Bella Freud, and her namesake label established in 1990, moves fluidly between the mediums of fashion, interior, film, literature and more; redefining what it means to be a designer. She has garnered a cult following, including the likes of Kate Moss, Little Simz, Alexa Chung, Olivia Wilde and many others.
Bella’s unique visual identity and way of seeing the world is in part inherited. She cites her father Lucian and his grey flannel Huntsman suits, handmade shirts and paint splattered chef trousers as early sartorial influences. Her great grandfather Sigmund Freud’s belief that all people possess unconscious thoughts, feelings, desires and memories, plays out in the sense of spontaneity of her clothes.
The foundations of Bella’s fashion career were laid working for Vivienne Westwood in the 1980s, first at her legendary store Seditionaries as a teenager; returning some years later to be Westwood’s assistant just before setting up her own label in 1990. By 2012, Bella was cultivating a lifestyle brand. That year she launched her first scented candle, and now Bella Freud Parfum comprises ten candles and two home fragrances. She harnessed her love of interior and homeware design to create a range of cushions, blankets, rugs and other products, all the while expanding her ready-to-wear offer and launching a menswear line of tailoring and knitwear.
For Bella, design is about distilling an emotion into a single statement. Her iconic word jumpers reflect her intelligent yet playful approach to life. From malapropisms such as the iconic ‘Godard is Dog’ to collaborations with the likes of The Last Poets, Bella weaves personal narratives throughout her work in unique and contemplative ways.
Bella has documented anecdotes along with many other outtakes from her world, such as the first time she saw Kate Moss through the window of a taxi in Paris, or the story of a night out in New York with Diane von Furstenberg. These stories can be read on the ‘Happenings’ section of the Bella Freud website, a form of digital illustrated diary.
There is a fluidity to the Bella Freud brand; namely ease and versatility mean that's meant not to overpower the wearer, but rather illuminate them.
