With an innate love for all things decadent and delicate, 24 year old Virginia Gould long dreamt of running her own business and establishing her own fashion line. In 2007, subsequent to her studies at Sydney’s Whitehouse Institute of Design, this bright young lady launched her own label French Seams into the Australian industry.

The name of the label…

At first I found it hard to choose a name as it has to be right, I wanted it to be related to clothing and fashion and also something that was hopefully easy to remember. I came up with French Seams, as it is a type of seam used in garments to hide raw edges especially in transparent fabrics such as chiffon where you wouldn’t want to see over locking. So I guess my labels name is quite technical.

To launch a second collection it feels…

Exciting!

Trends for Autumn/Winter 08 season…

Dress for the season if it’s cold wear clothes that will keep you warm otherwise it looks weird if you have a really nice outfit on but you look like you’re freezing. Get lots of nice accessories, which are cheaper but brighten up your outfit and make it different each day. Also I think capes will be popular this winter so get one of those if possible as your statement piece.

You personal style is…

My style is relaxed and feminine. I like to dress up when I go out but I’m a bit more casual during the day especially if I am doing samples or cutting for production. I love pretty fabrics and prints.

You find inspiration in…

Historical characters and history, I find this very inspirational. I also like nature such as flowers and the seaside. And my imagination inspires me; I want people to feel a certain way when they wear French Seams depending on the inspiration I have used.  

French Seams Summer 08/09…

For summer 08/09 I am going to do a 1st and 2nd summer so they will have the same feel but different prints that I designed myself and different colours for the different collections. There are dresses and skirts with shirring details, laces and cool colours, also more swimwear.

This time next year we will be wearing…

Dresses with nice detailing.

Choosing fabrics…

 I like to choose my inspiration and look at fabrics, colours and textures that reflect this. I think about what I would like to wear and what I think other people would like to wear.

Your biggest challenge…

I would say the most challenging hurdle is getting more stockists for my label. It is only new and people are just starting to get to know what it is like.

If you could be anywhere right now…

 I love what I am doing right now, there is always a challenge and as I am younger I have to learn from some of my [own] mistakes but it feels great when a store wants to stock your label.

In 3 words you are...

Friendly, Excitable and Happy.

Your vices…

I love buying shoes and probably have too many, but not enough bags. My dream car is an Aston Martin DB9 convertible.

 For more information on French Seams and for stockists; www.frenchseams.com.au