An Interview With Fashion Designer Angie Balek

We had the absolute pleasure of meeting the delightful, WGSN nominated designer Angelys Balek in London last week to preview her latest collections and ask her a few questions about her inspirations. Angelys Balek is an especially unique and creative fashion designer, hailing from Thailand and based in New York. ‘Angie’ Balek created her own label ‘Angelys Balek’ in 2010 and caters to adventurous, sophisticated women who dare to bring a little more imagination into their wardrobes.

Her 2013 fall and pre spring collections romantically and whimsically named ‘Another Beetlejuice’ and ‘Upon – My Oh My’ are tied together with many inspirations, most predominantly those taken from films, such as Beetlejuice, directed by Tim Burton, notoriously avant garde film maker and Legend, a fantasy love story starring Tom Cruise. These creations take us to another world, one slightly macabre, dark, playful and bold. Balek spoke of her fine art inspirations for many of her designs, telling us she wanted to get back to nature with her work, and explaining the processes involved, which varied from tree rubbings to watercolour paintings she had created which are then printed onto the gorgeous fabric of her designs.

How did your love affair with fashion design begin? Tell us a bit more about yourself:

I have always wanted to be a fashion designer and I love designing clothes which embody a sophisticated, sweet feminine style. I grew up in Bangkok and my mother wanted me to be Miss Thailand. She would dress me up with a crown, but I’d always tell her that I was going to be a fashion designer. I studied Fine Arts at Bangkok University and then moved to London to study at London College of Design. In 2009, I came to New York City to make my dream a reality. That same year, with the help of my sister and childhood friend, I created my first collection. I’ve been very lucky and opened my first flagship store in 2011, in the heart of Siam Square, Bangkok.

Your recent collections are very much influenced by films, what other films are favourites of yours?
I like watching films that are inspirational. Films such as Seven Pounds, Coco Before Chanel and The Pursuit of Happiness. I also like movies such as 500 Days of Summer and Great Expectations that are refreshingly honest and romantic. And any film with Audrey Hepburn!

You have got back to the basics in the design process of your newest collections; with ethereal textures and fine art prints. Tell us a little more about this process.

I really enjoyed getting back to basics with some of the pieces in my collections. Some prints are made from tree rubbings of bark, I was interested in representing nature in my pieces, I would also paint water colours and then use these art works in my designing, as well as sketches and drawings. There are a lot of references to nature in my collections.

You are currently based in New York City, is this your preferred city to work/live in?
Both New York City and London are my preferred cities to work/live in because of the contrasting styles. I would love to split my time between the two cities.

What is your favourite and least favourite aspect of your design career?
I love that I get to travel a lot for my career as a designer. I like to explore new cities and new places – this is where a lot of my inspiration comes from. I draw creativity from visiting museums and soaking up the local culture. What is dislike is that when I am inspired and I have a vision for my designs and I can’t see and touch them immediately. Design to production does not happen overnight – I wish it did!

Do you have any advice for aspiring designers?

Don’t just stop at 100%, give it all you can. It is a 24/7 job between researching, designing, sourcing fabrics, managing production, etc. so you’ll need to have a strong determination to succeed. It also helps if you have cash upfront to buy the fabrics and put the line into production – it is quite expensive to start a fashion collection.

Stephanie Williamson

Balek’s designs are unmistakably feminine, transforming her beautiful clothes into incredibly wearable pieces of art. Click here to see the rest of the collection.