Dubaiwelcomes Christian Dior Ha ute Couturep.138 10minuteswith: Kate Spa de' s creative director

With a wealth of design experience at Gucci and Michael K ors, what is it that you think is the answer to a winning formula for a brand as big as Kate Spade New York? From my experience at both Gucci

(under Tom Ford) and Michael Kors, I learned the importance of being focused and clear with your vision. In the current fashion landscape this has become more important than ever. There are so many brands out there – it’s really important to have a distinct point of view and build on the DNA of the brand.

At a time where the brand has suffered a loss due to sad news of Kate Spade herself, how has this resonated with you to take the brand forward? One of the things I love about Kate Spade is that

its DNA has been clear and distinct since the very beginning. Kate Spade has always felt unique in the marketplace. The brand came from truly authentic beginnings, and has stayed authentic in attitude and approach.

I’ve been familiar with the brand since it was founded in 1993. I was living in the UK at the time, and I remember reading about Kate and pulling magazine clippings that were written about her. I was inspired by her entrepreneurial spirit – she was a true pioneer in this industry. When I joined the brand last January, I started by looking backwards before I looked forwards. After Kate’s passing, I didn’t need to change course, because I had already designed my first collection with the brand’s core DNA in mind. Her legacy lives on through the work I continue to do with the team.

Fashion is such a fast world and it seems like there is never really a moment to stop and think. How do you take time out to soak up inspiration and creativity? One of the best and most challenging

elements in the fashion world is the speed at which everything occurs. I’ve been at Kate Spade for a year now and am already in the midst of my fourth collection, but my first collection is just now hitting stores!

I was very fortunate to inherit teams across categories that really embraced my vision from the beginning. I’ve loved working with the teams to translate my vision across categories. But I also make sure to balance my work and personal lives. My favourite getaway is our home out east near Montauk. My husband, son and I eat dinner together as a family and then play games or create art until it is time for bed. I always read my son a book or two before he goes to sleep.

You have a twin sister who is a doctor. Do you admire each other as you are in such different worlds? My identical twin sister, Tara, and I

are very close. We went down completely different career paths – she is a radiologist in London – but in a way, our paths run parallel. We both have an acute attention to detail, an understanding of patterns and how they work together, as well as an artistic eye. She keeps me grounded.

The first bag I designed for Kate Spade is the Nicola bag. It is a softly structured shoulder bag with rounded corners. Its soft feminine details balance the strong, graphic silhouette. As a fun personal twist, I created a bi-coloured variation. It’s my own special nod to my sister.

Your childhood memories are wonderful. Is there something special about being a twin sister and dressing identically for that many years, or does it make you really appreciate your unique approach to style as an adult? My mother dressed Tara and I

identical ly until we were 10! We have a video of my sister and I walking as children in the garden in my mother’s high heels. We stopped dressing the same at that point because we didn’ t like the attention we got and we wanted to express our own individually. Sharing wardrobes also doubled our options!

My career path has been quite winding, and there were times earlier on that I looked at Tara – who is a radiologist in London, saving lives every day – and I would question what I was doing. But I’ve come to realise that what I do makes people happy. Tara and I are still very close. She came to New York in September for my first fashion show – a lot of guests even thought she was me sitting in the front row!

The SS19 is fun and feminine. Do you feel this is the direction the brand will be taking now?

Kate Spade was –and is – colourful, feminine, optimistic and welcoming. It is, and always has been, for a woman that has a sense of purpose.

Our brand stands for and embraces the idea of optimistic femininity. That all women can find themselves, and their way to express themselves, within the various elements of the collection while at the same time, making it their own. To me, optimistic femininity is empowered, confident dressing with an easy sunny sensibility. The Spring 2019 collection will feel both familiar and new to the Kate Spade customer. I’m taking the brand heritage and reinterpreting it in a modern way. We continue to elevate our assortment by building upon core concepts, design details and refined techniques – each collection will be a natural evolution from the last. I’m focusing on our use of colour and prints, and interpreting them in fresh and modern ways. This is something our customer looks to us for and something we will continue to deliver in new and exciting ways.

What do you think of the Middle East as a place and does the fashion here ever inspire you?

I find the way women express themselves through their fashion choices in the Middle East to be very inspiring. They seem to always have an innate sense of style which focuses on confident dressing with a sense of realness. Their use of accessories is purposeful and they are not afraid of bold prints and unexpected colour mixing.

I wanted the ready-to-wear to be pieces that people can live their lives in – take you from day to night depending on how you accessorise. There’s still a femininity, but it’s almost pa red back in certain ways. I created pieces with longer hemlines and longer sleeves to fulfill that need for our Middle Eastern customer.

I hope that Middle Eastern women can find themselves, or express themselves, with the various elements of the collection – while at the same time, making it their own.