One on one with Kate Phelan

One of the most influential women in the fashion business, Kate Phelan has been the creative director of Topshop since 2012. In addition to her role at Topshop, she's a contributing editor at British Vogue, and one of the most effortlessly cool women you could meet. Casual in black trousers, grey cashmere and Celine sneakers, Phelan spoke to us backstage at the Topshop Unique show during London Fashion Week - and on the eve of the first New Zealand flagship opening in Auckland this Thursday.

Topshop is very British but global — how do you translate that Britishness internationally, to various markets?

We’ve always been known for individual style in this country. Because we don’t have that legacy of a heritage of big fashion houses in this country, I think music has always been a huge part of how people develop their style; music is still very important to kids.

Somehow, being able to translate that and harness that style and confidence of how they like to dress, I think has been adapted so much elsewhere. It’s a combination of youth now being such a big player in our business. Technology with everything that we can do with fashion. Fashion, even 10 years ago, was this elite world that no one had access to unless you were invited. Now the doors have been flung open, the whole thing’s been unveiled. The girl on the street, she knows about fashion, she knows about everything.

You opened the first Australian flagship in Sydney in 2012. What surprised you about the Australian market?

It wasn’t a great surprise to me to know that Topshop was going to be successful in Australia, and I think will be in New Zealand. Our connections and our relationship as countries are still very, very close. I think culturally, even though we’re on the other side of the world, there’s something that really connects us together. The way that the Topshop girl looks is very in keeping with the New Zealand girl — there’s this real sort of free spirit that you get, she’s as happy on the beach as she is in the city. There’s that sort of real, they really like their style; and want to be a bit individual and not conform and look like they’re all from one tribe.

How do you see digital further affecting fashion?

If you were looking in a crystal ball, what would be amazing would be if you could show these clothes and know that you could buy into the store and buy them tomorrow. For me that would be the futuristic view of fashion. In some ways, we’re making tiny steps to get there — doing the click to buy, by showing pieces on Facebook that aren’t in the collection. It’s all part of slightly starting to change the way the wheel has been turning. We’re an innovative brand, and obviously technology and fashion all run alongside each other now. It’s a big part of what we do.

You helped develop Topshop’s designer collaborations. How important are these to you?

I love the fact that Topshop is a big supporter of new talent. It’s been an incredible journey for so many designers who have come through the New Gen and gone on to have such incredible success stories. That in itself is really rewarding. But it’s also really interesting to work with these designers when we do these collaborations, and to see them at that point in their careers when they’re just taking off and it’s all starting to happen.

What designers are you most excited about right now?

Marques Almeida are doing amazing things. J.W. Anderson was one of our collabs, and he is now doing such incredible work. Christopher Kane.

You have worked across all levels of fashion, luxury to fast fashion — what are the key differences or similarities between the two?

I think it’s really interesting what has happened in the industry. It was all about luxury for so long, and now we’ve seen so many new brands come into the marketplace and you see the gap is really changing. It’s interesting also in the luxury world, they want to talk to that younger customer too, so they’ve had to lower themselves down to speak to that customer and get them into their stores and give them an appetite for what they’re doing. Topshop is lifting itself to go even higher. The whole thing is just changing all of the time, and I think it is due to the fact that the customer is so much more savvier about fashion. They know what they’re looking for, so you have to keep raising your game all of the time to make sure they’re still interested, with new ideas and making it special.

What are your predictions for future?

We’ve already seen the introduction of all these resort and pre collections, I think that’s basically telling us that people want new things all of the time. That’s something that a brand like Topshop does, new things every single week. It’s really interesting to see how new things are what people want, and they want to be excited by it every time they go and visit — whether they’re shopping online or in store, they want to see new things. That’s what has changed so much, I don’t think luxury ever thought they were going to have that fast a turnaround.

What defines British style right now? What defines London style?

The idea for the collection [the recent one shown at London Fashion Week] came with this sort of stable of British models we have. For me I’m always so curious about their personal style because British girls do have this incredible way of dressing that’s really hard to put your finger on because it’s about them doing what they want for themselves. So really that was our starting point, taking reference to those great British girls because their fashion has really influenced British fashion because of their look and individuality. So we began with this girl who started in the deepest darkest depths of Northumberland where she’s lived in her ancestral home and she’s had a playground of some wonderful landscapes, and then she begins her journey coming back down to London. It’s how she develops and grows and it’s a bit of a journey from adolescence to womanhood I suppose.

Topshop always has the best British models in the show. How do you choose a “Topshop girl”?

For this collection we wanted girls who felt like they had that slightly English rose complexion. They’ve all got this sort of windswept hair and cold weather cheeks. That becomes our starting point and then you start to piece the girls together for the show to fit the collection. Our favourite girls like Cara (Delevingne) or Jourdan (Dunn), they’re going to be sitting front row this time so it’s going to be really interesting seeing them on that side of the catwalk.

Those Brit girls are defined by Cara and Kate Moss, who you have worked closely with. What is it about the two of them that you think appeals so widely?

I think it’s because they are so individual that they never fit into a group or look. They are completely their own people, they’re incredibly charismatic and have an incredible sense of style with their own point of view.They are not followers, they’re leaders.

Has your style changed at all since you began working for Topshop?

Not really. In some ways I think when you’re surrounded by so many clothes all of the time you end up shrinking back a bit. But I love working with fashion, I’ve always had great pleasure with working in clothes but probably prefer putting them on someone else other than myself.

In your role as creative director, what is your vision for the direction of Topshop this year, or for the coming season?

For this year I suppose would be to continue being good at it. To continue to be true to ourselves and to really keep moving forward and to be innovative and fast moving. It’s important to trust in our beliefs and focus.

With consumers becoming increasingly aware about ethical fashion and the impact of fast fashion on workers and the environment, how do you see the future of fast fashion evolving and reacting to that?

I think fast fashion is spearheading how to do this and to do this well and our thinking and concern to make sure we are concerning ourselves with the ethics of what we’re doing is incredibly important to a business’ success. You can’t do it independently as a business and you have to learn very fast. It’s something that’s incredibly important to the success of any brand to make sure that’s something on the top of the list.

- Additional reporting Dan Ahwa