If you're struggling with the Australian winter blues, London designer Karina Regazzacci has a range of jackets, skirts, bags, jewellery and accessories that will brighten up your day. The Scene caught up with her in a backstreet bar in Camden to find out how she got into fashion and what she has to offer.

HOW AND WHY DID YOU GET STARTED IN THE INDUSTRY?

From a young age I was always sketching in bright neon colours and coming from an artistic family, this was encouraged. I lived in morocco for a bit as a child and was undoubtedly inspired by the textiles etc.

I applied to Central Saint Martins to do a BA hons in fashion Design and I was accepted which was great as saint martins has a very good reputation for fashion…people like Alexander Mc Queen, John Galiano  and Stella McCartney went there. I studied for 4 years which included work placements with Zandra Rhodes, Clements Ribeiro and Rubber Zoo and also worked at London’s most well known vintage clothing store Rokit. I tended to not get involved with the fashion crowd from the college as I have never been a typical fashion person.

The idea of spending my time prancing about in the west end with a Gucci handbag arrogantly talking about my latest frock was absolutely hideous and whilst most of my peers could be found down at ‘China White’ on a Friday night, I would more often than not be in dodgy squat party raving it up to pounding psy trance. The fashion industry was just not my scene, and it still isn’t to this day. I decided to go for the more alternative route and upon graduation in summer 2002 launched my clothing label www.regazzacci.com.

I started by doing weekend market stalls selling a range of bags I’d had made up which quickly progressed into a full time job. One thing led to the next and I found myself opening a shop in Camden selling my clothes, bags and an assortment of other products. This venture was a fantastic experience and I loved it, but Camden was starting to get too commercialized. The rents had become ridiculously high, the creative people were getting pushed out, and the cheap nasty goods from China were taking over.

Fed up with such a large chunk of money going to the landlords each month I decided to change tactics in early 2006 so I closed the shop and went online! At first it was very difficult but I taught myself all the necessary web design and ecommerce skills and here I am just over a year on with www.coconut-hut.co.uk.  I now make all the clothes to order and I am adding new product ranges every month. I sell a variety of items including my own clothes, ranges from other independent UK labels, as well as accessories such as leg warmers.

WHY DO YOU MANUFACTURE ALL YOUR STOCK IN THE UK?

Firstly, each item is made to order in limited edition batches or in singular pieces, there is is no mass production involved. I may in the future have small ranges made abroad but only in a fair trade environment and only if the skills required were more easily obtained abroad.

And second, Regazzacci is an independent UK clothing label and the Coconut-hut is an independent UK e-commerce shop. If most of the clothes and products I have on offer can be sourced or hand made in the UK, then I believe I am doing my part to promote independent designers and artists. I am against all these cheap unethical shops where you can buy disposable dresses for £6, it is just wrong. It is bad for fashion & world in general.

WHO DO YOU SELL TO?

It is more difficult to get a typical profile of your customers when you don’t get to see them face to face, but I would say they are funky, colourful people with a creative groovy vibe! They are individuals who care about buying unique items and who have their own definitive style.

WHERE CAN PEOPLE FIND STOCK?

My main outlet is my e-commerce shop www.coconut-hut.co.uk. You could check out www.regazzacci.com stockists page too for any new developments…

WHAT’S IN THE RANGE?

Regazzacci clothing is a transient range of clothing that progresses as time goes on. There are no seasonal collections. Certain items come and go, many of the fabrics are limited edition so a certain item could be in stock until that fabric runs out! At the moment there is a variety of pixie hood tops and tunics, funky flares, psychedelic dresses, groovy hotpants, mini skirts, flared skirts, crop tops and vests. Lots of the fabrics are also UV making them ideal for clubbing.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOU MOST POPULAR ITEM?

Over the years I’d say that my most popular item overall has been the mini skirt. I have sold thousands of colourful mini skirts, some psychedelic, some retro, some UV some more rock n roll, some patchwork.

WHERE DO YOU SEE THE LABEL IN 5 YEARS?

I am currently putting more energy into the development of the shop than the clothing label as I am just one person and have to be realistic in terms of what time allows. In an ideal world I’d push both, but I do not work with any financial backing and at the end of the day I only have two hands and one head! I plan to carry on selling my clothing label on the net as the primary outlet and if shops want to approach me then they are more than welcome. It is also likely that in five years I may have explored other areas of design such as costume design for film.. it really depends what life brings to me!

ANY ADVICE FOR UPCOMING DESIGNERS?

Be determined, don’t listen to the bullshit and keep strong minded. If you doubt yourself in any way then move onto something else NOW! You have to really believe in yourself / your products / your shop…  Also keep a sense of humour and be adaptable. There is never one straight path, you are likely to go in tangents that take you to new places. Although you can have a very good plan, you never really know what is around the next corner..!