Designer Thomas Wylde

By: Svetla Petkova | April 01, 2009 | Design

      It was a beautiful winter day in Los Angeles as I drove toward downtown where I was to interview one of my favorite designers, Paula Thomas, creator of Thomas Wylde. I was excited to meet her because as both a designer and entrepreneur, her ambition, and the quality of her designs and the tremendous amount of success she has achieved in such a short time has been an inspiration to many in her field. 

When I arrived, I was led through a large room filled with numerous racks of clothes and a huge table with the display of this season’s newest Thomas Wylde accessories. Obviously, I couldn’t help but look at what the British-born Thomas would later describe as her newest winter collection. Wylde makes everything from boots to bags and scarves to kaftans — and every piece in that room was beautifully made with the quality her designs demand. She is a true perfectionist. From her choice of fabrics and leathers to the actual stitching, it is clear that every detail is important to her.

After many years of working as a model, stylist and an assistant designer, Thomas has developed her own unique style and extensive knowledge about how to build and brand a successful collection. And it gave her the tools to become a savvy and determined businesswoman who has established herself and her brand as a strong force in the fashion industry. Celebrities including Sienna Miller, Heidi Klum, Courtney Cox and many others have been tremendously loyal and continue to be staunch supporters of her designs. Her line is sold exclusively at Maxfield L.A. and also coming soon to Maxfield Malibu.

After I finally make my way into Wylde’s office, I see that she’s dressed in black, very tall, elegant and almost intimidating. To the left of her desk, there are shelves filled with thick coffee-table books, and to the right, a wall covered with sketches, cutouts of fabrics and exotic leathers — almost certainly snippets of next season’s designs. Over the course of the next few hours, I had a chance to find out how this fearless woman managed to successfully transition from the world of modeling to become one of the most promising of today’s fashion designers, and dug deep to discover the lessons she learned during her battle with breast cancer.

Tell me a little bit about where you came from and how this all began.
I was born in England in 1966, in Birmingham, which is way north of London. I actually left my hometown when I was 17 years old and moved to London. I was kind of like this small-town girl that leaves her comfort zone and heads off to the big city in search of God knows what. When I arrived in London, I was lucky enough to get a part in a Bond film, A View to a Kill, with Grace Jones and Roger Moore, and I became one of the “Bond girls.” But that’s nothing to shout about because there were quite a few of us. It was good because it basically got me out of that small-town mentality, and since then I have never looked back. I continued on with my modeling career for about 16 years, and that was the foundation for what I have achieved today. Working with John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Katharine Hamnett and many of the other cream-of-the-crop fashion designers is where I developed my own sense of style. But I think that I have always possessed that European sensibility
about fashion.

And the idea for Thomas Wylde was born in Los Angeles?
Yes. I have kind of created this world where the European flavor and the California-lifestyle appeal live together, but with an edgy rock-’n’-roll vibe. I combine these elements with a level of sophistication, while always asking the question: What does a woman really want to look like and what does she really want to wear?

I wanted to create something that has attitude about it but also something that is very chic, very beautiful, very eye-catching, very different and very unique — and I felt that the market was lacking that. It was very difficult to start a brand that would be around for 30 years, but I did it anyway because I believed in my idea. I actually lived with one print for about three years before I did anything with it. If I did not tire of the piece after looking at it every day, there is longevity in that. It becomes timeless and classic.

How did you come up with the name “Thomas Wylde?”
Thomas is my father’s side of the family and Wylde is my grandmother’s side. The two families did not really see eye to eye, so I liked the idea that at this point in time I can shove them together and they have to deal with it. I also like the name because it has a little bit of mystery to it — most people make the mistake thinking I am a guy. You would be surprised how many people say, “Oh God! He is such a great guy! I have known him for years!”

Is there a symbol that branded Thomas Wylde?
It was the laughing skull. So we created the uniform-printed skull row that branded Thomas Wylde World. We put it on my bags and the rest of the accessories. The real story behind Thomas Wylde was when I first began, I made a 40-piece collection that I showed to no one except for Sarah Stewart at Maxfield and asked her for some advice about selling the collection. She sat with me for about five hours, and we talked about life experiences and about the collection overall. By the end of it, she said, “You know what? I want to buy the collection.” She was my first buyer and then became sort of the town crier for the brand. With her help, I showed
the line in New York and before we knew it, had secured about 20 of the best boutiques in the world.

