Alice Temperley MBE is a British powerhouse who has built her eponymous fashion label over the past 20 years, collecting a slew of famous fans from Michelle Obama to the Duchess of Cambridge. She recently signed a deal to expand in the Middle East and sat down with A&E magazine to discuss what’s next for the house in the region.
Alice Temperley
You recently announced expansion plans in the region. What attracted you to expanding in the Middle East?
We’ve had a long-term partnership with our amazing store within the Dubai Mall for probably about, I think I was there before my son was born, so probably about 16 years we’ve been very present there. What attracted me is that we found some new partners that have partnered with our Middle East business, first of all with the store. Then we were looking for an investment partner that had retail knowledge and the one we liked the best was in Dubai. They have extensive knowledge of accessories and the business out there and are positioned really well in terms of supporting retail expansion in the Middle East. Obviously, we’re going to be doing the rest of the world [and we’re] still based in London and we’re still driving the business from London, but it really helps with managing that whole very growing market, which is the Middle East and India.
Fantastic. There is a traditional symbiotic relationship between London and the UK and Dubai and the Middle East, but from your personal view why do you think your brand resonates with women in the region?
I think that it’s a very timeless elegance. The embroideries and things, Middle Eastern women understand quality, no attention to detail is missed and they appreciate that. But also, I think the way that we design, it is very central and feminine without being overtly sexual. As a woman designing for a woman, I know how to cut fabric in a way that can make you feel incredibly dressed but also incredibly comfortable so it’s not all constructed. There are lots of sleeves, and they are fitted on our rib cage and then very loose from there so the silhouette works well. But I think the ability for Middle Eastern women also to dress up and to appreciate well-made clothes and have the need for them as well. You wouldn’t find in England that people really dress up to go for lunch, whereas in the Middle East, you can, people really do appreciate things like that. We’ve always had very solid support from the Middle East.
What has been your proudest career moment so far?
Well, I probably didn’t realize how key it was, when Anna Wintour had me in her office and did a big five-page piece in American Vogue and I was representing designers in their thirties and then it was Stella in her forties and then [Miuccia Bianchi] Prada in her fifties and Caroline Herrera in her sixties. That was a big moment. We had [Annie] Liebowitz come to the house and that was amazing. And then the next one I guess was being given a medal by Queen Elizabeth II, and luckily enough to have that MBE from the Queen, but when I was told that I thought it was a joke and it still is ridiculous that I got one, but flattering.
Not ridiculous. That’s deserved and very cool.
Yeah, there’s been different kinds of stages. There’s been some really tricky stages and there’s been some real highs. Having any brand nowadays is about endurance and perseverance as well as equal amounts of passion and support with teams. It is definitely a labour of love.
You’ve often talked about how your upbringing influenced your current designs. Where does the West Country sit in terms of your influence and what that means to you in terms of your heritage and bringing that to the region?
I think the heritage, everybody when I meet them in the Middle East, they say, oh, she’s so approachable and she’s down to earth. I think being a farm girl and growing up in the countryside, not only do I escape to the wish to be glamorous, but I did like being in bias-cut dresses and crystal and jewellery and a bit of red lipstick. As a kid, I aspired to that. But also at the same time, I’m very aware that it needs to feel like you feel incredibly comfortable, and I like to think of my dresses running through a field with bare feet and hair, but I think that the way that it’s worn in the Middle East is not really like that. But I think the story of the effortlessness and the freedom and the fact that possibly that created directors is still a life and lives a real life that people can see. A lot of brands don’t have a living breathing person either still alive or somebody who lives and breathes the brand. I think when people see how things are worn and realize that it’s very beautiful things, but it’s not difficult to wear them, they appreciate that.
In terms of other inspirations, where do you find yourself drawn to in terms of your most recent work, and perhaps your SS24 collection?
It depends. It can be to Bright Young Things and writers and the sense of romance escaping in big country houses, which is quite on point with the moment for the last collection. So, we actually shot our latest collection in Blenheim Palace and we’re doing a big retrospective in Blenheim Palace soon. Or it can be from the season before, for example where there was more renaissance and ironwork and the way that things are drawn and the pearls and it is also about where my muse is, and where I want to go in my head. Am I in the Mediterranean doing something for summer and what references would I have or am I stooped in a movie set? And it’s around that, but it is not always just about one reference, it’s coming up with a theme and then it might be that something else is brought in, otherwise, it’s too literal. Researching-wise, we always come up with a theme and then through pattern, tell a story, so that will then go into us designing our prints, our laces, our embroideries, and everything else and you can create a world around that muse of the season and that’s the fun bit.
