McArthurGlen Spirit Of Fashion Pop-Up Shop

MANCHESTER-TRAINED fashion designer, Matthew Miller, is at the opening of Europe’s leading Designer Outlet retailer McArthurGlen’s Spirit of Fashion pop-up shop in Spinningfields, Manchester.

“A shirt's the most beautiful thing in the world, on a man or a woman, it's absolutely amazing.”

We make small talk whilst I rifle through my bag in an attempt to find the Dictaphone. He comments that I have a lot of ‘stuff’ to which I apologise for the mess.

“I'm a designer” he replies. “I'm used to things being a mess.”

Matthew Miller

Miller, who trained at Manchester Metropolitan University and graduated with an MA in menswear from the Royal College of Art in 2009. He is one of the three recipients of the first McArthurGlen Spirit of Fashion Award.

As part of the prize, McArthurGlen has provided the designers with twelve months PR support, access to leading industry professionals, and commercial exposure.

“The award means a lot to me” he said. “I find business difficult, really difficult.”

Matthew was briefed with reinventing a timeless classic fashion garment in his own 'handwriting' - creating a unique yet commercial design. He was inspired by the brief to create a blueprint for the 'perfect' white shirt.

“A shirt's the most beautiful thing in the world, on a man or a woman, it's absolutely amazing.”

Shirt Designed By Matthew Miller

His shirt was created using 3D software and digital print technique. This process reduces waste and is both cost efficient and environmentally friendly. His method could set a new benchmark for future approaches to design across the industry.

“The way that clothing is produced is really archaic. It hasn't moved on from the nineteenth century. It's ridiculous. As a fashion designer you shouldn't just be designing a product, you should be designing a process.

“A lot of fashion designers don't do that. But you get fashion designers such as Christopher Raeburn who has started re-appropriating materials and doing it really intelligently. I think that's the most interesting thing about fashion design. No-one else is going to design your process.

Miller is so much more than just a designer. He has an interest in every aspect of the manufacturing process and the struggles therein.

“I can remember growing up in Stoke and all the manufacturing jobs being lost and there being this mass unemployment all of a sudden. Obviously that affected me.

“Why does no one work in a factory anymore? I think politically Labour didn't do enough to help manufacturing when they got back into power in the 1990s and the Conservatives sold manufacturing to other countries.

“All of a sudden everyone wants us to make things in Britain but we just don't have the skill anymore. I don't understand why manufacturing has been billed as this horrible industry, with people not wanting to go into it. It's a beautiful trade. It's a beautiful thing to do.”

Spirit Of Fashion

Miller has an eye for beautiful things, but admits his ability to coming up with design ideas tends to be sporadic.

“Creative inspiration just hits me one day. I'll be walking down the street, and have one of those eureka moments. I don't know exactly how I design. I just get influenced by different things, by chatting, by walking. It usually starts off being purely creative but I then put a logic sense to it.”

For a man who is praised for his almost scientific and mathematical approach to design, this last statement shows that inside beats the heart of an artist. A signal is given that we have three minutes left. I ask what life is really like for a fashion designer.

“Someone was asking if I went to glamourous parties or anything. It's not like that. Even in fashion week I didn't go to any parties, I just worked because our show was on the last day. You just want to do the best, and usually when you do the best you have to push yourself to the limit. You don't ever think “That'll do.”

“You should always strive to do better. I always think that I can do better, and I know I'm not the best. I want to be the best, but I'll never be the best.”

We’ll be the judge of that Matthew.

The Manchester McArthurGlen Spirit of Fashion pop up shop is in Unit G27, 1 Spinningfields Square, Spinningfields M3 3AP, until Thrusday 6 October.