You have succeeded in creating a high-end fashion brand out of Los Angeles — not an easy task.
I kind of disagree with that New York mentality that no brands can come out of this city. That’s so wrong because Thomas Wylde is going to be around for many years, and it has the potential to be everything that Burberry and Chanel are. I really try hard to create everything in-house from the hardware, the handbags to the boots and the prints. So every single season we create a completely different concept but still have a common thread. I still have my classics but with a fresh and modern feel.

Tell me about your lifestyle division. Was that a natural progression for you?
Yes it was. I really wanted to expand into every aspect of the design world. The lifestyle division is about architecture and home furnishings. The pieces that I create are all custom. Not a lot of people have actually seen the homeware. I have a real passion and a real love for it because I think it’s boundless. There are so many things you can actually physically do with it.

What is been the biggest hurdle with the brand?
When people start out on a business venture, especially in my industry, they create relationships where they may not have done the groundwork from a legal standpoint. That is why a lot of these companies come and go so quickly. What happens is that all the energy gets taken away from the brand and consumed by legal problems and unhealthy partnerships. So I fought really hard to keep my name, and now I own it myself completely. It’s been a tough three years. We have managed to enjoy sales growth in every season even in this very tough climate. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that we are not over-distributed. We have not oversaturated the marketplace, and that is one of the reasons why we are growing at this rate; we are controlling how it’s placed in the market. 

In which part of the world does Thomas Wylde see the most success?
Japan, because the yen is very strong right now and my collection is doing incredibly well there. Japan’s market has been increasing 10 to 15 percent to 20 percent over a period of the last three years. Europe is constant; it always does really well. England is suffering tremendously at the moment because the pound is 1.3 to the dollar. Since I have been on this planet for 42 years, it has never been 1.3 to the dollar. In the Middle East we also do very well because there is just so much money there. It is funny because a lot of Middle Eastern women, due to religious purposes, have to be semiconscious about the way they dress. But trust me, underneath their robes, they’ve got it going on.

Do you ever see yourself moving back to Europe?
No. L.A. is my home. I don’t see myself ever going back to Europe to live. I like my quality of life here. I have everything I need.

You were recently diagnosed with breast cancer. I wanted to ask you about that, but didn’t know if you would be comfortable with it.
Yes, you can totally mention that because it’s a really positive note. It’s currently gone. They cut out the cancer. I was diagnosed in September, and it was at Stage I. It was in my right breast. I actually found the lump myself, and didn’t really do anything about it immediately. Then two weeks later, it was still there. So I went in to get it checked and they said, “Yes, there is a mass there; we have to do a sonogram.” After the sonogram was done, they had to do a biopsy to find out if it was cancerous or not, but I was leaving for Paris the next day to sell the collection. There was no choice. So, I went and sold the collection for three and a half weeks not knowing if I had cancer or not. When I came home, I went straight to get the biopsy, and within two days they called and told me I had cancer.

Throughout the process, I learned so much about what it means to have cancer. I actually just shot a documentary on the four stages of my experience with cancer. The first one was the lumpectomy to remove the cancer. The great thing about my personal experience was that because I found it early I was given the option to do a lumpectomy and was able to keep my breasts. The team of doctors at City of Hope
is amazing.

      That has got to be as close to God as you are ever going to get. When you are diagnosed with something like that, you look at the world very differently. For me it was actually a blessing in disguise as it made me even more thankful for everything that I have and everything that I do because all of a sudden you realize how quickly it can be taken away from you.

You start appreciating the little things.
The smallest. You really do stop to smell the roses. It made me want to go and help to build schools in Africa, put down irrigation systems, go and do something phenomenal for Thomas Wylde because I could. [I feel] more alive [now] than before I was diagnosed with cancer, ironically enough.

Whom do you admire?
I admire people who really make a change in the world and really go out of their way to support that change and get behind it — like the Al Gores of the world who you know campaigned against consumerism because that is mainly what is destroying this planet. Even though I am a part of that, I think that anyone who thinks outside the box and makes the impossible possible is capable of making a difference.

What advice do you have for young designers attempting to make a name for themselves?
The fact is that people are going to tell you “don’t do it” or “it’s too difficult.” I don’t think you should be told that by anybody. Don’t listen to it. I think that if you are a designer and you create things, you should also go to business school. As much as it may go against the grain of what you do and who you are, you should go learn the business side of it because it all starts there.

What is next for Paula Thomas?
My real dream is, let’s say in 10 years or even less, to have my own hotel. It will be a 40-room boutique-style hotel that is very kind of rock ’n’ roll in the respect of the 24-hours situation. [You can get] whatever you need whenever — regardless of what it is. It will be very high end and luxurious with a modern feel to it. Another thing I am looking into doing now with a friend who owns a vineyard is creating a Thomas Wylde wine. 

 

 

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