Venetia Kronsten is a third year student at the University of Edinburgh studying History of Art who has recently set up her own clothes line.
Having started at fifteen, designing and making clothes for herself, she said “I’ve always been into art and design” and . She describes it as a “hobby for now”, but the plan is to have a website running by the end of 2011, selling around ten pieces as well as one-off custom made items, mainly evening dresses made to measure.
This is her first collection, the plans for which were drawn up in 2010. The clothes are mainly casual wear and although it doesn’t necessarily reflect her personal style, Venetia loves Romantic and feminine designs. She says her favorite designers are Elie Saab and Marchesa.
Textures are a big part of what inspires her, working with chiffons and velvets as well as the prints and materials found in Calcutta, where Venetia is originally from. She said that theres is “such a variety of colours to pick and choose”. It is also where the clothes are made, by a family taylor.
Venetia is returning to India in June to complete her second line for winter, which she said will involve “mixed media such as velvet jackets with fur hoods”.
Her clothes featured in this year’s Edinburgh Charity Fashion Show, presenting mainly the evening wear, and she hopes to organise an open house in the near future. For more information, there is the Facebook page. Venetia is looking for investors and manufacturers, and in the long run, would like to sell her line in department stores or even have her own boutique.
