Jeff Banks Talks With Nicki Gillon & Katrina Urwin

Location: The Circle club, Manchester 15/04/08

Contributor: Jessica Doloney

 NICKI- Hi Jeff, Welcome to Manchester. Is this your first time in our fair city?

 JEFF- No I’ve been coming here since 1965 so I probably know it better than you.

 NICKI- When if ever, did Manchester or the North West appear on the fashion map for you?

 JEFF - Erm, it was at a shop next door, where this club is, there was a guy who used to buy my collection, called John Crowder, and john had a business named Crowders which he started in Oldham in a place called Go Boutique, he and his wife had a retail fashion shop in Oldham and then John expanded into Crowders, where I used to sell my collection Clobber to both John for his shop Go Boutique and his shop here in Manchester, so Iv been coming here ever since.

NICKI- Fantastic, As part of the work we do here at Manchester Fashion Network we recruit and advise students on their next step into the industry. After all your successes have you any wise words for anyone hoping to follow in your footsteps? 

JEFF- I guess in this day and age its got to be the ability to travel, unfortunately I think the fashion industry in the UK has consolidated itself to such a degree, it’s a really difficult opportunity at all levels to actually get a break in the fashion industry. When I started it was really easy, for instance there where over 10,000 independent shops that I could sell to when I started my business, however, there’s probably 70 now.

KATRINA - When do you think it did change though, because we interviewed Matthew Williamson last week and we asked him the same question and he said well now, really difficult, but 10 years ago it was easier 

JEFF- Yeah, it was easier 10 years ago, but 40 years ago it was really easy!

KATRINA- But if you really want it, then surely you should just go for it? 

JEFF- You’ve really got to look at where there is an independent and bright independent retail activity, because if you’ve got a lot of independent shops they will be buying from a lot of individual sources, and therefore if you start a collection you’ve got a lot of places you can sell to. When I started there were over 10,000, now for Matthew, only 10 years ago it probably went to down to only 250 to 300, now its about 70. So if you look at somewhere like France or Italy, Turkey and Spain there’s still a lot of independent shops in those areas, there are no department store chains the way we are here. If you then go on to look at what’s going to happen in Vietnam, Korea, China, Hong Kong, there’s lots of individual opportunities there. So that’s the big difference, I’m the president of Graduate Fashion week so….

KATRINA- We’ll be down there this year, Nicki and I tutor at Preston University, I think you were an external there? 

JEFF- Yes I was an external examiner at Preston for 2 terms for 5 years each, so about 10 years

KATRINA- So you know Brenda and Amanda? 

JEFF- Well I know Brenda, because Brenda was a student I examined, and I knew her predecessors very well and the dean of faculty there, this guy called Alan Linvingston who is now the head of Falmouth school of art and Im still in touch with, so Iv known Preston or University of Manchester for quite a long time.

NICKI- Its really refreshing actually to hear you talk about independents, as iv been a buyer for an independent for the last ten years, so talking about independents and how much of a struggle it is; when I go into a university to tutor, I almost like to give them a slice of reality to be honest, do you think that’s the best way to be? 

JEFF- I think it is yes, I mean I think there’s a big problem within education at the moment, that all the universities are under pressure to increase numbers. They’re taking on students right left and centre and they’re opening more and more courses, which they don’t have the teaching area for. I believe the quality of one to one tutoring is suffering and as a result of that, what we had in Brittan was that the real panicle of design education, but that is actually on decline. Now that’s a serious problem. A lot of us were saying it ten years ago, look if you go this route, to the government, your actually going to diffuse what we have as a great golden joy, and its kind of started happening, which is a shame. When I used to do The Clothes Show, I used to go to New York in the early nineties, and interviewed somebody like Ralph Lauren or Donna Karren, half of the students in their studio were all English students. Go their now and they’re Danish students Japanese students, very few English Students in the New York studios.

NICKI - Why is that? 

JEFF- Quality. The actual educational quality has dropped, so we aren’t the panicle that we used to be.

NICKI- So what do you see is the future for them then? For Designers and Independents, do you think there can be a U-turn? 

JEFF- The independent route is very difficult, and highly unlikely, its very hard. I think the route for designers in the UK to start their own label its very difficult so that’s why I said right at the beginning, you’ve got to be prepared to travel. I actually question if the students here now, are getting a fair education for what they have to give up to do it? I’m saying no, I don’t think they’re getting their moneys worth. Actually being part of graduate fashion week, seeing what’s going on, I don’t think they’re getting a fair show and I think that’s a shame. I believe that for what students have to give up to complete a three or four year course, apart from the money, is three of four years of their life, and for that they should have better. They should come out with a better level of expertise than they’re actually coming out with.

 NICKI- Saying that, we do recruitment, on a weekly basis, kind of like this, an evening where we’ll have a panel of industry professionals and question them on how to get into the industry, where do you go from there, and its really nice to hear you say! Most have recently, especially over the last few months, been pushing the idea that we should perhaps just go back to the whole apprentiship style of education, with a day a week in the industry along side a university, rather than a three year course with no work experience? 

JEFF- Personally, any course which has no work experience built into it, isn’t worth being on, because first of all any design course is not just about your ability to design, its about the ability to sell your designs to whoever you have to present to, doesn’t matter who it is, and you can only do that when you improve your personal skills of knowing how to present, and how to sell. Knowing how to convince manufacturers and retailers, it’s a whole chain of conviction you have to have, so I think that’s important. Also, most design businesses are about their about contacts, networking and who you know, if your stuck on a campus in Preston for four years you ain’t going to do it!

NICKI- Moving on, you famously have been involved in designing collections for high street retailers, what is your opinion on today’s high street/designer collaborations? 

JEFF- I think some of them are really good like you Giles Deacon, and the bunch that are at Debenhams, of which I am one of them, I think they are really good, you know and that’s why you’re asking the question. I’m critical of personality tire, because I don’t believe in them and I wont trust them, so I think it undervalues design, I can see why it’s a little ploy, but why would somebody want to but Kylie Minogue’s bed linen? It’s beyond me and what qualification has she got to actually put a range of bed linen together? Don’t ask me, bet hey-ho! But that’s just designer snob!

NICKI- My next question was how important you believe celebrity endorsement to be, but I think we’ve just answered that one! What inspires you to continue to work within the industry after so many years? 

JEFF- Erm, desperation! I just always try to keep doing better, I guess it’s a case of I don’t have to if don’t want to, but its just such a bloody fun industry, I just enjoy it, I love the people in it, I love creating stuff, If I didn’t do it, then what would I sit at home doing? I mean I’d probably still end up drawing anyway, but I love the challenge of having to meet the deadlines you’ve got coming out for Monday morning and having to finish it at 10 o’clock on a Sunday night and get it right, I still enjoy it! And I enjoy travelling around to Australia, Japan, China, wherever I’m doing stuff, I mean its like I’ve got the best job in the world!

NICKI- You have the passion then? 

JEFF- Absolutely yeah!

NICKI- Can you sum up the last 40 years in this fabulous industry in 3 words?

 JEFF- Just fun times

 NICKI- Thank you so much for talking to us, its been an absolute pleasure, and a massive incite!

 JEFF- Thank you!