Nafisa Tosh : Four decades in the Making

Alexander McQueen - The Widows of Culloden - Autumn/Winter 2006

NAFISA TOSH: People are so curious about Lee McQueen. What I can say is that he started at the bottom - he was part of the lower working class, and all the male members of his family were taxi drivers. I don't believe that any of his family had a degree in the late '80s. Apprentices were needed on Savile Row, and he applied himself to every part of the tailoring critical path. He learned how to make three different types of trousers, as well as military trousers, which is a very specific way of working - it's one panel of fabric, shaped with a steam iron. These are the techniques that Lee applied himself to, which take time. He learned every single methodology - tailored trousers, military finish, soft-tailored trousers, waistcoats, bespoke jackets. The younger generation think that everything is fast-tracked. That's such a shame, because when I tell them I've got four decades of experience, they see it as a waste of time.

Years always equate to mastery, so that's surprising…

NT: I speak to people at schools and in my community in Central London. A boy put his hand up and said, "I don't want to waste 30 years of my life." I said, "But do you not see the parallel of me having three decades of experience at this point?" I've been able to work with every kind of fabric - menswear, womenswear, sportswear, tailoring, soft tailoring, stretch, lycra… In every industry, not just fashion, young people just want to get to the top and work with celebrities. I've never called myself a celebrity tailor. It's very flattering, but I see myself as a tailor because I was taught by men. My father was a tailor, and after I graduated from college with my fashion diploma, I went to work for a company in Manchester called Leslie Powell. There I worked with an Italian tailor. The beauty of working in the fashion industry is that there are so many different techniques...

Your experience speaks to the breadth of designers you've worked with. Chanel is having such a huge moment - what was your experience with Lagerfeld at the time?

NT: Next year will be 10 years of me working with the House of Chanel. It's so wonderful to still be involved with them after three creative directors. Karl brought a sense of whimsy and fun. He loved young people, and he chose the best people, because he had faith in them. Going back to what I was saying about working with Lee - he trusted people because they had decades of experience.

The same goes for Virginie Viard. Under her, sales for womenswear went through the roof because she was designing for them - she put pockets in everything. It's such a simple thing, but women need pockets.

Alexander McQueen - The Widows of Culloden - Autumn/Winter 2006

What are some granular things that you notice or amend?

NT: I get called on because I've got that eye - I spot what needs to be corrected, tailored, or stitched before they do. For example, I'll notice that a petal is drooping a little bit, so I go in and do a quick tack when we have a break from filming on set. I have an almost photographic memory of things, and Lee McQueen realised that straight away. Because of security issues, we would only be allowed to look at his sketches momentarily. With the sketch of a dress he designed, we would make the pattern and build it - and I was able to make the finished garment look exactly like the sketch. One of the first garments I worked on was for the Widows of Culloden show at Paris Fashion Week in February 2006. It was lilac, silk-dyed, with lots and lots of ruffles, and I was able to make the dress look exactly like his sketch.

What is the recipe for a really good shoot? What does everyone need beyond their label?

NT: It always boils down to one thing, and that is communication and strong dialogue before the shoot begins. Beauty, hair, nails, and styling will have been discussed, and this allows you to build up an image. Shoot days are quite high-octane, high-energy. Having all of my kit helps with pre-planning and knowing what people want - for example, they might need something as simple as a nipple cover in a particular skin tone. You want the talent to be comfortable, the stylists to be happy. You also can't fault a really good playlist - all these things can lead to a beautiful, magical, fun experience.

To the attention-deficit generation - how do you teach patience and skills?

NT: It's funny you ask that - just this week I was teaching at Central Saint Martins with Rahemur on a cutting project where students use their own ethnicity, origins, and background as the inspiration for the project. On the first day, the students said, "Look, here's all my research. I spent weeks doing this." I asked what came after the research - I needed to see the next step. In the real world, they wouldn't have Christmas holidays plus an extra two weeks. Widows of Culloden, from start to finish, was done in six weeks. When I came back on the Thursday, they had come up with toiles, ideas, and silhouettes, and had really started experimenting. I could not believe the development in just 48 hours. They had created two outfits as well as accessories. They had really, really pushed themselves. That's why it's so important to have people from the industry working with students in an institute.

The students then asked me how to actually start working in the industry, how to apply themselves, and what exactly they needed to do. My message really got through to them. I would say: be creative for the next four years at college - it's the only chance you'll have to create something completely over the top, but also be aware of the industry's timelines and deadlines. When I'm on a shoot, creating a project or making something, I don't have room for an error of judgement, and I don't have time to make a mistake. I have to get it right every single time. And that's where my experience comes in. After drumming it into my students for the last three or four months, they're now starting to understand.

Lee was the best designer I'd ever worked with, alongside John Galliano. They could design, they could make a pattern, they could cut the pattern out, they could sample-cut. They could sew the garment, pin it on a form, fit it, tailor it, finish it, put the lining in. Those are all the different aspects, and the more you have under your belt, the more attractive you are to a potential design house.

Most of the big fashion houses get their beading and embroidery done in India. What are your thoughts, and what has your experience been?

NT: For far too long, India has been a bit of a secret. When I worked for Lee, he would get all of his garments beaded, embroidered, and sequinned in India. A small amount would be done in London by the Royal School of Needlework, and I know that the new McQueen studio under Sean McGuire also employs three or four of them. Today, India needs Indian craftspeople to have a bigger role, because they support so many French, Italian, and American design houses. There needs to be an open dialogue with the Chambre de la Haute Couture - somebody bridging that gap. Perhaps a minister for fashion, textiles, and overseas trade in India.

Accountability and transparency are huge now…

NT: Social media has had a huge hand in that, because people love a brand, and now they also want to know who the people behind it are. We need to acknowledge the artisans, because young people aren't going into this field anymore. Karl Lagerfeld was amazing when he took over Chanel in the mid-'80s. A lot of the women were retiring, and their daughters and nieces weren't coming into the trade. If you specialised in one kind of beadwork, your family would be taught the same techniques, and they would join you and follow your path. When Karl realised they were no longer getting an influx of young people, he created the 19M. He really believed in young people - their vitality, their energy. It's an amazing example, actually, of one of the only French houses that have managed to consolidate and maintain all this craft under one roof.