FEMININE, LUXURIOUS & CLASSIC: GODDESS & SWIFT - AN INTERVIEW
Larissa Watson is an
Artist, Designer, Entrepreneur and Academic.
With over 20 years experience in
design, branding and bringing products and projects to market Larissa has
produced under her own name and for other fashion houses and luxury stores
worldwide.
Having a multi disciplinary background means she is very much in
demand for her unique ability to marry creative and commercial concepts.
These
days she is just as happy lecturing her MBA students on strategy in design led
innovation as Consulting in small firms, developing creative enterprise
projects or designing and painting for her new business venture.
Larissa lives
in Belfast, is mother to four fabulous children and enjoys getting out in sunny
Northern Ireland.
The Green Pebbles
Girls caught up with her to find out more about her latest venture Goddess
& Swift!
As
a mother of 4 we are sure you are asked 1000 times how you juggle everything
(interestingly enough this question is never asked of men who have many children
probably because there is the assumption that there’s a wife at home managing
the household while they are out at work!), we would like to turn this on its
head and ask you if as a mother of 4 you feel that motherhood has actually
dramatically increased your ability to multitask exceedingly well and
prioritise far better than ever before not to mention your ability to make
swift decisions at the drop of a hat? Making you a far more successful
manager and entrepreneur than you otherwise could have been?
Being a mum means that I have to be very organized, focused and has increased
my ability to prioritise extremely well.
Having lots of experience dealing with
the highly emotive drama’s of bringing up kids has ensured that when it comes
to business I rarely get upset or stressed.
Kids teach you what is important in
life and to keep looking at the bigger picture and push past fears, or what you
think is possible.
How
would you define GODDESS & SWIFT the brand?
Feminine, luxurious and classic with a strong creative vibe.
How
would you define LARISSA WATSON the designer and entrepreneur?
Creative, ambitious, focused and uncompromising about design
What
was the inspiration behind setting up Goddess & Swift?
I
wanted to develop a brand that was about modern women – putting the ethos of
femininity and old style values of quality and craftsmanship back into our
wardrobes and lives.
Clothes to make us feel like Goddesses.
What inspired you to set up your own business?
I started up my first design company in the early 90’s in the middle of a recession because I could not get a design job. I ran this for 12 years and loved every minute of it.
![]() |
Silk jersey and organza sculpt dress |
After 12 years of working at a very intense level to build a very successful company I wanted a sabbatical and a change of scene and accidently fell into academia. I have been involved in lecturing and research for the last 8 years and thoroughly enjoyed it.
First and foremost
though, I consider myself a creative and had been doing planning and
development work to start Goddess and Swift for eighteen months prior to the
company launch in August 2011.
What do you think is the most difficult thing about setting up your own brand? i.e. design, production, sales, finance, marketing, advertising etc
As a designer with commercial experience the design is a pleasure, I have lots of marketing experience and a masters degree in the subject so it does not really faze me, ditto with the finance.
The greatest challenges in the business are; Juggling most of the functions between myself and my assistants at present, Accessing finance to be able to do the marketing I want to, properly, internationally, and lastly, finding good agents and outlets to represent us globally.
Have
you ever regretted it?
Never! (ask me again in 18 months!)
What
do you love about being a designer?
I
love that every day I am being creative about solving problems, pushing myself
and our team forward, developing new designs and delighting our clients with new
and innovative collections.
What
has inspired your latest collection?
Our most recent collection is Autumn Winter 2012. (For this we used the eco
headonism macro trend and within this the submerged and monochrome micro
trends. ) There are two key themes within the collection, submerged oceanic and
monochrome screen goddess. Within the submerged oceanic line we have a number
of strong prints.
The ‘china blue’ was influenced by oriental ceramics and the
idea of lost civilizations.
The ravine print used in a playful way references
underwater coral gardens and the inky blue space dyed silk jersey dresses
remind us of the cold Celtic Irish sea.
The second trend we used was the
monochrome look where we referenced vintage black and white movie glamour and
screen goddesses from different genere’s. this can be seen in the cream and black
‘Jackie O’ dresses and the ironwork printed flapped dress.
We commissioned a
beautiful large scale hounds tooth black and white weave to make our retro
glamour box jacket and a lovely diamond for the elegant swing coat.
![]() |
Black and White Ironwork silk dress - inspired by Wrought ironwork found on Nomadic and Titanic 1st class lounge - choosen as key trend for AW12 by Pure London and WGSN
— withTitanic and "Tìtanìc" at Titanic Quarter.
|
You
were inspired by the design from the wrought ironwork grilles on the first
class salon of the Titanic as the inspiration for the black and white print on
the flapper dress with black feather collar which has been picked up by WGSN as
one of the key trend indicators for AW12.
What is your fascination with the Titanic?
I was brought up in Belfast where the Titanic was built and from a young age we
heard about the luxury and tragedy associated with the fate full liner. I came
from a long line of textile weavers, dyers and lace makes as my great
grandfather dyed and spun wool for the Prince of Wales tweeds and my great
grandmother and her family made lace which was exported all over the world. As
a textile designer and artisan by trade I naturally hold some affinity and fascination
for the workmanship that went into what is probably the most famous/ infamous
ocean liner of all time.
![]() |
SS12 Water Dress. Hand painted& embroidered Irish Linen Bustier. Layered hand painted silk chiffon. |
What
is your favorite design in the collection?
I don’t have one favorite piece, but if I were to pick a few strong looks they
would be; the waterfall transition coat with the feather collar, China blue cap
sleeve dress, crocus velvet dress, Ravine print look and my diamond swing coat.
You
have defined your pieces as unique…what makes them unique?
Many
of our pieces literally are unique as we can design and produce our printed
silk and linens as one-off lengths exclusively for our clients or
limited edition runs for select boutiques and department stores.
What
sets the Goddess & Swift brand apart from other brands?
Our dedication to the end result!
Who
are your clients?
We have many private clients in Uk and Ireland and a handful of small boutiques
across Asia and Europe.
Where
are your collections made?
We do almost all of our manufacture in Belfast with a small proportion being
made in Italy.
![]() |
Diamond Pe' coat - 100% wool made in Ireland |
What
do you think the trend (s) will be for this coming Autumn Winter?
Print will continue to dominate but texture and monochrome becoming more
important elements.
Where
can we buy the Goddess & Swift Collection?
Selected
stockists and Online at www.goddessandswift.com
Where do you hope to see your brand in the next 5 years or so?
I
would like to have a network of stockists and agents across Europe, US and
Asia. We have plans to launch an accessories line and more so watch this space,
What do you hope to be in doing in 5 years from now?
A
lot more delegating J!
For additional information contact the Goddess & Swift Customer Service Team : goddessandswift@gmail.com
Labels: goddess and swift, ireland, larissa watson, titanic
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home