In terms of what’s coming up, I’m going to Paris this weekend and I’m going to do the flea markets and the galleries and get a mood and a feel for something and then I’ll put it together next week. I’m going for a romantic weekend. I’m going to the Picasso Museum and the flea market. And nice restaurants and I’m going to go and pretend to be French. I know I’ve got references that I’ve done before that I like that I haven’t explored enough yet. I will start with those and then I’ll add, I’ll take them in my head to Paris and then add to that story.
So exciting. I can’t wait to see that.
That’s the fun bit. That’s the bit where you can escape. That’s the fun bit. The logistics side is the headache, but the creating side is the fun bit.
You’ve had massive names wear your label, particularly obviously in terms of British culture, you think of the Duchess of Cambridge, you think of Pippa Middleton. What’s it like seeing your designs in public with such iconic people wearing them?
I think the nicest thing about it is that it’s so diverse. It could be like Michelle Obama at a conference, or it could be Beyonce on holiday with her husband or it could be, I mean all of them in different situations. It’s more exciting for me when it’s not on the red carpet, when people have found us and are wearing us independently of coming to us for a dress of an occasion. It’s incredibly flattering but kind of more flattering when they get it independently. What I don’t do is use names to [promote the house]. Partly because I’ve signed NDAs, but also, I think it’s just nice that people feel like they found it and they’re in love with the brand rather than the fact somebody else has worn it. But I’m fully aware of the power of celebrity endorsement and the fact that if somebody wears things, they will sell out quickly and I’m just not that type of person who follows what other people wear because I’m too busy making stuff.
It’s interesting you say that actually, because De Sarno said about his Gucci collection recently, that he saw someone wearing one of their coats in an art gallery and he spoke to his people and was like, “Did that person buy it or are we lending it to them?” And they said, “No, no, she bought it.” And it was a massive moment for him, in terms of being new to the house.
Yeah, it’s very different to when girls can just go and borrow lots of dresses at agencies, that’s one thing. But when somebody hunts it down, invests in it, loves it and more, or most flattering probably is people wearing it for weddings or special events and then sending letters saying they’ve never had so many compliments, they’ve never felt so amazing. And every time they wear a Temperley dress they get so much sort of response from it. And that is the biggest flattery when it’s somebody that loves it and just punts it and finds it themselves and owns it. And I love hearing stories of what people have happened to when they’ve been wearing the dress.
To build a brand in the way that you have obviously requires so much tremendous work ethic and drive. How do you stay focused and continue to be inspired?
Well, the last two years have pushed me to the brink of the edge and looking over a few times of just like, oh my goodness, Brexit and Covid have been impossible for people in my industry and I’m very responsible to my team, my suppliers, and most importantly to my son. I’m a single mum and it was an incredibly difficult period to make sure that me and my son didn’t let Covid get us down. In this industry, it’s been a challenge and now there’s a new beginning, which is super exciting because Covid has gone away. It hasn’t wiped us all out. We’re dealing with the backend of Brexit issues, which is still ridiculous. But the world is coming back together and with that has been an edit and a streamline and good things we’ve learned and lessons we’ve learned. And I guess if it doesn’t push you over, it makes you stronger. And I balance that out by escaping for weekends in Paris, always having something to look forward to. A lot of walking, riding my horse and when I’m not travelling around and doing stuff, a lot of going to bed very early and making sure I sleep well.
What does your morning routine look like?
I get up at 06:00, I feed all my animals, I feed my alpacas, my donkey, my horse, my chickens, my cats, my dog, all of them. I might have a moment with them, and I love that in spring and summer, not so much in winter when it’s dark. Then I wake up my son, make him something for his school lunch and then I put him in the car and take him to the bus stop. Then I go home, and I intend to do half an hour of yoga and half an hour of me time, an hour to myself and then go to the office at 09:00. That last bit, that doesn’t happen very often because I’ve been busy, but it will do in springtime. So yeah, I get up very early. I focus on my animals, then my son. Then it’s ideally an hour on me and then I’m into the office catching up with the team, meetings and I have a creative room and then I have an email room and I gauge my days’ success by how little I’m in the email room.
Alice Temperley
And finally, if you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
Keep things simple. Grow slowly, but don’t always listen to other people’s advice. When your heart’s telling you something else, listen to your intuition. There’s nothing stronger than your own intuition. You have to believe it.
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