Introducing Freak Of Nature - An Interview With Designer Vanessa Kortlang!

Monday 29 October 2012



Freak Of Nature is a hot new brand from Australia that has just dropped on ASOS. It was love at first sight, so we got in touch with the awesome designer Vanessa Kortlang for a chat to find out more about what is possibly our new fave label!



Firstly, congrats on being stocked on ASOS.com - amazing!

Thanks a lot girls…yeah it has all happened really fast. The brand is literally only 2 months old, I only launched it in August! I had an awesome opportunity to start in the UK rather than here in Australia and ASOS bought the brand first go! 

Tell us a bit about you and your brand Freak of Nature?

Well, I have a background in fashion working as a Designer for mainstream commercial brands, but for years have also been singing in rock bands and so have had a kind of schizophrenic lifestyle! My personal style is all about rock’n’ roll…..I collect vintage metal rock tees, and I love anything animal print, monster killer heels and a total overload of accessories, basically anything that is loud and gets you noticed! Rock’n’roll to me represents rebelliousness, fearlessness and individuality which I see a certain sort of wild glamour in. There are not that many labels out there for girls like me to wear….so the opportunity arose to create one! Basically, Freak of Nature is something I believe in, I wanted to create a brand that I would wear every piece myself. I wanted it to be edgy with a rock vibe, but easy, wearable and affordable and has attention to detail so it looks unique.




Where do you get your inspiration for the designs? They're awesome and super on trend, but still manage to be uniquely Freak of Nature!

Inspiration is seriously everywhere, I am pretty much thinking of fashion 24/7! But basically I just do what I love and have loved for years…I want to incorporate all my fave things into the brand. Apart from my own personal taste there are obvious sources of inspiration, I read fashion blogs and mags to see current trends and silhouettes and I am influenced by music from now and the past. Also fabric and trims can be inspirational and a really great starting point for a style.




Describe the Freak of Nature girl for us, and which celebs would you love to see wear the brand?

I’d like to think the Freak of Nature girl can be anyone really, I don’t want to alienate people. But in my mind I guess she is a bit of a mirror of myself. She is edgy, fierce, confident, individual, glam and stands out in a crowd.I would love to see Jessie J, Rita Ora, Iggy Azalea and well of course Rihanna wearing Freak of Nature. I love how the these girls play with fashion and are not afraid to experiment, they mix up styles blending hip hop, rock, 80’s, high end designer and high street and look amaaaze!

What is your fave piece from the collection and why? We LOVE the Shout At The Devil jumper!

Well my fave piece in the collection was not bought by ASOS it’s a Jacket called Love and War, boutiques bought it though, it’s a great shape and has studded leather shoulder pads and looks pretty dangerous! I’m glad you like the “Shout at the Devil” jumper I love it too…it was totally inspired by my Motley Crue tee! I love punk fashion and drool over the stuff Westwood did in the 70’s so the style of laddered knitting came from that era.




What's next for Freak of Nature? Do you see accessories in the line?

I have just finished my 2nd collection for opening Summer 13, so I hope it is received well. The brand is just so new it is hard to say what’s next, I suppose I just want to get a really loyal following of girls who are waiting to see what is next coz they have to have more!! If I was at some point to do an accessories line it would most definitely be OTT rings, I can’t get enough…. it’s one of my own signature things to wear huge knuckle dusters, so I would create my dream ring collection!


Seriously, how cool is this girl? What an amazing success story! T & I have long dreamed of just going for it and setting up our own label and Vanessa is now our inspiration for sure!

Keep an eye on the Freak Of Nature Facebook page for updates on new stockists with the rock girl musings of Vanessa, and the other eye on the Freak Of Nature at ASOS, it totally excites us!

Huge thanks to Vanessa for taking the time to indulge a couple of fangirls, good luck with Summer 13!

J & T - The Freaks Come Out.

10 comments:

  1. Wow I am really loving the first picture!

    Huge hugs Gittemary.com
    Facebook.com/ThePictureOfMary
    Youtube.com/Gittemary

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    1. That's the Love & War jacket Ness mentions, it's AMAZE!

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  2. Wow, so many amazing clothes! o_o Hooray for ASOS! xo

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  3. I saw some of this on my daily ASOS browsing last week, and was curious! I loooove that pinky/reddy furry jacket, totes 90s Gwen.
    X

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    1. Isn't it?! We're obsessing over the dresses, love the styling on these pics too.

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  4. AWESEOME!!! another talented AUSSIE ... you go girl!!!!

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Hey there, thanks for taking the time to follow and comment! Pop your thoughts here and we will come take a peek at your blog/profile too. :) T and J xo