Spotlight
with LOCKDOWN ending and businesses trying to get back on their feet, uRBAN VILLAGE LDN shineS A light on a different FULHAM company each MONTH. in this isssue we talk to fulham resident and Designer Allison RODGER
I could say that I commenced my business in 1976, when still at school in Newcastle! I received regular commissions for bridesmaids dresses and tailoring, which was all good experience, and brought in extra cash to fund my love of quality fabrics used for making my own clothes.
In 1979 I moved to London to “do” Fashion Design at Harrow School of Art, which was fabulous. A work experience position with the Emanuels in 1981, led to my first job with them as Assistant Designer, during really exciting times in their company. I embraced the design work, and couture skills performed in their workrooms until 1984 when I left for a role as childrenswear designer - briefly. My designs were so successful that a number of companies asked me to design their collections, and I turned freelance, designing everything - childrenswear, evening wear, wedding dresses, tailoring, knitwear and separates.
The first incarnation of Allison Rodger Designs was in 1987, when I married and moved out of London. I designed and made six sample wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses, made an appointment to see the bridal buyer at Liberty, and she ordered four of the designs. This was my green light to proceed with my collection, which I sold to bridal boutiques all over the UK. In 1990 I opened my own boutique in Uppingham, where we were very busy making wedding and bridesmaids dresses - until the recession hit. In 1993 I was forced to close my business. Eventually I found a job in London, producing Jasper Conran's designs for Caroline Castigliano - a very brief stint, before becoming Production Manager at Catherine Walker, followed by similar roles with other designers.
In 2000 I worked on a few fashion stories for the Daily Mail, which brought me more private commissions, including Nigella Lawson, whose shift dress and 50’s style dresses we made for many years, and Cherie Blair, and others. In 2002 my second incarnation commenced, with the opening of my boutique and workrooms in Pimlico, from where we made bridal, evening, tailoring and special occasion wear.
The business moved twice, in 2010 to Ebury Street, Belgravia, and 2015 to Elystan Street, Chelsea Green, before moving to Fulham in 2017. I was familiar with New Kings Road, because for many years I passed through on my journeys into work from Barnes where I lived until 2017. To be honest, I was pushed out of Chelsea by my rent doubling and very costly business rates, which became unaffordable for my small independent business. Fortunately I was able to buy my current premises in New Kings Road.
We make clothes to order for women, which I’m regularly told make them feel fabulous, and complimented by others on their appearance. Whether this refers to a work suit, a wedding dress or special occasion outfit, during the creative process we find how best to fit and flatter the wearer. We can cut sleeves, allow for a more generous bust or hips, and provide lengths to make the most of leg shapes. After discussing the design and fabrics, we make a pattern and toile (mock up), so we can perfect the fit and proportions before cutting the fabric. I only use quality fabrics from UK, Italy and France, and have longstanding relationships with my beaders and suppliers, so we create individual clothes which are timeless - and like reliable friends, enjoyed being worn numerous times.
Due to COVID all of our summer weddings have sadly been postponed to 2021, and left a massive void in anticipated workload and income. We began making scrubs in early April via the Scrub Hub, and at the same time, my Doc friend Emilio in New York sent instructions they’d been issued with for making cotton face masks. I perfected the face mask pattern, and needed 100% cotton fabrics, which we don’t use very often. I remembered I had a bag of vintage Liberty tana lawn from the 70’s, and scraps of cotton shirting, which I used to trial my new project. I posted the first batch on Instagram, and sales came in from UK and worldwide! These led to recommendations, and the word continues to spread. I received a couple of commissions from a client in New York for the Trikini, which became the feature for my fun window display for the face masks, and sales continued to rise.We were commissioned to make ‘uniform’ face masks for The Bridge Baker in WBR, and my stock is sold there also.
We’ve made hundreds of face masks! Everyone loves the cotton shirtings and Liberty prints, and this experience has been a complete eye opener. I’m supplying and selling to customers who are local to the area, but who would not need special occasion wear - especially during this time. I’ve been inspired to design an off the peg clothing collection using Liberty tana lawn prints. The fabrics will arrive any day - watch this space, and my shop window!
