Most people remember their school days, heading off in your well polished shoes, ironed shirt with a tie, and of course a pleated skirt. Your school uniform was not complete without frilly, lacy white socks. It was this concept that started “Frills by AD”.
For them it was about taking the familiarity of frilly socks, but updating them with a modern, quirky, fun, unique twist. They believe that ankles can make a statement too and that while everyone may not be very adventurous with their style, a little bit of individuality can shine through.
Quality is very important for Frills by AD which means that they quality assure each hand- finished pair from their talented seamstresses who are all located within the Greater London area. So when they say, “Made with love. Wear with Pride” this statement is definitely very close to their hearts.
They produce a variety of styles ranging from subtly stylish to full-on funky frills. Frills can be worn with a vast assortment of footwear, from sporty high tops and baseball sneakers to sophisticated brogues and even heels. Every pair is original and each of their styles is exclusively limited edition.
What inspired you to start up the brand?
I was inspired to start Frills By AD by my own obsession with frilly socks. I just couldn’t find any truly unique, fun and funky ones. So I decided to make them myself!
Where do you get your ideas from to design a new pair?
Ideas come to me from all over the place. Growing up in London there is so much to see and take inspiration from. I would say most of my ideas come from the love of texture and bold patterns.
Have you always been interested in fashion design?
No not exactly. I wouldn’t even call myself a fashion designer at this stage! I only have my eye on socks for the moment. But fashion and style has always appealed to me through my career as a model.
If you hadn’t started designing what career would you have chosen?
I’d be doing what I continue to do alongside Frills By AD, which is modeling and presenting.
Will you be adding other items to your range?
The sky is the limit with Frills! I have lots of ideas to expand the range by adding themed collections, increasing the number styles, moving into festival socks and even children’s.
If you could work with any designer, who would you choose?
Probably PPQ, because I love their use of bold prints and bright colours. I’m sure we could come up with some cute and funky together.
Who would you love to see wearing your socks?
I’d love to see Little Mix in my socks, because they seem like they enjoy taking risks with their look.
How did you get involved with HSFW?
So one gave me a heads up about the event, so I did a bit of research and decided to jump on board. It’s really going be a great event that is going to highlight and give a platform for up and coming designers to showcase their work.
How is preparation going?
Manic! But fun, there are lots of bits and bobs to sort out and we’ve been working our socks off!
What are you looking forward to most about attending?
It’s gotta be the fashion show itself! It’s gonna be so amazing seeing my sock collection come to life on the runway!
Frills by AD do indeed bring back memories of my school socks. It is such a unique idea; why not choose socks as more of an accessory and statement. I know I wear them every day with no thought at all, but maybe Annalise Dayes has changed how I look at them. We take care when considering our outfit choices particularly with shoes, why not extend that to socks?!
http://www.frillsbyad.bigcartel.com/
Omg, those socks are awesome, so so cute <3
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I know! They look great with any outfit too x