The Real Elle Woods! TEST VERSION: Helen Connolly

In Conversation with The George at Asda Design Team as they open West Coast Cooler Belfast FASHIONWEEK SS'13 in Style!

Monday, March 25, 2013

I love fashion, in fact i'm a self confessed fashion addict, and in my time I've been lucky enough to meet some pretty amazing people in the business! For me there is nothing better than getting the chance to meet a designer and finding out what makes them tick! The genius behind the design, what inspires them from their initial creative vision right through to the final finished garment!

This season, George at Asda had the honour of opening this season's West Coast Cooler Belfast FASHIONWEEK, and I had the pleasure of interviewing the Design Team behind the brand! George Design Director Helen Low, Helen Connolly Head of Buying for Womenswear/Lingerie and Jo Whitfield Retail and International Director, had flown in specially for their first Stand-Alone show at FASHIONWEEK and kindly took a break from their busy schedules to talk all things George with The Real Elle Woods!!

Myself sitting FROW with the George at Asda Design Team.

The first thing I noticed, (apart from how friendly they all were!) was their passion for George! They love the brand, what it stands for and most importantly their customer base. Everything is centered round their customer: her lifestyle, which trends will work best for her, providing good quality, well designed pieces that give her value for money. A lot of time and effort goes into making sure that George lives up to the expectations of their customers by providing well designed, quality options for every aspect of her lifestyle and wardrobe.

The structuring of the business means that George are able to react fast to changes in the selling environment, whether it's in providing the latest must have trend, or in reacting to weather conditions to make sure that the customers needs and expectations are always met! Intrinsic to the brand is it's sense of fun, their customers desire to celebrate and enjoy fashion and I also found the same sense of fun amongst the George Design Team! The designs they produce are pieces they themselves love, seeing Helen Connolly's reaction on the night as her favourite piece from the collection (the Tiger Swimsuit) came sashaying down the catwalk was priceless and it's this passion for what they do that really sets the George brand apart!

Tiger Swimsuit £12

Colour and fabric are the starting points for their designs, and it is from this that George endeavour to create inspiring, exciting lines that will capture the hearts of their customers. As customers are regular visitors in store it's vital for the collections to remain fresh and new, meaning there's always something new to catch a customers eye when they visit instore! Providing the entire collection online is also important to the brand, allowing everyone to access the brand, wherever and whenever they want!

Pink Lace Dress £18

As a company George also believes in nurturing future design talent. Not only have they been the primary sponsor of Graduate Fashion Week for the past three years, they are in the wider business of mentoring fashion students within the George family, running workshops, interships, etc, all with the purpose to best equip students with the skill set and knowledge to best prepare them for the commercial fashion workplace. It's with this in mind that they also produce a Graduate Fashion Week Collection. More fashion forward and edgy than the main lines, it gives graduates a chance to develop their designs for the commercial sector, as well as potentially appealing to a new sector of fashion savvy shoppers. The same could be said for the collection designed by Biba founder Barbara Hulanicki, who brings with her a vast archive of patterns and looks that adds a different "handwriting" to the George collection.

When designing the collection, versatility is key, creating garments that can be styled and worn in a multitude of ways. Across their three main lines from the younger "G21" through the "Be Seen In" and "MODA" ranges, George aims to cater for women of all ages and lifestyles, and this was suitably reflected as they opened FASHIONWEEK in stunning style!

Purple 62 Crop Top £8, Silver Skirt £14.

Showcasing the variety of the collection, we were treated to a variety of different trends, from sports luxe, to pretty summer looks comprising of floral separates, poka dots and pastel brights, perfect for warm and breezy summer days! One piece which really stood out for me was the Yellow Boucle Dress! Summer tweeds & boucle styles always look expensive and in this season's hottest colour yellow, make sure you snap it up before it goes!

Floral Bomber £16, Tee £8, Shorts £12.

3D Flower Top £12, Daisy Shorts £12.

Yellow Boucle Dress £18.

Despite the sub zero temperatures outside we were in full Spring Summer mode, and I couldn't help but fall in love with their show stopping swimwear! Personal favourites of mine were the Palm print swimsuits and bikini's, along with the amazing Tiger Swimsuit! The personal favourite of George's Head of Buying, Helen Connolly and mine too! (here's hoping we get the good weather for me to show it off!)

Palm Print Ombré Bikini Top £8, Palm Print Ombré Bikini Bottoms £4.

Palm Print Swimsuit £12.

Palm Print Bikini Top £8.

Of course anyone who is a regular reader of my blog will know how much I love my dresses and George provided a wide mix of styles in this area. From flowing maxi dresses in a statement snake print, through to girly skater style floral dresses (a style of dress I always love!) there was lots to catch the eyes of Northern Ireland's fashionista's!