House of Billiam Label Highlight
House of Biliam is a UK clothing line that takes classic, British suiting fabrics and creates unsuit-like clothes for men and women. Specialising in bespoke hoodies: hand-made, made-to-measure, hooded jackets crafted from exquisite suit materials. We get in touch with the label’s founder Thomas Bird to try and find out where he is coming from, what inspires him and where the label is progressing.
What is your history? Where did you learn your art? Have you tried other concepts or been associated with other fashion labels?
Pretty normal middle class white background although my Dad is a Church of England vicar and I guess that has its own unique influence, I don’t know as I don’t know any different. Nothing particularly stands out really, I didn’t like school much and have bouts of not sleeping which first started with an addiction to Tetris and listening to John Peel and then whatever else was on afterwards. Did a degree in Philosophy at York, liked the degree hated University, from the amount of stuff I hate it may be suggested I suffer from small man’s syndrome but I could not possibly comment. That will probably do for my history right?
I used to draw clothes when I was about 14/15/16 cannot really remember when but you could not study textiles at my school and I probably thought fashion was a bit gay at that age. From the age of about 20 I had a sewing machine on my Christmas list but I think my parents thought it was a joke…I used to read magazines with fashion editorial quite a bit, Sleazenation and Dazed and I collected trainers from about 1999 so fashion has always been in my sphere of interests. An ex-girlfriend of mine used to make stuff herself and that gave me an insight into it. When I quit one of the numerous jobs I thought I wanted to do but actually didn’t I took my mums sewing machine spent some money on amazon on some books and taught myself, it all flowed quite naturally.
What were the ideas behind the name? When did it begin?
I guess I am quite into concept and drawing on things I am interested in and House of Billiam encompasses quite a few elements of my personality. The juxtaposition the item has as a hoodie made from suiting fabric I always find has a strong sense of me and a lot of my friends in it, if it was a person it would be a middle class white guy who listens to the Wu tang clan.
I just made one for myself (which has since been stolen) and from that my friend asked me to make him one…it kind of spawned from that.
What type of people are you trying to target?
People with money… I wouldn’t say we have or I would want to aim for a particular market. Because of the choices of fabric that people can make you can create something completely outrageous or something that would look fine on your Dad. I have dressed 50 odd year old men to 16 year old boys and the collaboration of each piece means that essentially I just provide a canvas in the form of a hoodie on which people can express their personal taste.
Where did the idea for combining suit materials and hoodies come from?
I just thought it was a good idea, and that it would be different. I did not have a dream about it or anything it was just an idea I had.
Where do you draw your inspiration from? Be it catwalk, street, culture or…?
My inspiration comes from all over, from my parents, friends and brothers to the odd things I am interested in like the arts and crafts movement as a response to the industrial revolution, cricket, hip hop and utilitarianism.
In terms of clothes, I have always been into streetwear, the kind of american workwear stuff that is built to live in from Carhartt and Dickies. I always liked it because it had a timeless quality that high street stores never did have. But all the streetwear brands I grew up with like Stussy, Felix Blow, Penfield and Silas obviously had an influence on me and on what House of Billiam is as did Savile Row. The ideas of a bespoke suit again the timelessness of a Savile Row suit is something that really attracts me – that and the Britishness of it.
On a strictly personal level I am a massive fan of Raf Simons…
British fashion, what are your opinions of it? Who do you think really stands out?
I like British fashion, I am not a big fan of the high street but the British do timeless menswear better then anywhere else. Burberry and Aquascutum, Barbour, Savile Row, Churches, Trickers and Crockett and Jones…Those labels that have had classics since the Edwardian era or before have always appealed to me because they have a great universal quality, they can be worn by anyone in any era and they are still fantastic.
Internationally, which high-end and streetwear labels do you respect?
Historically or otherwise with no explanation: Elsa Schiaparelli, Comme Des Garcons (all the stuff but particularly Watanabes menswear), Gareth Pugh, Balenciaga (new stuff as I don’t really know the label history), Raf Simons, Kim Jones, Lanvin (I want a feather tie), House of Deihl, Fletcher Kershaw Stephen and anything from Lagerfeld
Do you have any future plans to create other pieces? Would you like collaborate with anyone?
I have always looked to develop what House of Billiam does and have made a number of different cuts as prototypes that we are hoping to introduce over the next year or so.
I am really keen to collaborate through a few retail projects and I have a few people I want to personally make stuff for but it is a pretty long list but if any mid 90′s British indie bands, any member of Pavement, any late ’70′s or early ’80′s West Indian international cricketer, any county championship cricket side or Jarvis Cocker are reading this email me…
http://www.houseofbilliam.com/
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By Liepkapmue, February 24, 2009 @ 4:08 PM
Interesting concpet
By Sir. Vegas, March 20, 2009 @ 6:52 PM
I need 2 shop with u guys! No dout about it….
I love the look.
Get back with me ASAP
Vegas…