Take a sneak peak into the world of Anna Scholz

Anna Scholz is a world renowned plus size fashion designer and I have had the privilege to speak with her about her fantastic new autumn/winter collection, her inspiration, how it all began and much much more.

I adore her designs, they are unique and vibrant, something the plus size fashion industry had been lacking up until now and getting hold of her collection has become all that easier with the launch of her new website and more stockists around the world.

Anna Scholz has given 100% People an exclusive discount of 10% off her whole collection, click here for the code. What are you waiting for? Take a look at her latest range and read the exclusive interview below.

All your collections are stunning, where does your inspiration come from?
People watching , travel and vintage finds ( I am  a collector of all sorts ). I love Portobello Market and Brick Lane!

Your Autumn/winter collection in particular, when did you begin to design this?
I started in September last year, collecting moods and vintage prints. The collection is very retro in feel.

What barriers have you had to overcome in the plus-size market and how have your designs been received by the market?
When I set up my label and showed my first few collections, buyers were allot more narrow minded than they are now.
They thought my collection was too young , funky, fashionable and sexy.
I asked them if they really wanted old, frumpy and  unfashionable collections… and offered them highlights of my collection on Sale or Return.
They were very surprised that the funkier pieces always sold first and started to believe in my brand

What made you decide to set up your business and when did it all begin?
I was a size 16 when I was 13 years  old and could never find anything cool to wear. I started sewing classes to make my own pieces.
When I started being a plus size model at the age of 18. I couldn’t believe the frumpy things I was made to wear.
I saw a real niche in the market and moved to London in 1990 to study fashion design at the renowned St. Martins College of Art and Design and then set up my label in 1995

Have you always wanted to work in fashion?
Clothes , fabrics and fashion have been my passion since I became a teenager ! First I thought it would just be a hobby of mine , but the passion quickly developed into something much bigger.
My dream of my own fashion label!

Have you considered going world wide with your designs and setting up shops internationally?
We have launched our new online shop in March and deliver to the whole of Europe, and we have stockists in 10 countries so far ( our proudest new additions are Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue in the US ).
We are constantly building our business and are looking to sell in further stores and further countries.
We have so far no plans to open our own stores internationally.

What is your future dream for your business?
To build an even more solid customer base of wholesale and online customers all over the world, and to launch a line of accessories i.e belts, jewellery, bags, home-wear etc

How do you decide what material to use to make your garments?
Unfortunately I have very expensive taste and love nothing more than silks and cashmere . We are developing lots of our own prints on my favourite fabric which is a double silk georgette with elastane.
Sometimes the fabric comes first and then I design pieces accordingly and sometimes I am looking for a specific fabric for a piece I already designed
We are sourcing new fabrics all the time , especially as we are going to launch our more price conscious black label collection for spring summer 2010.

How hard is it to find plus-size models to promote your fashion range?
I am very lucky as lots of the plus size models really want to work with me. There are 3 plus size agencies in London and quite a few in the US, so there are new faces all the time

Do you have any other comments about the questions or article that you would like to tell 100% People? For example, the plus size industry or future ideas?
It has always been my aim to make women feel better about themselves and I would like to say thank you to my customers for their support and fabulous feedback , which I always appreciate.

Thank you to Anna for taking time out of your busy schedule to speak with me, I can’t wait for your new collection to hit the stores. Take a sneak peak of the new collection here.