Interviewed by REOME Founder Joanna Ellner
For this edition of SELF-PRACTICE, Joanna Ellner speaks with Vanissa Antonious, founder of London-based footwear and accessories brand NEOUS. Since its launch in 2017, NEOUS has become known for its distinctive blend of sensuality, architectural structure and ease: designs that feel both refined and instinctive.
In this conversation, Antonious reflects on her creative process, the discipline behind each collection, and the women who shape her collections.
Joanna: Where does a new collection begin for you - with an idea, a feeling, or something more practical?
Vanissa: Gosh, I mean, it begins around four months before we sell. So, development on footwear or handbags can take three or four months, essentially, from the initial sketch, first prototype, second prototype, third prototype, final samples. And we kind of have to have everything confirmed about a month or six weeks before we want the samples because they've got to order all the materials and then make everything.
It's a very long process. I feel like I'm always living in the future because you have to forecast a year ahead of what people will want at that time, which I think is the most fascinating part.
Joanna: How have you cultivated that sixth sense of what’s to come, is that an innate instinct?
Vanissa: Because of my experience as a fashion editor, I developed a real intuition for trends - not that we're a trend-based brand - but there are trends even within timeless aesthetics. I collect things every day, whether I'm in design mode or not. And when I am in design mode, everything I see in real life literally turns into a shoe or a handbag. It might be a piece of furniture in a hotel, an artwork, or an older lady on the train wearing a vintage piece. Sometimes it's the tiniest element of something that evolves into something much bigger. I also take inspiration from vintage ready-to-wear pieces - a fascinating drape on a dress, or a shoulder strap that we interpret onto a shoe. Design inspiration is literally everywhere.
Joanna: When you say you collect things, are you documenting them or storing them physically?
Vanissa: No, it's literally taking photos and filing references. We have a WhatsApp group - me, the footwear designer and developer, and the handbag designer and developer - called design ideas only. Everything I see that inspires me goes into that chat so we don't forget it. You see so many things outside of design moments that you forget later. I found myself constantly scrolling through my photos trying to find references again, so the chat became our way of saving them.
Joanna: When you’re designing, do you have a particular NEOUS woman in mind?
Vanissa: I'd say it's always the same woman, but she has different spirits. She's practical and invests in versatile pieces which she transforms through how she wears them and where she wears them. She gives them a strong identity in her own way. Some days she's more daring and some days more conservative. Sometimes she's tired of living in jeans and a sweater all week and she wants to dress up and have fun. I think she uses fashion as a form of expression and creativity, and I design to allow her to do that.
Joanna: I often feel like I’m creating skincare for the woman I want to be. Do you ever feel the NEOUS woman is an idealised version of yourself?
Vanissa: Yeah, I think there's an element of that. I'm naturally quite a lazy person in the sense that I really value comfort. I like to feel grounded in how I'm dressed and I never like to feel like I'm trying very hard. She is probably the non-lazy version of me - the idealised version. If I was putting energy into dressing for every moment she would be that person. But she doesn’t dress up every day either. Some days she’s very casual. I think it's very fluid who she is.
Joanna: You’ve lived across several continents and cultures. How has that shaped your perspective on style?
Vanissa: My parents are Egyptian, I was born and raised in Australia, and then I moved to London in my mid-twenties. In Australia, there's more of a culture of dressing up and going out - higher heels, evening attire. That comes with the weather because it's warmer and the nights are longer.
When I moved to London, I was actually shocked by how few people wear heels. It’s very urban. For the first few years working at Harper's Bazaar, I kept wearing heels to the office and persisted with it. Sometimes I'm still the only one in the pub wearing heels, but it makes me feel good, so I keep doing it. At the same time Australia has this beach culture where comfort comes first, and I think that influence is present in the collections too.
Joanna: Your personal and creative style carefully balances the masculine and feminine. Is that something you consciously wanted to explore?
Vanissa: I think it's innate. I've always been big on duality in the way I dress and in design. I like to create tension - that's what makes things interesting. Effortlessness is really key to me. I think elegance is not looking like you're trying too hard.
Joanna: How has your creative process evolved as the business has grown?
Vanissa: I had never designed before NEOUS, so I really questioned my ability to come up with distinctive designs. I used to shut everything off - emails, phone - and focus for days just conceptualising ideas. As the business grew, I got pulled into other areas like finance, management and recruitment, so you lose a lot of time you once had.
Now, I design on the go. Collecting references throughout the year means when design time comes you already have a pool of ideas. Then it's about editing them and turning them into something distinctive. I don’t sketch well, so most ideas are communicated through words, pictures and references. My footwear designer has worked with me almost since day one, so I can send a voice note explaining a shoe and she’ll sketch it and understand exactly what I mean. It’s very collaborative.
Joanna: Editing down ideas or even editing your own work can be really hard.
Vanissa: It’s the hardest thing in the world. There are always pieces you absolutely love that you know won’t sell. We used to call them the “Vanissa shoes”. There would always be one in each collection that I loved but we didn’t think would be commercially successful. My merchandiser used to say, “You only get one.”
Over time you learn to detach from the ego of the design a little bit and see the business side more clearly. As the business grows and you become responsible for more people - your team, factories - the commercial side naturally becomes of supreme importance.
Joanna: And, turning our attentions to what makes you feel good. What does your approach to skincare look like?
Vanissa: I'm very simple when it comes to skincare. My essentials are cleanser, moisturiser, and recently your REOME serum [Active Recovery Broth] and eye cream [Firming Eye Treatment]. I find very little that actually works, so I don't overcomplicate it. Then I find a good eyebrow gel is all I need and I'm off.
Joanna: You design for strong, self-possessed women. Women who I imagine don’t care a jot about ageing but just want to look well. Want to look like themselves. You mentioned something to me once about actually enjoying ageing?
Vanissa: I feel like I’ve aged quite a lot in the last few years - not in terms of wrinkles, but my face feels more mature. And I’ve actually enjoyed that. It’s helped me build more confidence. As you get older you grow much more internal confidence. When you're younger you feel like there's so much you want to accomplish and you're far away from it. As you get older you realise you’ve accomplished a lot and become proud of what you’ve built. That makes you value yourself in ways outside of looks.
