During his extensive press and promotion tour of the UK for his most recent Debenhams collection, MFN managed to grab Henry Holland for a chat as he was passing through Manchester. He is not only the designer behind his own brand and the Debenhams collaborative collection, he is the face of it, meaning where his press goes, he goes.

We talk to him about travel, TV personas, being famous and designers to watch...

Manchester Fashion Network: Who do envisage wearing your Debenhams collection?

Henry Holland:  A much younger girl than the mainline, it's important for me to appeal to a younger audience, I don't want to cut them off. Pixie (Geldof) embodies the brand and the spirit. It's for someone young with a strong sense of personal style, there's so much you can do with this collection; there's girly bits and harder bits, it's inspired by a 'London girl' so you can mix up lots of looks to make it your own.

MFN: How did you manage to design such a huge collection for Debenhams and your mainline collection?

HH: They both take a lot of time... I have a team to help me with both, though with House of Holland that team is made up of about 2 people whereas with Debenhams it's about 20. Debenhams are much more efficient, they know how to do it perfectly, they know which factories are best and all of the important things. I really don't have to think about the production side of it too much, but with House of Holland, I'm there from sketching to runway.

MFN: How are you finding working for Debenhams rather than yourself?

HH: It's really fun! Everything they do is about fun, if I'm not having fun, I'm not interested, I'm like a child! I get on really well with the team and put in a few full days a month so I know them well. It's really exciting, the first time I got to go into the store before it opened it was like that film Mannequin with Kim Catrall, so exciting but weird. I was so excited by the fact that there were a range of sizes that were just on the rail, because that just doesn't happen with the mainline.   

MFN: What is your favourite piece in the collection?

HH: It has to be a new piece for A/W so it should be coming out soon, it's a breton stripe jumper with a fox knitted into it around the shoulders. Yesterday we were talking about it during the PA in Birmingham and Mark (Heyes) said it 'was a fox but with colours so it's kind of like a badger, let's call it a fadger!', I told him never to say that word again...

MFN: Do you find it easy to switch between designing the Debenhams collection and the mainline collection?

HH:  I approach them in such different way, the mainline always has such a strong theme like all tartan or pantone colours. Debenhams has about 4, this collection they are - grunge, floral, denims and a girl guide theme. With this range, it's more about pieces rather than a theme, plus the buyer has more of a say. If I said I was making the entire collection tartan she'd fall off her chair...

MFN: This range has had a lot of interest from bloggers, what do you think about the surge on online resources and blogs?

HH:  I think it's the way forward, especially for Debenhams, this age group is a whole new concept. The customers for this collection basically live online. Blogs are so much less dictatorial, if a blogger writes about a collection it's their own personal view rather than their editor or the magazines' 'voice'. A blogger would never just say how much something is next to a picture, they give their opinion. Don't get me wrong, I love magazines and think there will always be a place for them, I respect what magazines say.

MFN: Do you have a different persona for TV or is it just the same as 'real life'?

HH:  Sometimes I do actually, it depends on who you're with. Because I'm such good friends with Alexa, we bounce off each other and we have a similar sense of humour. But it's never conscious.

MFN: What can we expect to see from your future collections?

HH: At the moment we're trying to grow the business into a global brand,I'd love to expand into other areas like eyewear and lingerie. The tights have been such a success! I also want our own shops, Debenhams have allowed the brand to be seen in 70 stores across the UK rather than the previous 4... It's difficult to balance the business and creative side as I've made myself the focus. I have so much traveling to do as I'm 'the face' of the brand. It is so much fun though, I'm a firm believer in working with friends because I know they care. You do get agro with each other but you know that everyone's just trying to do their best.

MFN: Are there any other brands you'd like to collaborate with?

HH:  I really want to collaborate with Henry Hoovers, that would be amazing! We're trying to get in touch...

MFN: What new designers are you interested in at the moment?

HH:  I am looking at Graduate Fashion Week, it's something that is really important to us, I always try to go to the Gala show but I was out of the country this year. England is such a great place for designers, Louise Gray is great.

MFN: What are the pluses and minuses of being famous?

HH:  You can do a lot of things for free! Though being recognisable means that if you want to do something a bit naughty or embarrassing, you have to be very sneaky, I don't though! I have a friend who works at Heat Magazine so she vets all of the 'spotted' images of me, it's weird still. It's not as bad for me as it is for girls though, 99% of the time I'm photographed, it's because of who I'm with.

For more information, visit Henry Holland's website or to look through the Debenhams collection, visit their website.

With thanks to Henry Holland and Debenhams.

Words and images by Clare Potts.

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