Monday, April 26

Q & A: Good Golly Miss Molly!

Melissa Allen is the talented Durban designer behind Miss Molly Fashions. I've been following her blog for a while now because she's one of the few South African bloggers who posts outfit pictures and I LOVE those! If you've ever wandered about starting your own fashion line, get nice and comfy as Melissa tells us her story.

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Hello Melissa! How are you today?
Hey babe, I am doing splendid... thank you!! Currently packing my bags as i'm off to Barcelona this afternoon for a high summer trending trip!

How awesome! Tell us more about this glamorous life of yours. What did you study and is Miss Molly Fashions a full time venture for you?
Well.. I only studied fashion design for one year but started working in the industry at a young age and worked my way up the ladder. (Still working my way up the ladder.) I actually work full time as a clothing merchandiser and Miss Molly Fashions is my part time passion! I love my job as a merchandiser but the creative flair is sometimes limited .. that's where Miss Molly comes in, as it is my label so I can create what I want without any limitations.

When and how did you go about setting up your business?
I have always dreamt about owning a store but when I was offered my job as a merchandiser I knew that it would be difficult to do both, so I thought - why not open up an online store. So that's what I have done and I haven't looked back since. Miss Molly Fashions was officially born in Jan 2009. I started off with a very small range and have slowly grown the little business into something I am really proud of! There is a lot in store for the brand in the near future and i am really excited about it!

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Sounds super! What inspired the name, Miss Molly?
My father nick named me Molly from a young age, I love this name so i really wanted it to be a part of the brand!.. My boyfriend suggested Miss Molly - and thats where it came from !

How would you describe your personal style these days and what were you wearing ten years ago?
I don't think I have a specific style, I always dress to whatever mood i'm in! 10 years ago you would of seen me in a old pair of straight leg Levi jeans (with a D.i.Y bleach wash), a white tee, a cardi and a pair of sneakers.

How did little Melissa dress? Were you playing dress up as a young lass?
Oh Little Melissa loved to play dress up! Lucky for me, my granny travelled all over the world and literally had a treasure chest full of clothes shoes and accessories from overseas. My cousin and I would spend hours at her house playing dress up and putting on mini fashion shows for our parents.

Cute! Is there any trend or piece of clothing you regret wearing? Any humdingers you'd rather forget, hehe?!
Platform spice girl shoes were massive when I was in Junior school.. I would have to say that these are something I regret ever being proud of owning!! YUK!

Who are your style inspirations?
I love Agyness Deyn, Andy Torres from Style Scrapbook, Sienna Miller and Alexa Chung

If you could own any designer piece (if you don't already!) what would you choose?
Right now I am loving the bird print satin MIU MIU platforms! WOW

Yes, those are lovely! What tips would you give to someone wanting to start their own fashion line?
Be prepared to work really hard! You will have to endure many a sleepless night, stay inspired and up to date on trends! - the internet is an amazing source of inspiration from blogs, to clothing and magazine websites! Most importantly you need to remember to stay motivated, focussed and always keep your goals in mind. You will get the days when you just want to give up but those are the days that separate the people that make it and the people that don't. Be the person that makes it, because the rewards are amazing :) If you can, try get yourself  The Teen Vogue Hand book - it's a great book that features career advice tips from the greatest fashion designers, stylists, photographers, etc

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Tell us what you love most about fashion.
I love to dress up and make a statement! I get so excited when i walk into my fav stores. I love finding that perfect item where at a first glance I already know where I am wearing it to and what I am wearing it with. At the risk of sounding cheesy - I really do believe that one should treat every day as if it were an occasion when it comes to dressing up. 

What are your thoughts on South African style?
I personally feel that South Africans in general are afraid to take risks when it comes to fashion and dressing up but there are still tons of stylish, fashion forward boys and girls in our country - take a look at www.we-are-awesome.com for instance. Come on guys, throw away your golfers, cargo's and crocs! 

Where do you see the Miss Molly brand in five years time? What are your hopes and dreams?
I hope to open a store in at least 5 years and my dream is for Miss Molly Fashions to grace the runways at Paris Fashion week!

Where and how can we buy Miss Molly Fashions?
You can shop our online blog store: www.shopmissmollyfashions.blogspot.com All you have to do is browse the garments and mail thru the style reference that you are interested in to missmolly@live.co.za we do plan on stocking a store in Durban soon but i will be sure to fill you in on the details.

Please tell us your top 5 clothing stores, designers, cities and blogs.
Ah, you're a sweetie! Thanks so much for popping in Melissa. Have a wonderful time in Barcelona and take lots of pics!

If you'd like to be featured on Glossary, simply drop me an email here. And, if you're a Miss Molly fan, please feel free to say hi in a comment. x

5 comments:

Miss Molly said...

thanks so much for the inty hun! your hair looks amazing brown! love it xoxo

Nadia Jonker said...

Lovely interview! Nice to learn more about Miss Molly!

Lauren Setterberg said...

Pleasure Molly! Thanks Nads:)

Miss Emma Jude said...

I'm amazed at some of the designers that spring from good 'ol Durbs. Never underestimate a small city!!

mathew said...

Durban has so much creative talent its actually scary!

Great interview, miss molly is a very talented young lady!!