Zoe Chamberlain meets a Midland designer who has held her first show at London Fashion Week
Tamara Joseph started making clothes when she was just seven-years-old.
Her mother taught her how to use a sewing machine and she was instantly hooked, and began making 鈥淢C Hammer-style鈥 trousers for her school friends by the time she was a teenager.
Now the 35-year-old from Halesowen has just got back from doing her first fashion show at London Fashion Week.
Her designs reflect her two passions in life: fabric and photography. She takes pictures, together with photographer fianc茅 Robert Stacey, and uses them as prints on fabric, incorporating them into her unusual designs.
鈥淢y style is inspired by the 1930s through to the 1950s but with a more up-to-date feel,鈥 says Tamara, who works part-time at The University of Wolverhampton as a senior fashion technician.
鈥淚 try to make pieces that last. I鈥檓 not into making things that are on the high street now. If people are going to spend money on clothes, they should last.
"I made a prom dress for a girl the other day but generally I make very wearable stuff. Fashion is something I鈥檝e always wanted to do. I like the fact you have the opportunity to create something unique for people, they know they can go out and they won鈥檛 see anyone else wearing it.
鈥淢any people want designer clothes but can鈥檛 afford them. I like to make affordable pieces that feel like designer clothes,鈥 she explains. 鈥淟ast year, I went on a mentoring course and started to learn how to build up my website.
"Since then I鈥檝e done shows for ITV鈥檚 Fixer, raising money for Haiti, together with shows on Broad Street, Birmingham, as part of Style Birmingham and Black History Month.
鈥淚鈥檝e also shown my designs at The Clothes Show at the NEC.鈥
This was the first time Tamara had been to show her clothes at London Fashion Week. She said: 鈥淚t was very exciting. Each of the designers had our own style so there was no competition.
鈥淎 friend of mine made straw trilby hats for me for the show and I further accessorized my outfits with driving gloves, similar to what you see in Mad Men, where there鈥檚 an elegance to the clothes.
鈥淪imilarly, my clothes are fitted to emphasize a woman鈥檚 figure.鈥
And does she wear her own designs?
鈥淚t鈥檚 a bit like the professional decorator who never gets round to doing his own home up!鈥 laughs Tamara. 鈥淚鈥檇 love to make my own clothes but I never get time as I鈥檓 too busy making them for everyone else.
