We talk to top British designer Julien Macdonald about his involvement with the new series of 'Britain's Next Top Model', which celebrity he'd most like to makeover and secret career ambition...
Sarah McIntyre: Having worked on ‘Project Catwalk’ before and having had a lot of experience in TV, were you very excited to work on ‘Britain’s Next Top Model’?
Julien Macdonald: Yes definitely, I was really surprised when I got the telephone call from Elle Macpherson asking me would I like to be one of the judges. First of all I was like ‘Oh I’m not sure I want to go back into TV again and then I thought, “You know what I’ll give it a go”. It’s not as if I don’t know anything about models and fashion. So I thought “Go on, I’ll go for it”.
SMI: It must have been pretty exciting to get that phone call from Elle!
JM: Yeah it was exciting, I love Elle. I’ve dressed her a few times. Seeing as I knew that she was doing it I thought the show was going to be a success.
SMI: How did you find working with your fellow judges?
JM: It was great, they’re all in the fashion industry so we’ve all got a similar interest but in different backgrounds. So yeah it was fun we all got on really well most of the time, there were a few clashes but you know it’s a competition and there can only be one winner.
SMI: So what do you think will set this season apart from other seasons of the show?
JM: Well, for a start the judging panel is incredible. You’ve got the leaders in their professions on the panel. Elle is the executive producer. She is a supermodel, she’s 47 and looks 20. Then the whole content of the programme, the challenges that the girls have to do, it’s a different show. It’s gone from one thing to stardom.
SMI: I wanted to ask you a bit about your career. Soon after you graduated from the Royal College of Art, Karl Lagerfeld scooped you up to work at Chanel. What was it like to get a break like that so young?
JM: Well, it was surprising but Karl is probably one of the most successful and the best living designer in the world. Learning under his guidance and becoming his protégé for two years at Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel stepped me on for a good career in fashion. I learnt from the best so there are no complaints there.
SMI: You were appointed the chief designer at Givenchy in 2000. How did you find the pressures of this job?
JM: It was a lot of pressure. I was very young, very inexperienced in designing such mammoth collections of ready-to-wear and especially the haute couture. But I rose to the challenge. I spent three glorious years living in Paris, and living a life that some designers can only dream of. But my dream came true and I had a fabulous time doing that.
SMI: Would it be something you’d be interested in doing again in the future?
JM: Never! Too much hard work and I’m so busy focusing on my own fashion label. Who needs to work for anyone else when you can enjoy working for yourself.
SMI: Do you prefer working on your own collections rather that designing for another label, it’s obviously a completely different experience.
JM: There’s no better fulfilment than going into a store and seeing your name on the back of clothes rather than somebody else’s. The achievement belongs to myself and I just prefer working for myself.
SMI: Your creations have a huge celebrity following. Who has been your favourite celebrity to work with?
JM: Well I guess everybody from Madonna to Anjelica Huston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kylie Minogue, Liv Tyler and obviously I’m doing a lot at the moment with Cheryl Cole. I’ve enjoyed dressing all of those women for lots of different reasons.
Which celebrity would you most like to give a makeover?
JM: Well a lot of them need it I can assure you of that. But who needs a fashion makeover? My god it’s a tough one to call. Perhaps that girl from Gavin and Stacey - Nessa (Ruth Jones). She could do with a Julien Macdonald makeover.
SMI: Who do you think is the best dressed female celebrity?
JM: Ooh that’s a tough one. Well it’s got to be Cheryl Cole.
SMI: What would your tips be to aspiring designers trying to break into the industry?
JM: My tips would be work hard, always be nice to everybody because further down the line perhaps somebody that you weren’t that nice to might end up being the editor of Vogue. So try to always be nice to everybody. Most of all, don’t give up and fight for that dream.
SMI: What has your career highlight been to date?
JM: There’s been a lot in terms of achievement. I’ve been awarded Fashion Designer of the Year, I also received an OBE from the Queen for my services to the British fashion industry.
SMI: So they would be the moments that have made you proudest?
JM: And my mother going into Debenhams buying my Star collection.
SMI: Would you not give her any freebies?
JM: I get a small discount!
SMI: What is the most challenging part of your job?
JM: I think coming up with new ideas every season. Forecasting the trends in fashion.
SMI: How do you go about getting inspiration for your collections?
JM: I get inspiration from everywhere I look, whether it be from watching people in the streets – I’m a bit of a nosey parker – or magazines, books, I get a tremendous amount of visual information from travelling. I love travelling to exciting and exotic places. The last place I visited was Malaysia and I had a fabulous time there and I got very inspired by the colours and the culture of that city.
SMI: You’re from Wales; it must be very different to come from quite a rural background. How did you find moving to London?
JM: You know what, to me it was exciting. I always wanted to achieve something in my life. I knew that I would never end up in Wales working there, so for me going to London was one of the highlights of my entire life. I love the city, I love the buzz and I love mixing with lots of different people.
SMI: Do you get home often?
JM: Not as often as I’d like to but I love Wales, I love going home and whenever I can I go back to Merthyr Tydfil whether it’s to speak in schools about my career or whether it’s to spend time with my mother and my family.
SMI: What are the attributes you look for in a model to showcase your collections?
JM: Tall, gorgeous facial features and fantastic body and somebody who can put clothes on and make them come to life.
SMI: And personality wise for the girls on the show, what kind of girl would you like to see become successful on the show?
JM: Well I think we’ll be looking for a top model so i think it’ll be somebody who’s different from other models, somebody who is exciting, has a very interesting look. A unique character. Somebody who people will look at and will want to question. Is she a model, is she a popstar, is she a Hollywood actress? Somebody who is intriguing.
SMI: Finally Julien, your career has encompassed a huge amount of things and you’re still very young. Is there anything you would like to do in the future that you haven’t already done?
JM: There’s so many things that I’d like to do. You know what I’ve always wanted to go on a travel programme. I know it sounds a bit mad but I’ve always fancied being a bit of a Judith Chalmers ‘Wish You Were Here’. So who knows, maybe they might give me a job on a fashion travel programme for the cool and trendy jetsetters of the world! Where to be seen, and what to wear and what to do and what not to do.
SMI: Sounds like you’ve got your pitch down already!
JM: Look out; somebody might give it to me!
The new series of Britain's Next Top Model launches on Monday July 5th at 9pm on Living.
