FASHION BRAND: MY SLEEPING GYPSY
Fashion Brand
Angela Huntbach-Hertault, is the Co-founder the fashion Brand: MY SLEEPING GYPSY.
My Sleeping Gypsy stands out for its intricate patterns, unique construction methods, and ancient symbols. Our one-of-a-kind designs showcase beautiful embroidery, applique, and traditional sewing techniques. We’re committed to sustainability, sourcing local materials like high-quality linen, upcycled fabrics, and eco-friendly hemp fur. Linen is our go-to because it’s durable, natural, and uses less water to produce.
It takes us several months to bring each new design to life, from the first sketch to the final product. They pour their hearts into every piece, drawing inspiration from different cultures and traditions. By making conscious choices and cherishing our planet’s resources, they hope to make a positive impact in the world.
When did you know you wanted to be a fashion designer?
I didn’t set out to be a fashion designer, I was always inclined towards Fine Art. I studied at Central St Martins and then The Royal College of Art and found that I was very influenced by fashion. My practice itself was always Sculpture which provides the largest scope to be able to move in any direction and the idea of cross-pollination was always the core of everything I was creating.
What’s it like being in the fashion industry
The fashion industry is vast and multi-faceted but the specific area that we occupy is that of precious artisanal craft, heritage and Art. I am not so enamoured by the world of fast, influencer led fashion and see the authentic intrinsic value of the industry as a whole in the savoir-faire.
How is the fashion industry in your home country?
I lived most of my life in London which has a very vibrant fashion scene and a dynamic creative industry. It is inspiring to be surrounded by such energy. I now live in Switzerland which has a completely different vibe but inspires me with its beauty and clarity. There are designers in Switzerland but I wouldn’t say its a scene, it tends to lie a bit more underground as the dominant industries are finance etc.
What was your first job in the fashion industry?
My first job in fashion was offered to me by a Hedge Fund Manager who had bought one of my sculptures and some Art from friends of mine that I had sold to him. Our interaction through those sales of Art led him to call me ‘a natural sales-person’ and he offered me a job as VP of Sales for a lingerie brand that he had just invested in. I first went over to New York and set things up over there then returned to London to continue building out the brand from what would be the head office. It was a baptism of fire, I worked in a way that was unusual at the time and it brought a lot of success. I guess driven by a creative mindset leading me to explore different paths along with a lot of hard work.
Talk about the changes in your life since you‘ve your own clothing store.
We don’t have our own store but I am a 50/50 partner in the brand My Sleeping Gypsy, we work through wholesaling goods to major luxury retailers and directional boutiques worldwide. We also have a direct online business. It has been a path of learning and adapting continually. The landscape of fashion and the market is always changing and now with such things as the pandemic, the war in Ukraine where we have our production, and the economic tensions we are having to adapt and flex more than ever.
How do you choose your inspiration?
Every season we choose a fine artist to work with, they can be emerging, established or heritage artists. We incorporate key motifs into the embroideries and decorations on our garments. At the moment we are collaborating with the Alphonse Mucha Foundation who have allowed us access to the most inspiring archive from the key proponent in the Art Nouveau movement. Last season we worked with British artist Beth Rodway, known for her blue Indian ink line drawings of architectural settings. Previously the collection was created in collaboration with painter Sophie Wake, whose primordial visions of life on earth are so breathtakingly free and beautiful. The choice of artist collaborator is very directional in terms of how the style of the collection emerges, and that initial choice is made often by having a clear initial vision of how the collection could look, the rest emerges in the process.
In one word how would you define yourself as a designer?
In one word: Open
What advice would you pass along to those starting in the Fashion Business
It is not what it appears to be on the surface.
To know more about My Sleeping Gypsy, please visit: Angel for Fashion
