Fierce LDN: Rianna Phillips

Rianna Phillips is fashion’s best kept secret. We stumbled upon this new designer’s unique handbag range through the splendour of Twitter and immediately felt compelled to expose you all to her stratospheric creations. Having studied Textile Design, Rianna’s established her desired place in the market as a print designer and embellisher who has a penchant for 3D textures. Her premium collection entitled ‘Crystallite’ uses Swarovski elements and metalwear which blindingly twinkle through to your skull and make for swell stocking fillers.

So what better way to end our weeklong foray into exploring the finest London accessory purveyors than by speaking to the lady herself?  And if you fancy snapping up a piece of Rianna’s handbag excellence then check out her Etsy shop and blog here.

PlanetNotion: Accessories are so important in the completion of an outfit and allow for a lot of true, meaningful self-expression. Can you describe your aesthetic or design ethos?

Rianna Phillips: I have an aesthetic that leads people around me to say ‘that’s very you’. There are a few colours I constantly wear and these bags combine those colours with contemporary metallics and dye washes that lead away from my usual habits. I have designed a range that appeals to my friends and I. And as I have used a few of my bags to death, I would like to think they are extremely easy to use and make you feel comfortable in a particular surrounding. They are designed to stand out and be quirky but also very functional.

PN: What made you become an accessory designer rather than apparel?

RP: In my final year at university, where I was studying Textile Design for Fashion at Manchester School of Art, I actually made a womenswear collection. To accompany it I made one bag and a set of digitally printed scarves. I blogged about the lead up to finalising my time at university and the bag attracted lots of attention. People started asking if I could custom make them one and it all started from there.

PN: Is there anything in particular you are trying to express through your designs?

RP: Be colourful, be bright and be yourself. I’m always going back to the androgynous theme and I think this can be seen in some of the print designs that line the bags. I love clashing images of metal wear and abrasive textures with soft, flowing fabrics. Some of my digital prints are photographs of embellishment that look like landscapes so there is a microcosmic agenda to some of my pieces.

PN:  Can you describe your technical process in producing handbags?

RP: The first thing I do is cut a variety of pattern pieces and splatter them with dye but experimenting with different washes and colour takes up the majority of the process. They are all then washed, dried and ironed flat so they can start to get matched up with leatherette fabrics. Eventually they are all sewn together – first on a machine and then hand finished.

PN: Detail is very important in accessory design and its beauty. Is that something you enjoy in your design creation?

RP: Yes! The bags that are called ‘Crystallite by Rianna Phillips’ all have Swarovski and metalwear detail – they take much longer to make and are all about the detail. I like the process of deciding what type of pattern will be applied and how to combine the Swarovski beads with metalwear. I like my designs to look colourful and feminine with an industrial tone.

PN:  Who would you ideally like to see wearing your designs?

RP: I love Kate Lanphear’s style and would love to see one of my bags in her possession. I think an embellished one covered in nuts and bolts would suit her. Then there’s Leigh Lezark, Natalie Hartley, Kim Hersov, Poppy Delevigne, my favourite bloggers Queen Michelle of ‘Kingdom of Style’ and Sandra of ‘5 inch and Up’.

PN: What’s your favourite piece from your current collection and can you explain why?

RP: My favourites are the ones that have scattered embellishment all over them as they’re very dramatic. You could wear a really simple outfit and transform it with one of these O.T.T bags. The embellishment is made up of a small metal hexagon nut with a multifaceted bead inside. Once the bag is completed I scan the surface and then that’s printed onto a silk scarf. The print looks very 3D and textured which clashes with the silky soft fabric.

PN:  What gives you your initial ideas and inspiration every season? How do you translate your vision into realised items?

RP: I get inspiration from a mix of places but catwalk initially. I was fortunate enough to go and see some great collections at London Fashion Week this year and the street style there was probably just as inspirational as the catwalk. Bloggers really inspire me as they’re always forward thinking and so I design with a lot of them in mind. I love looking through colour palettes in trend books – both old and new – and I love colours that are influenced by the natural world. National Geographic inspired a shoot for MPDClick.com that also really inspired my print design ideas.

PN: What can we expect to see from you in the future?

RP: I hope to expand my print design brand and would also like to continue developing the bags. I have also been developing a range of digitally printed tops since I left university so that will be released somewhere down the line.

- Caroline Jackson