British designer Bella Freud is the great-granddaughter of Sigmund Freud and the daughter of the artist Lucian Freud, and is famous for her evocative knitwear and homeware lines. Bella’s eponymous brand was founded in the early 90s featuring knitted dresses in bookish colours, mini tailored suits and a small selection of shoes and bags.
About a decade later, and partly as a result of a collaboration with John Malkovich, the cult sweater was born. Freud made a couple of short films with the Hollywood actor and it was on the set that one of her most famous creations came into being almost by chance. ‘I made some short films with John Malkovich, and the last one we did was about beatniks, a poet and women who were his admirers,’ Freud explains. She wanted one of the women to wear a jumper that would look like band merchandise and it ended up being inscribed with the words ‘Ginsberg is god’. ‘Someone had a flip of the tongue and said, ‘Godard is dog’, and that was perfect for meaningful and meaningless poetry.’ The jumper remains one of the bestsellers to date and reads ‘Ginsberg is god’ on the front and ‘Godard is dog’ on the back.
From Jane Birkin to David Bowie, Bella Freud draws inspiration from some of fashion and music’s most iconic stars. But it is her cult sweaters, decorated with doodles, that have put her on the fashion map. Whether brightly coloured or monochrome, they slot into the modern girl’s wardrobe with ease, as attested by legions of fangirls, from Kate Moss to Alexa Chung. However, if the knitwear is the soft centre of Freud’s brand, she’s slowly building an empire around it. In addition to her standalone shop in Marylebone, she currently produces a line of homeware, candles, and perfume, with recent successes including a collaboration with J Brand with whom she created a denim line complemented by signature jumpers that are embellished with words.
Her cult jumpers have made her fashion royalty, and here we talk to the woman behind the brand about not only her inspirations, but what has been behind the growth of her empire, and what goes into creating an icon.
How would you describe the Bella Freud aesthetic?
I describe it as, ‘upmarket irreverence’.
You set up your label in 1990, did you always want to be a fashion designer?
No, but I have always been interested in how clothes can make you feel different. Being a designer, you can really delve into this.
What are your earliest fashion memories?
I remember a glamorous older sister of a friend coming back from London with clothes from Biba, they were so beautiful, and tiny.
Have you been inspired by your family?
Yes, both my parents were creative and courageous in their different ways.
Who is your style icon?
It isn’t just one person, I have a few people I love the look of and always have done like Anita Pallenberg, Coco Chanel, Miles Davis, or Serge Gainsbourg. At the moment I’m loving the style of Jean Michel Basquiat, because there is an exhibition of his work on and I’ve seen a lot of pictures of him.
Do you have a favourite fashion era, and does that specifically inspire your style?
I like the Edwardian era for fashion but it doesn’t specifically influence my style, it’s more of an undercurrent of the style rather than replicating it.
What inspired you to start your own line?
I had a fantasy of a look I wanted to see on a girl and I didn’t stop until I had brought it to life. I was obsessed with the fictional heroine of Colette’s novel Claudine, and in my mind I was dressing her as a contemporary.
Tell us about how you moved away from catwalk collections, and into designing cult sweaters?
I never felt connected to people when I was doing fashion shows, it went too fast. I made two short films when I first started my label in the early 90’s, then I met John Malkovich and we started making films together which was so exhilarating.
Can you share with us the lessons that you have learnt from having your own label and business?
It is a very hard business and you have to be tenacious.
What has been your biggest challenge so far in growing your business?
Cashflow. And getting away from my desk.
You are renowned for your worded sweaters. What inspires these iconic words and how do you keep them thoughtful and considered?
That’s where getting away from my desk comes in, I like to read, see things, and listen to music, as that is when ideas germinate. I’m always on the look out, I have my sketchbook with me always and draw words whenever they seem to come to life somewhere.
Tell us about your most iconic sweater?
1970 seems to have captured peoples’ imagination. It is very flattering too, the white stripe casts a pretty glow on the face, like a string of pearls. I liked the look of it, and it just took off and hasn’t stopped.
Can you share with us what led you to the design of your infamous 1970 logo?
I was messing about on the photocopier and saw the date printed and liked the look of it. It just looked right and reminded me of the exciting atmosphere associated with that date, New York grunge, Patti Smith, Punk Rock.
Can you tell us about the iconic Pluto whippet dog design?
I asked my father to write my name for my logo and he drew a little picture of his whippet Pluto. It was so perfect.
What do you feel makes your designs so popular, and has given them a cult status?
Thank you! Maybe they have an element of cult status because you can’t get them everywhere.
Why did you decide to add tailoring into your collection?
I have always been obsessed with tailoring, I wanted to be a bus conductor so I could wear the suit. I used to do tailoring, so when I opened my shop I decided to make a few special suits for women like me who like boyish, girlish, dressing. I have just made a Tuxedo collection which I will add to each season. I love Tuxedos.
How do you design with your customer in mind?
I mostly design with friends in mind. I like to think of people whose style I like or who I just like, then imagine things they would enjoy wearing.
If you could give women any style advice, what would it be?
My advice would be to ignore peoples’ advice.
How would you describe your personal style, and how has it evolved over the years?
My style is scruffy and elegant. I am more adventurous now in my dressing than I was, maybe it’s just because I have more clothes.
Other than your own label, what designers do you love to wear?
I have lots of Céline, I love it. I like to wear my friends’ clothes who are designers so I wear a bit of Vampires Wife, maybe a Molly Goddard t shirt, but shoes are my passion. I love Christian Louboutin, Céline, all trainers, Gucci, so pretty much any shoes.
Tell us about your collaboration with J Brand, and why you chose this brand to partner with? What is your favourite stand-out piece from the collection?
I have always wanted to work with a denim brand, J Brand have a fantastic reputation and have done other good collaborations. My favourite piece from the collection is the jumpsuit, it is based on something Farrah Fawcett Majors would have worn, its sexy and it looks functional.
In fashion and fragrance there is a focus on characters throughout your work, what is the significance of creating an identity, and how important is it to keep a sense of humour?
Identity is everything. Style is about successfully accessing your identity and playing with it while staying true to it. I like the in jokes of fashion, the campness, and playing around with serious ideas, it brings things to life.
As you launch your new fragrance Psychoanalysis, can you share with us the first fragrance that you remember?
I remember the smell of Patchouli as a child. I really didn’t like it, but now I use it as a bit of grit at the base of a fragrance. It gives it power, I love it!
Tell us a bit about Psychoanalysis? How did you go about creating this scent?
I spent some time at the Freud Museum in Hampstead where my great grandfather lived for his final year of life. I wanted the fragrance to smell of leather, books, a cigar, and a bunch of flowers. Then I wanted the box to be intriguing too, it is silver covered, like an old mirror. I like the idea of the warmth and sexiness of the intellect.
This joins a collection of five other fragrances, do you have a favourite among them, or do you tend to just flit between them?
My favourite is the signature perfume which smells of Amber, I find that smell incredibly comforting and settling. I like a spritz of 1970 for the evening, it is a much tenser atmosphere, so good for being out on the town.
Can you share with us the catalyst for branching out into home wear and fragrances? What is next for Bella Freud?
I am obsessed with interiors! I have been doing more home design projects and I feel my fashion can extend to interiors in a pleasing way. I enjoy expanding this immensely, my dream is to team up with a company to make bedlinen and towels – and everything!
By Eliza Scarborough
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