SITTING on her mother’s lap, a young Ruti Danan would help sew buttons and cut fabric as together they would make clothing for her eleven other siblings. “Fashion was very important growing up. My mother would make all our clothes and she has been a great inspiration for my designs,” the Stepney Green-based fashion designer tells me, ahead of her London Fashion Week debut at the trendy East London boutique hotel 40WiNKS.
Describing herself as a “hidden designer” who has previously only shown independently of LFW, the Jerusalem-born designer has been running her own label for 15 years, selling her sought-after garments at exclusive boutiques such as Koh Samui in Covent Garden and online.
Sassy, sexy and show-stopping, her chantelle lace and French silk chiffon creations have also attracted a celebrity clientele with Victoria Beckham among her fans and Thandie Newton sporting a figure-hugging black Ruti in the hit film Mission: Impossible II. But despite her success, fashion was not the original career path Ruti ventured down.
“I actually studied architecture in Tel Aviv, then when I came to London, 20 years ago, I got some work experience with a designer. It’s the same kind of construction, you work on a dummy and you create something. What attracted me to fashion at first was I thought I wouldn’t have a chance in architecture because it’s such a male dominated industry.”
Switching over to fashion was a shrewd move on Ruti’s part, and before long she was working with the likes of Michiko Koshino, Nigel Atkinson and finally Alexander McQueen.
Speaking about McQueen, the 48-year-old says: “He is one of the most talented designers at the moment. I got a lot of experience especially in tailoring and styling and just being different.”
When McQueen went to work for Givenchy, Ruti took it as her cue to do what she had always dreamed of and set up her own label.
“I decided to launch my own collection because I was putting so many of my ideas and designs into other people’s collections, why not start my own?”
Telling me more about her label, Ruti, who will launch her new range of silk chiffon cami scarves at 40WiNKS, adds: “It’s very individual I make a lot of one-offs.
“My dresses make women look smaller than they actually are, which a lot of my clients like. They really flatter the body and once you wear them you are a different person, you walk differently, you move differently, it feels quite unique.”
So, with years of experience dressing gorgeous women, what is the secret to looking good?
“A good well made dress, good shoes and keep it simple but sexy.”
London Fashion Week runs from Friday, September 18, to Tuesday, September 22. To view Ruti’s collection visit www.rutidanan.com.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article