Meet Laura Basevi
Beautiful, bohemian one-of-a-kind garments, hand crafted from exquisite vintage and antique textiles.
My name is Laura Basevi, I’m a fashion designer based in Bournemouth, I run a sustainable fashion label (Laura Basevi) that uses only preloved and vintage textiles.
Sustainability is fundamental to my brand, all fabrics are hand-picked by me and reinvented from preloved cloth. I love searching for vintage treasures at flea markets and charity shops, they not only add charm and beauty but also tell a story of a previous life. Adding a vintage lace trim to a collar or a delicate pearl button fastening is something that makes my brand unique and each garment a one-of-a-kind. As the reincarnation meets its new wearer and so begins another story.
I have always loved vintage clothing, even for my graduate collection back in 1999 I was re-working clothes from charity shops. After graduating I had a stall at Brick Lane market and sometimes on a Friday at Portobello market selling vintage accessories and clothes I had upcycled. My love affair with antique textiles continued when I worked in Ledbury Road, for ‘One Vintage’ one of the most iconic vintage shops in London at that time. We created red carpet worthy dresses from the shop basement and would frequently have models and celebrities such as Kate Moss, Poppy Delavigne and Jade Jagger. They were magical times! I spent my lunch breaks hunting for vintage treasures in Portobello market and my weekends at car boot sales. I also met some of my best friends brought together by our love of clothes and sewing.
When I moved back to my native Dorset, with my young daughter I continued to work remotely for the One Vintage label for many years then Covid hit. For me it was a moment to pause and reevaluate. I needed to follow my dream of starting a label. With ideas in my head I was impatient to create, and a studio full of amazing fabrics collected over the years, it was now or never. So the label was born!
The first collection included my signature block-print long dress, created with panels of repurposed vintage silk sarees and printed cotton ethnic skirts. The previous summer Pearl Lowe had commissioned me to make a dress for her after she’d seen me wearing one of mine. I was extremely flattered that someone as cool as Pearl wanted to wear my designs and finally found the confidence to get started. Those bohemian ethnic dresses from the first collection all sold and I continue to fulfil bespoke orders using that original design. I own one myself and find it such a versatile summer dress that can be dressed up with wedges or worn with simple flat sandals and it never feels dated.
My inspiration is always the seventies! Dramatic silhouettes, crazy prints and long floaty dresses. Each garment I create starts with the fabric, I use draping techniques to best show off the beautiful textiles, cutting without patterns. The shapes evolve on the mannequin as I pin and stitch, my years working in the Portobello shop have helped me to learn the shapes that best flatter the body. Going forward I have exciting plans to collaborate with talented photographer Hilxia and beadwork and embroidery specialist Abbie Walsh, combining our skills to create some truly special limited edition pieces.
If you want to find out more about Laura Basevi visit www.laurabasevi.co.uk
*This blog post is provided by the business owner featured – the views and opinions expressed on this blog are not our own.
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