Modern lifestyle brand Volcom, bred on liberation, innovation and experimentation is focussed on supporting creative individuals, from athletes and musicians to artists. For their latest adventure, they delve into the fresh design talent pool that is the London College of Fashion to collaborate with one of their rising luminaries, Anju Khusul.
Highly anticipated, the SEED Collection further cements the Volcom desire for an avant-garde approach to clothing and their collaborative mindset. Speaking to our writer Emma-Jayne Daniels, designer and LCF student Anju explains the collaboration from the beginning, from spending her summer in France to living the fashion dream.
What is it like studying at the London College of Fashion?
Studying at LCF is brilliant; it has a great reputation that is highly identified in the industry. I have made a lot of great connections and friends during the time I have been studying there. I have one more year of being a student until I graduate and work in the real world.
How did you come to do your placement at Volcom?
Volcom set a brief for the students at London College of Fashion to reinvent a denim garment and make it in to something new. The prize was to join the Volcom girls’ design team in France for 6 months and create a capsule collection built on their own inspiration. Luckily, I was the winner of the first SEED competition, an initiative designed by Volcom to get fashion students involved with the brand.
What were your inspirations for the collection?
My inspiration for the SEED collection originally started with trend research to keep the line commercial and relevant. I came across the Japanese art of origami and I used that as a starting point in terms of creative input. Some of the elements like the lining pints and tuck details were inspired by this. I also took inspiration from Volcom’s previous collections and used that as an example to work from as well. My line aims to be high fashion mixed with a core sports mentality. When designing each garment I also kept in mind the customer who I wanted to wear my pieces: an individual leader with a quirky edge to her style.
What was it like creating the collection for such an established brand?
It was brilliant to work with such a reputable brand as Volcom, I felt as if the team I worked with were very supportive and open minded with what I had to offer. The brand itself has a great ethos and I found it very easy to adapt myself to that. Having the chance to live and work in France for 6 months over the wonderful summer months is also an experience I will never forget.
After gaining such great experience, what are your future aspirations now as a designer?
After finishing my placement year, I am now preparing myself to go back to university. I have my final year ahead, which I hope will open up doors for me and my plans of setting up my own online boutique, and then…live the fashion dream!
The Volcom SEED Collection is available in store from September.
words Emma-Jayne Daniels
