Since 2009, Indhra Chagoury and Jeremy Jules of We Are Handsome have been creating pieces that are much closer to works of art than a pair of togs! Each style and print tells its own tale. The theme behind their latest swimwear collection is the exhilarating and memorable experience of discovering something new. Couturing chats to the talented design duo about their inspiration, their success, and their new and refreshingly original collection, The Discovery.
JESSICA: We love the prints that feature in your latest swimwear designs – what was the inspiration behind The Discovery collection?
JEREMY: The Discovery was inspired by a series of ‘firsts’. There is a first for everything; it’s the most exciting, the most memorable, the most exhilarating when you experience something for the first time. This year has also been significant in the growth of our brand and with this has come discovery, and the confidence of finding our feet.
JESSICA: You are celebrating your tenth collection with an anniversary print in your classic Scoop One Piece suit – what’s the story behind the print?
INDHRA: For our tenth season, we’ve produced a limited edition print incorporating all the beloved animals from every season. We are huge animal lovers.
JESSICA: Your designs are like works of art; how much of your creative process is influenced by trends in the art and photography world?
JEREMY: We try every season to work from the inside out. We search our memories and experiences for what really stands out in our lives as a very moving experience, a favourite place or story and we work from there. Our world is full of life, art, photography and wondrous things, which we harness into inspiration and permanently store.
JESSICA: You are clearly both artistic and your work is refreshingly original, what is your background and how did you become so creative?
INDHRA: It’s our combination of talents that make WAH work well. Jeremy works on the photography, prints and digital avenues while I work on the silhouette design and production. We both have strengths, which complement each other.
JESSICA: What made you decide to go into swimwear?
JEREMY: We had been friends for years but had each been concentrating on our own individual businesses. Collaborating on We Are Handsome seemed natural. One-pieces were our starting point. They were just starting to make a comeback and they were the right thing for our idea. For our prints we need as large a canvas as possible to work with, and we both see the classic One Piece swimsuit in a modern and sexy way. We love to think that the one-piece will always play a vital part in our collections.
JESSICA: You have recently expanded into apparel and cover-ups, how do see your brand evolving over the next 5 or so years?
INDHRA: We think it was a natural progression and we were very keen to see how far we could extend our reach and how we could go about progressing the concept and brand. Every day we itch to do something new and we test out a lot of things. Five years is a long time away! For now, we continue to plan all our campaign shoots and have a few overseas trips coming up. In addition to this, we have a few more collaborative projects in the works on some lifestyle products and some great new partnerships, which will all, come to fruition this year. We’re very excited!
JESSICA: It is always great to see collections that are 100% Australian made and designed – has this ethos always been important to you?
INDHRA: It’s very important to us and to the consumer. In today’s industry, handmade products from design to manufacture are few and far between. Being Australian made does incur its challenges but we are very proud of this.
JESSICA: And how challenging has it been to keep business in the country?
INDHRA: Most of the challenges lie in the time difference and seasonal opposites. It can be challenging to design collections which release in both hemispheres at once and promoting them all over the world at the same time is something we’ve become very good at but is still challenging at the best of times. In saying this, the great thing is our collections are global instantly. We release the images to our worldwide audience at the same time so everyone is seeing it with fresh eyes.
JESSICA: Finally, as a duo, you have been hugely successfully in creating a unique label with distinct style. Any tips for aspiring designers looking to make their mark on the fashion world?
JEREMY: While it’s not easy and takes a lot of work, you just have to go ahead and do it! Try your best to be original and start making something. We started creatively collaborating on this one-time project, and now, we are here.
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