30 Years Of Flirty Dresses — Learn More About Fashion Brand, GHOST From Its Creative Director – Forbes

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A firm fashion fixture, Ghost has been loved for three decades. Established in 1984 by designer Tanya Sarne, by the ‘90s it had built a strong customer base, all wanting in on the dress that defined the decade, yes the bias-cut slip dress, which Ghost became known for.

In 2008 Touker Suleyman, the fashion retail entrepreneur took over the label, consequently, new life was injected into the brand and sales soared both online and in-store. And it’s all down to Sameera Azeem, Ghost’s Creative Director and her team tapping into women’s love of ultra-wafty, ultra-feminine and flirty dresses (as well as other offerings) that are oh-so contemporary with a hint vintage romanticism. What’s not to love?

Felicity Carter: What was your first memory of fashion?

Sameera Azeem: Walking into the Liberty store in London as a child, with my mother and sisters to be buy fabrics. I recall being mesmerised by the array of exquisite printed fabrics and colours that were available to buy. My love for printed fabric and colour really started there and has remained with me throughout my career. 

FC: What is luxury to you? 

SA: Luxury has always been associated with something that is from a high end brand and expensive. I do believe that this meaning has changed over the past few years. New Luxury is something that is of quality with elevated design, which does not have to have a high price tag. Luxury isn’t about price anymore.

FC: Who is your customer?

SA: Our customer demographic is very varied. We have always had brand loyalty from our customer that have known the brand since the ‘90s. Our newer customers we have attained over the last few years when we changed the direction of the collection. Due to having this varied customer profile, we always try and design product that is fully inclusive to every woman, regardless of demographic. This is more than evident in our growing wholesale business. For example, we are selling into Selfridges, Zalando, John Lewis, Anthropologie and ASOS, who all have very different customer bases.

FC: What are the cornerstones of Ghost?

SA: We have tried to maintain the original DNA of the brand. Ghost was always known for using only viscose fabrics, where the garments are made in the raw fabric and garment dyed so that they feel like silk. I love the colour and handle you get from this process, which you can’t get in normal dyeing processes. This however does have design limitations where we can’t use any metal fastenings, hence the reason you will only see covered buttons on most of our garments, which has now become our signature look. To maintain this is key for me even though the process is time consuming because the end product for our customers is of a very high quality. All of our printed garments are Garment washed. The collection is pre-shrunk and machine washable. This processes ensures that we are producing high quality garments that are easy to care for and last for years.

FC: How has the brand evolved?

SA: Ghost has struggled over the years and in the last few years we have been slowly changing the direction. I wanted to do this slowly and organically as we had a very loyal customer base and didn’t want to alienate that customer base by just suddenly changing the brand. Doing it this way they grew with the brand and stayed loyal to us. Each season we tried and tested new styles and once we started seeing sales increase, it gave us the confidence to push the brand further and try more on trend pieces. As our customer base grows, the collection will move forward based on their demands.

FC: What was on your mood board for the Spring/Summer ’20 collection?

SA: The love of vintage is very evident in our collections and Spring/Summer ‘20 has a nod to the ‘60s/’70s. Cotton cutworks, cotton emb dresses, poplin/crepe printed dresses, tops in floral prints, reminiscent of an English garden. Pastel colours are always key for us in the summer, so there will be an array of beautiful sorbet colours.

FC: Currently which are your favorite pieces and how do you wear them? 

SA: I love the summer dress – printed slip dress, this is a great versatile dress. I wear this with a light weight knitwear jumper or layered over a polo neck top. When the weather gets warmer with a short cardigan and sparkly flat Mary-Jane shoes.

FC: What’s the best piece of advice that you’ve been given when it comes to handling the industry? 

SA: Not to take it too seriously. Working in fashion is creative and should be fun!

FC: What are your immediate and long term goals for the company?

SA: Our immediate plans this year is to open more stores and to grow our wholesale business.

Shop the brand on the Ghost website.

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