The relationship between fashion and film has always been a strong one but until now no one has thought to curate a shopping experience and collection that fuses the two interconnected worlds. So when costume designer Andy Blake and film producer Maggie Monteith teamed up with Stuart Trevor, who made his name in fashion founding brands such as AllSaints and Bolongaro Trevor, doing just that seemed the most natural thing to do.
Their new marketplace platform, elensa.com, has just gone live and showcases designer clothing, accessories and merchandise inspired by the art and craft of film making. Taking one of Monteith’s films Race to Immortality, the first collection features curated pieces from designers and brands such as Oliver Spencer, Kestin Hare. Baracuta and Elensa’s own label. Here the team discuss the concept and their plans for the future with The Industry.
Can you explain the Elensa concept to us; we understand it’s a bespoke shopping platform that brings together the worlds of fashion and film but how will it work?
For everyone who loves a film, there is that moment of bittersweet regret at the end, that they are no longer part of that world. These collections, inspired by the characters, the locations and the themes of the films, will give people a chance to bring the way the film made them feel into their lives. If we get it right, it will feel right even to people who haven’t seen the film, because of its attitude.
Who is your target market in terms of both customer and countries?
Our dream is that someone with their own unique style in Ghana or Lithuania, or Glasgow or London, will find their way to us, and be delighted to include us in their wardrobe. Our customers have their own point of view and cut a dash wherever they go.
You are working with some great affiliate brands, how did you select them?
Some selected themselves as we told our story to our community of designers and friends, before we were looking to broaden the styling of each collection. Others we all admired from afar, and beat a path to their door to try to persuade them.
