Twenty8Twelve was conceived in 2007, and six seasons later the brand has become analgous to the casual London chic look orginally championed by co-founder Sienna Miller. Sister Savannah talks about childhood dreams and future aspirations.

What qualities are useful in the fashion industry?

Sheer determination, bloody hard work, and having an understanding of your customer. It’s all very well being creative and imaginative but you’ve also got think what it's like to be inside someone else’s head, another body shape or age group.

How does a young designer go about getting recognised?

I did a lot of work placements to understand how it works. And I remember Willie Walters (head of St Martin's fashion) saying to us "do not underestimate the power of the friendships that you’re making today because those people will help you so much in your life" and when I was in college Christopher Kane and Sinha Stanic were good friends of mine - these are people who have gone on to be really successful designers. And also it’s slightly different in my experience because obviously I’ve got a famous sister and that’s enormously helpful on some level...

How did you come to the decision that you would set up a label with Sienna?

We were living together when I was freelancing and she would try things on for me and was always giving her ten pence worth. Then she did an advertising campaign for Pepe Jeans and the backer - a guy called Carlos Ortega - said "your sister’s a designer, your clothes are being copied all over the world, why don’t you do something together and we’ll back you" - it was a really great opportunity but I don’t think we ever expected it to be what it is now.

How have you grown as a designer?

I had no idea about the customer. When we started my manager said to me "so who’s your customer?" And I made up this ridiculous hair brained poetic story about this woman who rode a bicycle by candlelight through the streets of Paris and was nocturnal. But that person doesn’t exist, I thought - who is the woman who’s wearing those clothes you fucking idiot!? I think you've go to be careful that you don’t end up being so aspirational that you isolate your entire consumer.

But often the characters portrayed in photoshoots and adverts for big houses like YSL, Armani, Chanel do seem like impossible fantasies…

I think that for a fashion house of that calibre they have to maintain that inaccessible air – it’s not about the every woman. The way they make it work is by offering lower price point products like perfumes and sunglasses so people can buy into that aspiration.

Where do you shop for clothes?

Twenty8Twelve, Gap, occasionally Cos and Whistles. But I never buy anything designer for myself, I just don’t know who these women are who spend £2,000 on a tshirt, it seems completely ridiculous to me!

How does your fashion house work?

We have a team of about seven, we start at the beginning of the season with a set of inspiration and we all contribute in terms of the direction, colour palette etc and then we do the mood boards - we’ve each got a different product area. Then there’s a lot of paperwork because it all has to get sent off to the factories to get made, comments are made and then we have photo shoots, present to our buyers, do a show and then it goes off to be sold. It’s sort of endless because while the show is going on we’re designing for the next season!

Where does your inspiration come from?

It can range from a painting to some poetry, to a picture on a blog, to a feeling I get when I look out of a window – anything!

The fashion industry sometimes gets a bad rep and can seem cold and fickle, what’s your experience of it?

I think it depends on who you’re dealing with. I find the more secure and sure people are in themselves, the less fickle and cold they are.

Have you ever been given a piece of advice which has influenced you professionally?

My stepmother always used to say "work hard for your dreams", if you want something bad enough you’ll get it. And I’m Capricorn so im quite inclined to be like alittle goat and never cease.

You live in the countryside, do you think there is a big difference in attitude towards fashion between people in the country and those in urban areas?

Definitely, people in the country don’t give a shit, and they don’t need to. I think that most people living in the city are young professionals who need to look a certain way and have more time and inclination to shop.

What do you look for in a model?

Generally somebody who’s got a nice personality, not skeletal but emulates the customer in her best possible aspiration. We used a really good girl this winter called Sara Blomqvist who’s really pretty and ethereal but not so thin that she's a complete alien.

What are your plans for the label?

I’d love to do underwear, swimwear, sunglasses, have more shops, shoes, bags, but there’s no point rushing these things. The thing about our stuff is it’s really well made but still affordable and trying to achieve that level with accessories is difficult, so we’ll see...


Savannah Miller uses the Nokia E72 to stay connected – find out more