The Industry meets "The Vintage King"
His career began after studying Art History while at university, followed by a stint in interior design. Over time and after finding himself critiquing his personal shopping experiences William Banks-Blaney founded WilliamVintage in 2009.
The boutique, located in Marylebone, is a trove of gorgeous garments making it the quintessential vintage destination when in London. He is also the author of “25 Dresses: Iconic Moments in 20th Century Fashion” published by Quadrille. It was released in March 2015 in the UK and launched in the US by early Autumn.
As of today (29 October 2015) the public will begin to know William as a designer as well. He will have launched a WilliamVintage collection through collaboration with Liberty London. William spoke with The Industry's Renée Waters to discuss his career and his latest ventures.
William Banks-Blaney
“I was the nerd that liked art and antiques as a kid. I worked in interior design so I have always been drawn to the visual… As a part of that I’ve always loved vintage," he says. After recounting his varied experiences as a consumer to his friends, William finally told them he would “stop moaning and start doing” thus WilliamVintage was born. His passion comes from what he considers a combination of many elements, such as his education and things he simply admires. "I always wanted to see the next thing out there and loved to see what others have dreamed up," he says.
He enjoys helping museum clients hunt for items with historic significance on the curatorial end of the market as he knows it will be seen by tens of thousands of people. “I’m 50% treasure hunter and 50% private investigator!”
WilliamVintage Store in Marylebone
WILLIAMVINTAGE STORE
What sets William apart from that of a consignment shop or another vintage consultant/stylist is his unique brand of customer service. He works with his regular customers the same as celebrity clients as well as educating new customers that may not know what they want, let alone know much about the histories of the designers on the racks.
When you come to WilliamVintage you will receive an education in vintage. William points out that some people may also have an apprehension about vintage shopping as they may be concerned “if the shop will be pleasant, or if the hems need fixing, or will there be stains on the garments”. William and his team remove all those concerns even sometimes using the quip that “we spend more in dry cleaning then we do on the rent of a central London store”.
“You may enter the store in May looking for a perfect summer dress for June but you might find your perfect winter coat” because it’s not what others are looking for at that moment and “If you don’t get it then, its gone!” It’s just as perfectly curated, and very modern like a contemporary store.
“The fantastic thing about vintage is it’s always environmentally friendly” and “sustainable by nature because you’re reusing”. He thinks customers have been drawn to vintage because “generally now in retail the market is so sophisticated and there are so many options and reasons for people to buy” “conversely people really love the idea of a degree of personal service, or clothing that’s unique, that they haven’t seen before or they know their friends won’t have”.
Vintage is what he considers a summation of something with design history that the wearer can express themselves in what they want to wear rather than wearing the “it dress” of the season. “Vintage is something you can leave to a friend or hand down to your daughter – you can spread the love”.
As he and his team work with huge design houses for things they may be hunting for their shop and their customers it also feeds into the story of contemporary fashion. “I think vintage helps sets trends rather than respond to it”. Thinking of the recent collections shown at Fashion Weeks all over the world, like Gucci revisiting the ‘60’s, vintage setting the trends is “a win/win” scenario for William. He is the buyer for his shop and he buys only what he likes. “If I’m doing my job properly I should be slightly ahead of that [trend] curve”.
William has launched a collection of vintage-inspired new styles with Liberty of London
LIBERTY COLLABORATION
Speaking of being ahead of trends and appropriating vintage for the contemporary, William and his team have been in design mode for 3 months for his collaboration with Liberty London launching on 29 October 2015 (view the collection on Vogue's website). William knew he wanted the ‘60’s to serve as inspiration as they “have been my really favourite period of fashion”. He defines it as “slightly past the go-go girls in mini-skirts, when couture was chic, urbane, and terribly cool. It was when couture got cool again”. When they have those pieces at WilliamVintage “they just walk out the door”. His desire was to make a collection for the people he knows, whether they are clients or his girlfriends. “I wanted pieces that can blend with other pieces in your existing wardrobe”. He’s very pleased to be on the same page as what consumers are currently seeking.
“We discussed quite long ago about doing our own contemporary collection at some point. We had a fantastic meeting with Liberty” as “we had so many shared commonalities”. Together they set out on what William felt was a seemingly natural process in developing the collection. He worked with Scott Tepper, head of collaborations, at Liberty who William states “immediately understood that WilliamVintage was a small company, that we had a good reputation, and were well-known internationally”.
They both wanted “good, British design excellence and innovation” so the collection is comprised of hand-finished pieces that are beautifully made using old-school techniques as Liberty and WilliamVintage required. The best part about this perfectly matched collaboration? Every aspect of product being made has taken place in England. The lining on every piece has a Liberty silk print titled “Kaleidoscope” which was culled from their archives. “We wanted something that was British, with a rock-starry vibe for the lining so even if it’s an ivory dress the wearer knows they have something riotous on the inside of the fabric”. This will be the only time this print will be available as an exclusive making for a true collector’s item.
William's "25 Dresses" book, published by Quadrille
ICONIC DRESSES
In addition to launching this collection William has been busy with the UK and US releases of his book, “25 Dresses: Iconic Moments in Twentieth-century Fashion”. (A selection of dresses is pictured above.)
The book was written as a way to “encapsulate WilliamVintage” for the masses. Like most fashion lovers, William is in possession of many fashion tomes but he “always felt the books were a polarised, dry curatorial of dresses behind the glass wall” or whatever was shown on models of the past. As such, he set out to write a book on the legacy, design history, and all of the things about fashion that he liked. He intended for the book to be a layered read.
“Each chapter features one dress and shows its design legacy on today’s catwalks, provides context of what was going on with the women at that time of wear, while stating the history of the garment and it’s designer. It is all considered relevant to those that want to learn more about vintage fashion. “Even if you haven’t shopped vintage before you already know it because it is a part of fashion. Whether you enjoy vintage specifically or just fashion or if you’re more into social or design history” it’s a book that might appeal as well.
There is no doubt that all of these projects have been propelling William’s career, making him internationally known and garnering him the title from Vogue magazine as "The Vintage King". He is revered as an expert in vintage fashion by the likes of Rachel Zoe, Michael Kors, customers and friends that trust his instincts when selecting couture. However, one cannot run an empire alone. William has taken a measured approach to building the talented team that supports him. “I have a team of amazing strong women which is what I love and how I grew up.”
When he started the company he worked by himself for a year. Now he has eight employees that include his COO and teams that cover accounts, online, inventory, and the seamstresses. He describes his team as those that share the right ethos and “liking to do (things) different”. When they recruit that’s the kind of person they look for to join them; it is key as he wants to be known as providing an uplifting experience in his store. “It’s just a fun, enjoyable staff”. “When you come into the WilliamVintage store you’ll likely get a glass of scotch, or a piece of chocolate just as you would receive a glass of water”.
What’s next for WilliamVintage? They hope to locate a new, larger store location as they have outgrown their current space. By Spring they will also re-launch their online presence (including their placement on 1st Dibs.com). William hopes that the new space and reworking the online platforms will serve them well for the next 10 years.
William Banks-Blaney will be appearing at the next Industry Keynote interview event on 24 November at Condé Nast College, Greek Street, London from 5pm. For more information email us at [email protected]
Renée Waters is founder of Haute Consult and a founder member of The Industry.
