The Innovation of Twilm - T.he W.ay I L.ike M.ine

The Innovation of Twilm - T.he W.ay I L.ike M.ine 

Written by Nadavya

I am so excited to sit down with the incredibly talented Adrian, a brilliant and creative designer who brought us the brand we know as Twilm. Sharing his story of how he went from a lover of all things creative to designing multiple lines. Playing homage to his Jamaican roots, designing clothes inspired by the people who mean the most to him, let's dive in!

Tell our readers and me a bit more about yourself.

I'm just a regular guy from London; I've been in Bali for three years. I initially came here five years ago, but I moved here officially three years ago. I was just here enjoying myself and stumbled on making clothing by some form of chance.

So was this a passion that you had back in London growing up? Where did this passion for fashion come from? 

I love that “a passion for fashion”. It's such a rhyme. I've always been a very creative and artistic person; whether it was furniture making, interior design, architecture, cars, pictures, painting, you name it, I've done it. I actually used to make sculptures in London; I used to be a second-hand store shopper, which we call charity shops in the UK. I might stumble into a cheap shop like Primark if I ever went out.

I used to buy something and then customise and change it. A friend saw some of my artwork. He was like, "Yo, you should put this design onto clothes' '. And that's how I stumbled on making clothing with the customisations combined. Then we started our little brand in London for a while. It wasn't very successful. My brother is a footballer, he started a clothing line, but being a footballer, I think it's crucial that he concentrated on football, so he asked me to take over his clothing line. I dabbled in that as well. But again, we didn't complete it. We just started with the idea but never made anything of it.

But when I first came to Bali, I didn't come with any clothes, so when I came back to Bali, I arrived with two suitcases full of clothes. So long story, I was kind of like the outfit guy, every time I went out, I wore a different cool outfit. Then once I ran out wearing all my outfits, I decided to make my own.

So how did you go about making your own clothing?

I'd see what styles I liked and then convert them into my own thing. Wherever I added a pocket or some zips, I just added something different. Do you know what I mean? That came from me customising my own clothes. Then a couple of people would see me out and say, "Oh, where'd you get that from"? When I told them I made them myself, they would ask if i could make one for them. So that's how I fell into making clothes for others.

So you were a trendsetter that turned into a designer?

I wouldn't want to call myself a trendsetter haha!

I'd call you a trendsetter because you are. That's such a cool little journey, from creating your own things to designing for others. Tell us more about London.

I lived all over London; I lived in Croydon till I was like 29, and I moved to Waterloo and travelled all around London from Waterloo to Kings Cross, Russell Square, Stoke Newington, and Hackney. I settled there for a bit; I lived in a warehouse, and it was a bit of a wild time of parties. During my time there, I saw so much passion and creative self-expression from people dressing up in fashion styles ranging from the 50s and 60s getups to really out there colourful stuff, honestly, everything you could imagine; I saw it, I looked at my jazz musicians, and singer friends, they were really into fashion. So I guess my fashion inspiration was me slightly mimicking things i saw that i liked. I don't try to do anything too crazy because I've dabbled in doing that, and it doesn't work out. So I showed some expression, but I tried to keep an everyday look.

Your designs are definitely snappy and dapper and so gorgeous. So how did you come up with your design concept?

My concept started as "the way I like mine", but really, it's the way you like yours", that's why I always say "I kind of make clothes". I'm always making stuff that I would wear myself. I would always look at something, and if I wouldn't wear it, it's a big no, no. I try and focus on how my clients feel about what they are wearing? I base it on past reviews because I've had so many things like shows, events and stuff, so my clothes are constantly changing. That's why I like the line "the way I like mine" I don't want to be pigeonholed into 1 type of fashion; if you like it and i like it, I'll make it. But we could change tomorrow. We could always change our brand. Like you can change your own style. 

If I look at what I was wearing, like five years ago, i feel embarrassed thinking back to it; I'm like," oh my god, I can't believe I wore that", so in short, I'm constantly changing based on my surroundings. 

So much of the time in Bali we get things that fall apart when we sweat or wash them a few times. How do you avoid that?

I'll own up and say that we've made some products where we didn't realise the low quality. We thought, oh, this is excellent quality. Then we found it cheap after washing it ten times in hard Bali water. Some clients come back talking about wear and tear on what they bought. We know now never to use that fabric again. We won't sacrifice quality at any cost. We had to adapt to our surroundings. It's one thing to wash clothes in London and another thing washing here in bali; nothing survives.

How have you navigated production here in Bali?

I'll be honest, many things go wrong, and you have to do things three or four times over. But people here are super creative because they can create anything you show them photos of, for example, a chair from a magazine, and they will make that chair. So when I want these trousers, the production might not be done perfectly on the first try, but if you know how to give the right directions and feedback, you'll get what you want and, in the process, find someone perfect for future jobs. 

I have a group of three or four different tailors that I will only use. I'm always up for checking out new talent recommended to me. So what I've done is found specific tailors for specific projects and stick to handing them those things. So everything comes out exactly the way I want it. 

I have a very high standard for my clothing; I can't have wonky lines. We can't have it like Canggu waves. It always needs to be perfect. Otherwise, I can't work with you. It's not that I don't like you. But it's just quality. Even with that level of work, it's so frustrating that you do all of that work and still don't make a lot of sales. 

With your brand's growth in Asia, will you still be putting a heavy push on sales in Europe? 

We're happy to keep our European vibe. But start designing with Bali, Indonesia, in mind because you can still do those designs with better fabrics that are more relevant for the heat here. Before, we were not very conscious of the materials we were using and creating because we liked them. We've converted it to the way customers like theirs and being in contact with many customers on a first-hand basis, like meeting people who tell us their views. It's hard to hear negative feedback, but it's been so helpful in our success and growth.

Our Best selling item was quite thick. But people in Indonesia seem to like it a lot. We were like, that's quite strange, whatever. It's working.

High fashion, elegant but for everyday wear; when are you projected to release your new line?

We're projecting it for July. We have already started making pieces now, but we're gonna showcase most in August; but by the middle of July, everything should be completed. As I said, I'm kind of new to this game. So the way we promoted things in the past was all over the shop. To be fair, it's ad hoc and like off the cuff and my creative mind e all over the place. But this time around, we're more organised with it. 

I'd love to hear a bit of advice for our readers and any starting out designers that could really help them push their designs forward from a passion to a career.

I would say making your brand first and foremost, understanding the root of your brand. What is your brand? Who are you? For example, when we created our brand, we didn't know it. So I started creating the clothes with myself in mind. Then people started asking about the clothing. So I was like, right, what am I calling the clothes? I'm going to call it Adrian. Adrian Bell, Adrian Something after myself. Then I came up with "the way I like mine". It was just genuinely authentic and explained the idea behind the designs. I find it quite cheesy. Because who cares? But i went with it, and it worked. 

So my advice is to ask yourself, what is your brand, and where does it originate? You need your story. As frustrating as it might seem. I'm from Jamaica; my family's from Jamaica. My granddad has since passed, but he wore many of the designs. All my clothes are named after my family members and people close to me that inspired my work. Like my arrow trousers, they're the best selling trousers we have. We constantly have people ordering them. They are named after my grandad. 

I guess now we have to wait to see this amazing new collection. Follow @twilmcollection on Instagram to be one of the first people to get a sneak peek at the amazing new line.