“Nobody wants to be boring,” Julien Macdonald proclaims, as he watches the sun set over the Arabian Gulf. “Life could be so boring if you just sat in a house and did nothing all day. When you keep yourself busy, you keep yourself alive and active.”
The famed Welsh designer was in Dubai recently to launch his latest collection for Star by Julien Macdonald, his massively successful line for department store chain Debenhams, and to meet his fans.
“I’ve just come back from Madagascar where I cycled from the north to south for a children’s charity,” he continues. “I’m constantly trying to do things, to look for something to inspire me as a fashion designer. I get inspired by the people around me and the places that I go to. I think I need that stimulus to inspire my collections.”
Judging by what he’s done in the last two decades since he began his career, it looks like the 43-year-old has never been short of inspiration.
Hand-picked by Chanel maestro Karl Lagerfeld to head up the brand’s knitwear division as well as Lagerfeld’s eponymous label in 1996, Macdonald launched his own label three years later to wide acclaim. Known for his ultraglam look infused with a generous dose of sequins and fur, the celebrities soon came calling: from Madonna to Heidi Klum, Naomi Campbell to Kim Kardashian and Rihanna.
In 2001, Macdonald was named British Fashion Designer of the Year and, later that year, succeeded the late Alexander McQueen as creative director for French fashion house Givenchy.
His latest collection for Star by Julien Macdonald is his 22nd, after its launch in 2003.
“I love Debenhams. It’s one of the best department stores in the world,” he says, when asked why his relationship with the British chain has lasted this long. “It’s where my family goes shopping. It’s a great family store where you can buy great things.
“I think people like my collection for Debenhams because I offer a piece of Julien Macdonald glamour. Through the years, I’ve dressed some of the wealthiest and richest celebrities in the world. I take inspirations from my own catwalk collections and I translate that style into the clothes that I design and make for Debenhams.”
It’s not just a cheaper version of his namesake label, he adds.
“I create fabulous, wearable and fashionable clothes for Debenhams, clothes that are following fashion trends, that are great clothes to wear, are of great quality. Obviously I have my signature style that I always do. For instance, my collections are always full of great prints. One of my favourite prints is animal print so every season I try to develop a new print in a different style. And then add lots of colour and lots of great fashionable clothes that people love to buy.”
Having dabbled in reality shows, as a judge for Britain’s Next Top Model and as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, among other things, Macdonald says he’s always lived by his life’s mantra: ‘Never say never’.
“Sometimes you might not like doing something and the next year you might enjoy doing it,” he says, breaking into a smile. “I like to do a varied selection of things. I would never not do anything.”
That’s why, he teases, his next big step might be moving into menswear
“I would love to develop some menswear. I’ve only dressed three men: David Beckham, Marilyn Manson and Mick Jagger — three very famous guys with very different tastes. I would love to design a men’s collection for Debenhams. I love sport too, so maybe a sport collection. And open my own Star by Julian Macdonald store. You never known what could happen next.”
With multiple collections to create for multiple seasons, and his various charitable involvements, the key to staying ahead of the fashion game is consistency, he adds.
“People ask me what my biggest success is and I always say it is the fact that I’m still doing it, that it is still successful and it keeps growing and growing,” he says. “There’s a big difference between a good designer and a bad designer. God designers are the ones that have stayed.”
Dubai, a city he regularly visits, has a special place in his heart.
“For me inspiration comes from travelling. I love going to great cities. One of my favourite places is Miami. I love the culture, the lifestyle… it’s young and alive. People go out and dress up and they love to have great dinners,” he says. “It’s very similar to Dubai. There are so many events, great restaurants and people like to look glamorous. That is why I feel people love my clothes in Dubai. It’s a happy vibrant place and lots to do and is constantly changing.”
Yet after all these years, keeping up with the fast-changing fashion industry still excites him, says Macdonald, who was honoured with an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2006.
“The thing about fashion is you never know what the next big thing is. My life always changes from week to week,” he says. “Fashion is like the wind, it changes every second. You always need to keep one step ahead of the game, that’s what’s exciting about [it]. There’s [always] new inspiration as trends come and go.
“I’m lucky enough to do a job that I love. There is nothing more rewarding than waking up [to that],” he adds. “I never get a designer’s block. I never get bored. And if you keep active, you live your life in a happy way, you become positive. It costs nothing to smile and be happy and enjoy your life.”
Go get yours:
Star by Julien Macdonald is stocked at Debenhams stores. Call 04-4190231.
