Meet Bobby Abley

Don't know Bobby Abley yet? Let us introduce you to one of the most fun, flamboyant fashion designers currently showing at London Fashion Week. With a rep for bringing iconic childhood cartoon characters into his mens- and womenswear, the 30 year-old designer injects personality into every collection.

Think back to your fave childhood cartoon character and he’s probably created a collection around it: The Wizard of Oz, Mickey Mouse, Pokemon, Looney Tunes and more. Get ready for some serious nostalgia as we grab a coffee with the designer to find out more about the man himself. "I’m a menswear designer usually, and I’ve been showing at London Fashion Week for seven years" Bobby explains. "London Fashion Week this year will be my 16th catwalk show. That’s usually my comfort zone, so this collab is me branching out a little."

Bobby’s journey to becoming a fashion designer wasn’t exactly planned: "I wouldn’t say I suddenly realized one day that I wanted to work in fashion." I realized I was good at something and I’m from a small town, so I saw it as a way out – to make the most of my skills. I didn’t focus on fashion. I knew how to make clothes somehow, but I was more of a painter/illustrator and I just fell into fashion."

But it wasn’t long before he was gaining traction in the fashion industry. After graduating from Ravensbourne College, Bobby moved to LA for a year to work with world renowned designer Jeremy Scott. It was after Bobby returned to London that his career really started to take off – almost accidently. "I actually never intended to have my own brand," Bobby revealed. "For a short time I was unemployed, and out of pure boredom and creative frustration I decided to design a collection and shoot a look book. This was before Instagram existed so I decided to share the images on Tumblr, and they started circulating."

Soon after, Bobby was invited to meet with Fashion East (a non-profit designer support and showcasing program in London) "and they offered to financially support my next collection. At the time I didn’t realize that meant I would be on the schedule at London Fashion Week and people would then want to buy the clothes! So it kind of just happened like that." Bobby began presenting his collections as part of Fashion East before moving to the British Fashion Council initiative NewGen, which provides showcasing support and promotion to emerging designers. He then set up his own label and started a standalone show in 2012. Bobby signed his first license deal with Disney in 2015, and from there other licensing companies came on board.

"When I did my first on-schedule show at Fashion Week, Instagram had just come out. So everything circulated really fast, and that’s when other licensing companies got wind of what I was doing. Every time I did an asset-based collection it created a lot of press coverage. Other companies saw the attention my collections were generating, and that’s when other contracts started coming my way. In fact I think I’m one of the first designers to hold contracts with every competing character brand, because I think I’ve worked with them all: from Nickelodeon and Warner Bros to Universal and more."

Bobby’s show is often on the last day of Fashion Week; it's considered a tonic for the jaded fashion press because his colorful characters light up the runway. Since Bobby has such a cheeky side, we wondered whether his upbeat show had always been intentional. "I never think of it like that," he admits. "I don’t purposely try to make things seem fun. If I’m not at work, I just sit at home and watch cartoons: the collections are just what comes out of my imagination. A lot of the time when I’m working with a license partner I imagine what my fantasy wardrobe with that theme or character would look like and what I’d like to wear – and then usually a lot of other people want to wear it as well!" he laughs. "So it’s quite lucky."

Now you know more about the man behind the brand, stay tuned: we'll reveal more about our fab collab with him. All will be revealed on February 19th!