Sarah Hildyard’s interview with Bambi
Shorts for festivals, shorts for holidays, shorts for summer, shorts for Autumn, shorts for Ibiza, shorts for walking the pooch, shorts for sipping Pimms, shorts for a couple more drinks in the evening, shorts for that shopping trip, shorts for sitting in the park, shorts for soaking up the sun’s rays… Short shorts for hot girls…
“Who wears short shorts?” Bambi & Manson girls, that’s who. Dip-dyed, fluff, sequins, frills, to studs, rips and frays. The question though is; Are you a Bambi? Or a Manson? Or a Bambo&Manson?
Hello Polly and Jim,
To start with I think I speak for all short short lovers out there when I say a massive thank you for birthing the Brand that is Bambi and Manson. Today I want to delve into the world of Bambi and Manson and find out what’s new and what makes you guys tick…
Firstly, how is everything going at the Bambi and Manson HQ? What is a typical day in the office?
Everything is supergood, a normal day at BAM HQ is usually… me making us food and tea…. I’m generally up first (Manson gets superglued to the bed!) We just go through what we need to do and crack on – It’s pretty chilled, well as chilled as trying to handmake a billion shorts can be. We watch trashy Tv while we work and get out in the sunshine with Elvis when we need a break!
What is your favorite season for fashion?
Hand downs Summer. All the babes are looking thier babest! haha – I love summer you have a lot more freedom to create looks and sunkissed skin makes an outfit so perfect!
When you’re designing your clothes do you have a message or theme in mind?
I would say I design for myself, If I love it and want to buy it, then I’m sure others will too. It’s a lot of trial and error with Bambi and Manson, we do have a general vibe which is very USA influenced, we love the skater, surfer cultures, documentaries like Dogtown and Z-boys, 90′s movies and icons etc have played a big part in some of our designs. It’s a mix of understated cool and over the top trash…kind of counteracts each other but when I get dressed, I dress differently everyday, depending on what movie I’ve watched, music, night out I’ve just had… so we try to accommodate all of those moods within the BAMS!
As a young woman who loves to live by the William W. Purkey Quote “You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching, Love like you’ll never be hurt, Sing like there’s nobody listening, And live like it’s heaven on earth.” What famous quote or advice best epitomises the brand that is Bambi and Manson?
Erm…. Dress everyday as if you were at a festival haha! Deeeeeeep lol
The one item that I am unable to live without is my beautiful Ibiza short shorts. So we want to know, what are the five things you can’t live without? Dig deep guys!! And piccys if possible please…
For me (Bambi) It’s : Manson- I wouln’ t function properly without him! Elvis- he’s my comfort, he’s the best friend evs and a great spooning partner! Hair Dye- it’s an addiction I swear! My friends- they are the best, I have the most amount of fun with them and spend 99% of my time laughing! and carbootsales – HEAVEN!!
I would guess for Manson it would be simular with a guitar thrown in
Us all at Primavera last weekend in Barcelona
!
I think Elvis is the perfect little Bambi and Manson mascot; will there be any canine inspired Bambi and Manson pieces coming soon? Would you ever consider branching out to accessories for dogs? I think he would be able to rock a little Bambi jacket. Also can we please see a photo of our fav Bambi and Manson pooch?
Elvis is a total babe, he could rock just about anything! He’s my hero.
Bambi and Manson have some lovely leggy models – Where was your first Bambi and Manson shoot and where would be your dream location to shoot the Bambi and Mason girls rocking the collection? Pictures or images of the dream location please…
California, by the surf for sure! I mean perks surely would be the free holiday!
Would Bambi and Manson consider creating some his and hers pieces in the near future?
Hmmm…. I don’t know, it might be a bit too much of a Beckham vibe for BAM….not that I’m knocking that freaking powercouple… The new H&M campaign with BECKS in his KECKS WOW.
Bambi and Manson works closely with the customer right up until the final tear and last touch of glitter! Why is this close relationship so important to you guys?
Because we want it to be a personal experience, we tend to talk a lot to our customers, if they are creating their own custom pair then we discuss it all we need to make sure we are sharing thier vision before they wack down a load of cash! The whole process has been a personal one and I really enjoy the customer communication.
If you could design the wardrobe for any movie or TV show, which would it be?
The new HBO series ’Girls’ I LOVE it and I think you could have so much fun with the English chicks wardobe! I Mean Carrie obviously would have been a dream to dress but no-one could have rivalled Patricia Fields styling on that show!
Bambi and Manson have taken the Twitter sphere by storm. You are forever trending on Twitter! What’s you reaction to the fantastic Twitter response?
I am amazed, my friend Claire introduced me and at first it just drove me mad, then I became addicted and again it’s a great chance to speak to our customers, we’re not some huge company with no face- it’s always either myself or Manson talking and we would never want to have someone doing any of our social networking sites
Alongside your amazing customers, you have a good celebrity fan base. What is it that makes Bambi and Manson so appealing to those in the public eye? And has anyone got you starstruck?
Alexis Krauss, the lead singer of Sleigh Bells is possibly one of the coolest chicks around, when we first started taking about making her shorts I was in awe, now she’s like a friend and one of the most down to earth ppl I’ve met. Audrey kitching she’s been an icon of mine for years, so I guess I was maybe a little starstruck when she wore our shorts on a shoot! I think we were lucky, we started making BAMS at the right time, there’s lots of ppl out there now doing something similar… but they’ll never be BAMS haha.
Thank you for the opportunity to interview yourselves J
I cannot wait to be rocking my summer Bambi and Manson look!! Lots of Love: Sarah! x