Blog:Isabella Charles Interview pt. 2

The second part of the interview with designer Isabella Charles focuses on her eponymous label, and is following a more linear approach to adhere to her brand’s Wiki-article. All of the questions and answers in the second part of the interview have been done in writing to get the most cohesive, and expressive amount of information.

What identifies your brand? Who is your ideal customer/fan?

The Isabella Charles brand is a dark and unconventional take on modern avant garde fashion. The ideal client would be someone who has a distinctive personal style and values dark self-expression, holding slow fashion ideals and sustainability to a high standard.

What is the Isabella Charles brand’s mission within the industry?

Within the fashion industry, we aim to produce quality, handmade garments with a distinctive edge, utilising sustainable materials and practices in all facets of the design process.

You’re currently doing one collection per year, and we’ve seen other brands do it, what’s the reason for that, and is that something that you’ll continue to do?

Being an Australian based brand on the opposite fashion calendar to most of the world, doing one collection per year allows the brand to focus on cross seasonal pieces that can appeal to both the Australian and international market and offer more seasonal variety and layering options within one collection. It is something that I will likely continue to do for the foreseeable future, although nothing is set in stone.

What made you start a brand rather than work as a designer elsewhere, especially at such a young age, and what are some of the major milestones that you’ve achieved since starting your brand?

I have previously worked in the industry for several other designers. I found that in the current state of the industry, especially working in Europe, opportunities and progression can be quite limited, oversaturated and extremely underpaid. I decided to relocate from Berlin, where I was previously working, as I wanted to instead channel my energy into creating and producing my own vision, rather than for other designers. The first commercial collection released in January 2025. A highlight since establishing the brand would definitely be having the opportunity to work with Angela from Xiu Xiu for their Mono 53 Performance and Jae and Gus from Boy Harsher for their Dark Mofo performance. It was incredible to collaborate with creatives in other disciplines and get to see parts of the collection live in performance.

What is the overall visual identity of the brand, and what’s the production process like? What type of materials do you prefer working with, and what type of core values have you set?

Production of garments is all done by hand in our studio, so all processes are done on quite a small scale, with all garments made to order. When a piece is purchased, measurements are requested and patterns and the subsequent garments are made accordingly for the client. We use primarily deadstock fabrics, prioritising materials with distinctive character and using majority natural fibres. A favourite material to work with is kangaroo leather, which is only ethically sourced for environmental conservation and is one of the most sustainable material options. We are able to source from and support a local Australian supplier, who also has strong sustainable values, in which I am able to obtain the most interesting “flawed” skins, which give the leather garments a more distinctive quality, meaning each garment will be unique to each other. We utilise these material and design values to create a cohesive visual narrative, celebrating unconventional materials and techniques through our dark design language.

What message do you want to convey with your collections, and briefly just touch on the different collections, and the thought process behind them. Is there a common theme or are you always trying to reinvent yourself with each passing collection?

The collections all in one way or another focus on embracing the macabre and bizarre and channelling it into something beautiful. I feel that each collection has extrapolated from the last, exploring similar themes and references that I have touched on. The brand vision extends with each collection, rather than pivoting, allowing me to come to and from concepts in a non linear manner, while delving into similar ideologies.

Tell us about some of the motifs that you might repeatedly use that might not be seen by the untrained eye.

Elements of bodily distortion carry heavily throughout the collections. Embracing the raw materials and utilising aspects of this to create for instance, hems designed to fray with wear and change uniquely with the wearer. Natural fibres and embracing the natural characteristics of them, such as scarred leather.

Do you have any bestselling products or a product/products that you’d like to highlight? What is the design process, and why have you chosen these garments/accessories?

The Anointed Cap and Vindicated Cap, inspired by nun headwear, have been popular pieces, as have the various leather and hair accessories and garments, such as the Temptress Halter and Rattenkönig Earrings. I chose to highlight these pieces, as they are not the most “wearable” garments, but they exemplify the brand identity and allow the wearer to introduce aspects of the avant garde into their own style.

With sustainability being a key question in the world of fashion, and as you are a frequent user of deadstock, what are some of the challenges you face when it comes to sustainability?

Being able to source the perfect fabrics can be challenging, as I have a very precise idea of what I want, and when sourcing from deadstock can be a long process, but I will not compromise on the quality and nature of the materials.

Part one of the interview can be found here: Isabella Charles Interview Pt. 1

_{By: Jez}