Two things I learnt last Friday night: Bella Freud was an assistant to Vivienne Westwood and Ginsburg is still God. This was at an evening hosted by the
V&A in which Hadley Freeman, the
Guardian writer interviewed Bella about her career which now spans over thirty years. It was an intimate affair and made me feel that the
V&A is a tardis due to never realising there were so many rooms and lecture theatres at the back. Away from the main entrance and the throng milling in for the
Hollywood Costume exhibition were a tight - knit core waiting for the youthful and sparkly - eyed fashion designer.
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| Kate Moss wearing 'Ginsburg is God' jumper |
Freeman's interview went as far back as her childhood and growing up with having a world - renowned artist as a father, she said: "He treated it like an other professional job and worked those same long hours." When Bella told her father she wanted to pursue a career in fashion and attend art college, he replied: "But I thought you like doing nothing." This was relayed with humour as Lucien Freud designed the dog icon which can been seen on many of her knitwear pieces, showing his support for his daughter's chosen path.
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| Alexa Chung in 'J'taime Jane' an adage to Jane Birkin |
Other anecdotes littered the conversation including Bella recalling the early burgeoning of success in the nineties with her 'Ginsburg is God' sweater. She told the audience that one day she heard a knock on her door and when opening it there was an excitable Japanese fan who could barely speak English but kept repeating: "Ginsburg is God!' Instead of being galled by this occurence Bella said she loved the fact that her fans were so determined to buy her line that they would turn up on her doorstep. Of course in the English tradition she invited the exciteable youngster in for a cup of tea.
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| The dog icon designed by Lucien Freud |
And her fans were not just the fashion lovers in the Far East but she managed to accrue a cult following amongst the celebrity set in England. Very much a designer proud of her roots it was only right that Kate Moss should be seen with the slogan: 'Ginsburg is God' emblazoned across her chest, which by Freud's own admission created more of a buzz than any of her catwalk shows. Another time Bella recalls Jane Birkin calling her on the telephone about this design and personally congratulating her on re - focusing everyone's attention to the poetic genius. This conversation led Bella to feel she should create a phrase dedicated to Jane and hence: 'J'taime Jane' was born and worn by another well- coveted style guru, Alexa Chung.
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Bella Freud has worked with many British stalwarts in the past including Vivienne Westwood who she used to make lunch for in her flat and designed colletions for Miss Selfridge and Jaeger. Coming out of the lecture theatre I felt that Bella Freud has slightly been hidden away as an English charm and there should be a revival. We should not be chanting 'Viva Forever' but 'Ginsburg is God.'
