Laila Soares
AWAYTOMARS now works with over 10,000 users over more than 90 different countries, making it one of the most multicultural fashion brands of our time. Our community of designers co-create all our collections, sharing inspirations and merging cultures together.
This week we’ve been getting to know one of our members of the AWAYTOMARS community, Laila Soares. She’s given us a little tour of her life in Paris in our last post, The hidden gems of Paris. Now it’s time to hear more about the designer herself, get her opinions on co-creating with ATM and where she wants to take her brand next. Oh… and get an exclusive peak of her new SS18 collection!
What city do you live in? And what brought you there?
I live in Paris. I moved to Paris more than eight years ago. I had my own fashion brand in Brazil, but also I wanted to have a break and start studying french and arts. I always had the willing to live here. In the beginning I came just to study and do a couple of internships at big names in the fashion industry, but then I decided to stay more.
Who is your biggest creative influence at the moment?
I don’t have only one creative influence, I actually inspired myself with lots of things, and really anything. Perhaps, in general, influencers are people that I meet and they inspire me. When I think of my collections I have always in mind the sort of woman I admire, for her freedom, sense of humour, strength, culture, etc… From a formal perspective, always Martin Margiela, for their research focused on high-end garment construction.
Do you feel working with other designers increases your creativity? And would you work with people outside of fashion, such as photographers or sculptors?
Absolutely! I guess the only way to create something new is gathering strengths, mixing different points of view, opposites universes. Since I’ve started my brand, fifteen years ago in Brazil, the multidiscipline bias was already part of my work. I was never interested in fashion shows. I used to work with writers, musicians, actors, video-makers, to present my collections in a full communicative way. These presentations were videos clips, live performances or even theatres. Apart from creating some richer in terms of meaning, the whole thing becomes funnier.
Have you ever worked on a collaborative project before, and if yes what was it?
Yes, but not exactly the way AWAYTOMARS does. Two years ago I was invited to design a capsule collection for a popular department store in France. The creative director role was given by a famous fashion journalist in France and we were seven designers from different specialisations and universes, as in a co-working process. Each of us was responsible for a stage of the collection, we had accessories, swimwear, menswear, womenswear. I was responsible for the womenswear outcome.
What made you want to join the AWAYTOMARS community? And have you been involved with the cocreation of any of our collections?
Everything that is innovative. I’ve never seen a project like that and when I was invited for it I immediately accepted. I participated with a couple of designs for the first collection. I always worked with professionals from other fields, but never before with people from fashion that would intervene during the creative process. I was very curious to find out how someone else’s view about my designs would alter the first idea. This result also inspired me afterwards in my personal collections!
What is your favourite piece of clothing in your wardrobe, and why?
At the moment, my favourite piece is a skirt from my winter collection 17/18. It’s white, you can wear long or short because of a strap that connects to the shoulder. I really like this garment because it fully represents my brand and what I’m interested in fashion. You can play around with this garment. The skirt also adapts to the person who is wearing it.
If you could re-design that item, what would you change to make it even better?
I’ve been thinking of making a double side to have another possibilities!
What is next for you as a designer?
My next step is to establish my DNA and to communicate more about my own brand. I would like to form a multidiscipline team with photographs, video-makers, as such as I had in Brazil but I still haven’t found the right people here! I’m also thinking of studying again, maybe an MBA in Business.
And lastly, who are you favourite people to follow on social media? And what are your social media accounts so we can follow?
Sophie Fontanel, writer and fashion journalist, an inspiring woman, free mind and with an amazing sense of humour.
You can find me on: Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and Pinterest
We’ve also got an exclusive sneak peak of her new SS18 collection!
