside story on this up and coming company.
So when and how did Kate's Clothing begin?
Kate started making clothes for herself, almost as a hobby in 2003 but has always been into customising and creating her own outfits. The popularity of her work meant she left her job in an engineering firm to begin Kate's Clothing full time in 2005.
Kate's designs have cover a vast range of styles, could you tell me about them?
The lines from our own label Necessary Evil began as out and out gothic styles – pvc, fishtail skirts, long coats – but has expanded over the recent years to include swing dresses, 40's blouses and steampunk shirts and waistcoats. Necessary Evil is an individual range of designs and many items are adjustable in length making them versatile. Classic shapes are given gothic touches which means a lot of our designs can be worn everyday, even to work, or dressed up for clubs and gigs.
Kate's designs all have a real individual twist to them. How do she go about designing the ranges?
Inspiration comes from everywhere, from the couture catwalk to vintage designs. Kate often just wakes up with a picture in her head of the next skirt or top she wants to make and goes from there. Customers also influence designs (we are expanding our plus size range after people requested more gothic items up to a UK22).
What would you say are your big items for 2012?
We've just had our samples through for our new range out next year including zipped mini dresses, a new take on classic rock and roll trousers and even a white shirt! We will also hope to be expanding our steampunk range
You also stock a pile of other fantastic items on your site, by various companies. What's the thinking behind this?
Variety and choice really! We know that Necessary Evil cannot hope to cover everyone's taste so we stock popular alternative brands so that we have something for everyone. We hope that the shoes, bags, jewellery and accessories we stock will compliment the clothes so people can come to us for a complete outfit top to bottom.
You also have a fantastic Blog on http://www.gothic-clothing-web.co.uk/. Could you tell me about this?
Lenore keeps our press page up to date and we like to show that Kate's Clothing is not a faceless company run by people just out to make money. Kate is a real person and is a dedicated member of the alternative scene, as are all her staff. We wear the clothes we sell and use the hair dye we stock, so we like to show the mischief we get up to sometimes! LondonEdge is a fun time for all of us, even though we work hard there we get to catch up with friends and get dressed up everyday! Not all the photos made it onto the blog!
What plans do you have for the future?
Hopefully to expand our range and grow the business, to become well known for alternative style and good customer service. In the immediate future we have a shoot planned with the fab Helene Atsuko and we will be at LondonEdge in February with an even bigger stand and our new ranges.
How would you describe people who wear your designs?
Individuals who don't want to wear the same alternative styles as everyone else. They have their own style and want clothes to reflect that, clothes that can be worn different ways, to suit different moods. Also clothes that don't date – even in alternative style clothes can look old fashioned.
I think that describes Kate's Clothing perfectly. She seems to able to create high quality, original designs that you will be able to wear for years while always looking current. I see a big future for Kate and her team.
Shop and see more at;
http://www.katesclothing.co.uk/
http://www.necessaryevilclothing.com/Front-cover.html
