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Catching up with womenswear superstar and alumna Clio Peppiatt
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Clio Peppiatt is a London based womenswear designer who launched her eponymous label in 2015, after graduating from Ravensbourne with a degree in Fashion Print and Womenswear. Her collections have received widespread acclaim and have been featured in major fashion and lifestyle publications such as Tatler and I-D. Her clothes have also attracted attention from high-profile figures such as Lady Gaga, Jorja Smith, Abwoa Aboah and Kylie Jenner.
Before launching her own business, Clio worked as a print designer for Alexander McQueen. She was already enjoying considerable success with her independent work and so just a year after graduating she made the bold decision to go it alone and launch her own business.
A contemporary style teamed with intricate embellishments and embroidery characterise Clio’s work. She hand-draws her designs and her garments are often hand-stitched and sprinkled with hand-sewen embroidery. Her unique embroidery draws inspiration from everything, from astrology and tarot imagery to serpent symbolism.
Her community of over 62,000 followers on Instagram is a testament to her growing popularity. This success shows no signs of waning as she is set to conquer even more of the fashion world in 2021. Here she shares some of her Ravensbourne experiences and gives advice to new students.
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CLIO PEPPIATT SPRING/SUMMER '19 BY CHLOE NEWMAN.
What initially appealed to you about Ravensbourne and your chosen degree?
My degree (Print and Womenswear) taught me wide-ranging skills from print, embroidery, textiles, fabric knowledge, draping, pattern cutting and manufacturing. I know I wanted to start my own label and would have to be able to work a lot of different roles as one person so having versatile skills was really important to me.
Also, the facilities are really incredible - I think Ravensbourne’s focus on the cross-over between innovation and the arts makes it very unique. As a student I was encouraged to question the future landscape of my industry and how I might challenge that.
Can you share some of the highlights from your time at Ravensbourne?
I loved working in such a creative hub of different specialities and talents. The layout of the building and focus on collaboration allowed me to be inspired by very different pathways which I could feed back into my own work.
I was set up with a good knowledge of the industry from our tutors and various industry briefs. The final year show really started off my career - I was able to show my work to influential people in the fashion industry who have continued to support me throughout.
Could you tell us a little bit about what it's like managing your own business?
I started my brand Clio Peppiatt about five years ago, focusing particularly on hand beaded and embroidered Womenswear. We work with artisanal groups in India who are threatened by mass scale manufacturing, supporting them with Fair-trade employment.
I still have to put on a lot of different hats with running the business, so some days I'm working on marketing and social media or others I might be working on finance and budgeting as well as designing, sampling and keeping in touch with all of our wonderful makers. My days are very varied which actually suits me very well!
Do you have any advice for prospective students?
To collaborate with students across different courses as much as possible, to make use of the incredible facilities on offer and to make friends with your technicians!
