Stella McCartney has given the Union Jack an individual but patriotic twist for Team GB’s Olympics uniforms and Dannii Minogue and Tabitha Somerset Webb are self-described ‘selfish designers’ when it comes to their Project D label.
The British fashion designer wanted to respect the symbol’s “beauty” while using it as the main focus on the Adidas sportswear for the London 2012 Olympics, but she amended the color scheme to avoid making the sign feel “overused” in the lead up to the spectacle.
She said, “I was also aware of the fact that it’s something that might be overused in the build-up to the Olympics, in taxis, on cushions and mugs, so I wanted to do something different with it – but that was still respectful of its beauty.
“Actually, the colors of the Union Jack are similar to a lot of other flags and the athletes really wanted to feel identifiable as Team GB, so I just used different colors to say the same thing.”
The 40-year-old designer – who has collaborated with Adidas since 2004 – has also created sequined variations of the Union Jack kit which cover leotards and printed versions will adorn T-shirts and jackets, and she felt very patriotic while she was creating “something for the nation”.
She added to Vogue.co.uk, “I know I’m biased, but it really is one of the most iconic flags.
“Working on the kit was, a lot of the time, not about being a fashion designer – it was about creating something for the nation and the Union Jack seemed like the right place to start.”
The Project D collaborators admitted they create clothes which they hope will suit their own individual shapes when working on the label and it was no different when they joined forces to design their new K Bag in association with Kenco Millicano.
Dannii exclusively told BANG Showbiz, “Even for Project D we design selfishly. You always design a dress that you want yourself or that you hope will look good on you and the bag is something that I wanted for myself, it’s got lots of different compartments and then a clutch bag too. Tabitha has designed some beautiful hangbags over the years of which I have many and I travel a lot so can’t take them all with me, even now my partner Kris [Smith] rolls his eyes at my suitcases and says, ‘You’re not taking all of that’ so hopefully the new K Bag will solve some of my problems.”
Tabitha gave birth to Betsy Belle in November 2011 while Dannii has 20-month-old Ethan with partner Kris and the pair think becoming mothers has also affected their designs.
Tabitha explained, “Dannii and I are both working mothers now and we’re on the run all the time and we try to make our Project D dresses so they can go day to night and women can feel comfortable in them. We felt like we could create a handbag that fit in with this so it goes from day to night, it’s really versatile. Because we’re both mums we carry everything we can fit in our handbags and it’s also got a little clutch bag inside. It’s lovely leather which I think is quite Dannii and then the studs at the end are quite me.”
Dannii and Tabitha have designed their first luxury handbag to celebrate the latest trend in instant coffee, Kenco Millicano, now available in a portable Stick Pack.
The limited edition K Bag is available at www.my-wardrobe.com/kbag from 27th March.
