Jane McMillan/Mac Millan 143
042
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The company was
founded in 1997 by its
designer Jane McMillan
to carve a niche in
the fashion universe
with her unique vision
of color and texture.
Jane was born in the
small sea-side town of
Stranraer which has
been a major source
of inspiration for her
print designs. She
moved to London to
study womenswear at
the London College
of Fashion where she
won many awards for
design including one
from the British Council
presented by Lady
Diana. She has been
a visiting lecturer at
Central Saint Martins
College and, rather than
work at international
fashion house Jill
Sander, launched her
rst collection stocked
by the London boutique
Koh Samui. Jane is
a consultant for the
governments sector
advisory board for
design and in 2007 was
nominated for Scottish
Designer of the Year.
Jane McMillan/Mac Millan
www.mac-millan.com
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411 INSPIRATION. Using a theme helps
to focus my ideas. It also makes it easier for
public relations to promote collections to the
press.
412 W
ORKPLACE. My studio was designed
to make maximum use of space and light,
with skylight windows, a large cutting
table, sewing table, and mannequin for
draping. Cupboards are lled to the brim
with brightly colored trimmings, threads,
and rolls of fabric, and on the wall there is an
enormous mood board with sketches of the
current collection. I keep referring to this
throughout the design and sampling process
in order to remain true to the collection
theme.
413 C
OLORS. Color is very important
for my designs and is one of the most
fundamental elements in projecting the
mood of a collection.
414 T
RADITIONAL MANUFACTURING VS.
EXPERIMENTATION. It is important to
experiment with new techniques, however
new developments should only be a fairly
small percentage of the collection. It is
essential to retain signature styles that have
already proven themselves in the market.
415 B
RAND VA L U E S . The Mac Millan
brand name is inspirational, stylish,
luxurious, and colorful.
144 1,000 Ideas by 100 Fashion Designers
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420
A
DVICE. John Galliano’s rst backer said:
“There are three ways to succeed in this
industry: 1. work, 2. hard work,
and 3. harder work.”
416 COMMUNICATION. Good
communication is important to all areas
of the business, whether it is conveying
the new collection to press and buyers,
explaining ideas to the studio team, or
communicating with other creatives as well
as factories.
417 S
TREET FASHION VS. FASH ION
DESIGNER. Fashion is a melting pot of
ideas between the street and the designers.
Sometimes the street is in uenced by
designers and at times designers are
in uenced by the street.
418 A
CKNOWLEDGEMENT. The best praise
I have ever received for my work was to
be nominated for Scottish Designer of the
year. This was particularly signi cant since
the judges included the highly respected
Kate Phelan, fashion director of British
Vogue, and Hilary Alexander of The Daily
Telegraph.
419 S
TYLE. The styles evolve each
season retaining Mac Millan’s signature
look of femininity, colorful prints, and
quality. Details and shapes change
depending on the desired look for each
collection.
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421 INSPIRATION. I sometimes think
about themes and sensations, but often only
as a starting point to develop a narrative.
I am most inspired by creating a story.
In addition to a narrative, I imagine the
woman, the context, the moment in the
interior or exterior space she will be in when
she is wearing the nished garment.
422 W
ORKPLACE. I am fortunate to work
in a beautiful space that was formerly a
ballet studio. It has hardwood oors and
oor-to-ceiling windows. The oors still
have the marks of the dancers. It’s lled
sparingly with antique furniture that I have
found, along with objects and images that I
feel represent me. It is a hidden gem in Los
Angeles and really re ects my aesthetic.
423 M
ATERIALS. Fabric comes with
its own associations and personality. I
like to use certain fabrics that already
carry associations and reinvent those
associations. I like fabrics that will translate
the shapes that I am thinking about and/or
will give me the ability to sculpt with them.
I would probably refrain from using fur, a
pre-existing print, or stretch lace.
424 T
RADITIONAL MANUFACTURING VS.
EXPERIMENTATION. I enjoy both tradition
and experimentation; they are equally
important in my work–to take something
classic and use it as a constraint. It’s very
important to develop representative items
in each collection, and it is crucial for
branding. The fun lies in guring out what
those items are over time.
425 C
OMMUNICATION STRATEGY. We are
not trendy. We are designing for a woman
who likes to play with the notion of classic.
We design for a woman who is willing to
take a risk. Our imagery and press materials
re ect this aesthetic and we work with
artists and photographers who possess a
similar outlook.
146 1,000 Ideas by 100 Fashion Designers
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426
B
RAND VA L U E S . Although surprisingly my
collections may be “on trend” in different ways,
it is not something that is important to me.
I believe our creations invoke and celebrate
individuality, and I see this in the women who
buy my clothes. They are more interested in
unique, detailed pieces or artisanal clothing
evocative of style or intellectual ideas, rather
than “fashion.”
427 STYLE. My style always retains
sculptural elements, clean lines, and
organic shapes. It goes in and out in its
femininity, sometimes re ecting a more
androgynous tomboy spirit.
428 S
TREET FASHION VS. FASHION
DESIGNER. I believe it’s both. It is
important to look at all of it. We see that
new ideas both trickle up and down. They
are different reactions or interpretations to
the same world.
429 G
OOD HABITS. It’s different for
everyone. For me, organization is the
key and allows me to think more freely.
Managing deadlines and your calendar are
crucial. Working on these two things will
always save you time, money, and stress.
Its great to use last-minute time to push
yourself creatively and ne-tune what you
have developed.
430 S
ALES. Sales are obviously
important and have to be thought about
somewhat during development. This is
true whether you have your own business
or are designing for someone else’s brand.
I believe the best thing for sales is clarity
of vision and strong design. Develop your
brand in the process so that buyers want to
buy into the brand, long term.
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