Sophia Webster is a designer who’s eye-popping designs fuse creativity with a flirty, feminine and bold aesthetic. If you’ve been to her studio, her Mayfair store – or even follow her on Snapchat – you’ll understand that this joyful and fun persona communicated in her designs comes from Sophia herself, and there seems to be no end to her talent.
Take her SS17 show for example; Webster translated a sixties birds of paradise vibe – inspired by watching Dreamgirls and Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds – to the Elm Lesters Painting Galleries and fittingly titled the show The Dolly Birds of Paradise. The kind of extravaganza you expect from Webster during fashion week was upheld and the venue was transformed into a tropical paradise, complete with palm trees, prints, and of course incredible shoes. Each section of the show had been meticulously thought out to work with and enhance the collection and as I was led through this seemingly secret subterranean world, I felt suitable inspired. A big bird coat in all colours of the rainbow caught my eye, and allowed the Firebird sandals to really take centre stage – a silver heel with colourful leather cut-out’s that Sophia herself wore to the show.
Another corridor led you past models sitting in gilded bird cages, swinging from the beams, where you were then promptly presented with a neon Sophia sign surrounded by palm tree’s and exotic flowers. Each shoe design was accompanied by it’s own matching bag and if you know Sophia’s designs, you’ll know she loves a phrase or two. Her speech bubble bags have also become somewhat of a signature – and certainly make a statement. Her SS17 show was no different and phrases included ‘Dolled Up’ ‘Swing My Way’ and ‘Baby Love’ – a nod, of course, to the diva inspiration of Motown and Dreamgirls.
Webster certainly lifted the spirits of all who visited her show after a packed London Fashion Week programme and responded to your every shoe desire with her unique take on the Dreambirds theme.
