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Traditional sayings like ‘fanny Ann’ allow women to reminisce of our childhoods, dressing up in our Mother’s clothes and having the teasing phrase bestowed upon us. After trying her hand at a number of roles, one British lady has combined her cherished memories of that nickname and her love of fashion together, to give us ‘Fanniann’, a post-war inspired label with a modern twist.

Jane Henderson is a designer who loves fashion from the 40s to the 60s. Growing up surrounded by stunning women and playing dress-up with her “stylish Nan” developed her love of fashion from an early age. This led her to create a small label in her early 20s, which she sold at house parties with the aim of opening her own shop.

After deciding to experiment with other interests, Jane put her fashion creativity to one side, and pursued her love of music by becoming a drummer in a band. Various other roles followed, but it was a trip to India in 1998 that re-inspired Jane to go back to her first love.

“I spent three months in India, and after seeing tailors come over from Bali to sell their beautifully crafted garments in Anjuna flea market, my early infatuation with fashion was rekindled. I was mesmerised by their creativity and love for their work so much, I just had to get back into the industry.”

Returning to England, Jane began studying Fashion Design back home in the West Midlands, and after dedicating herself to the course for six years she gained a distinction and student of the year award. Jane said, “The most important thing I learnt was commitment. Fashion is the first thing I’ve ever committed myself to 100% and I’m completely disciplined.”

In 2005, Jane felt it was the right time to step back in time, by creating her own forties inspired female couture fashion label. Her first collection for Autumn/Winter 2006 ‘Sweetest Debut’ has just come together, with an emphasis on versatile clothes to wear for work as well as socialising, with no need to change in-between!

The philosophy of Fanniann is that the “girly-ness” of every woman is brought out in a quirky way, without being outrageous. The focus is on creating a sensual, rather than sexy look that will appeal to the Independent lady seeking glamorous sophistication.

Jane said “Fanniann is designed for the woman who wants to combine a bit of glamour with womanliness, and of course we all want to be frivolous some of the time too! One element of Sweetest Debut is the work clothing, where I’ve aimed to bring out femininity and transform the boring corporate suit image of a professional woman. I am a big fan of BIBA, which shows in my designs and there is definitely no compromise on quality.”

From the age of six, Jane and her friend Michelle dressed each other up and dreamt of working together on their own fashion label. That dream has come true, as Michelle is now Jane’s ‘right hand woman’, but it hasn’t been a straightforward journey as Jane explains, “even when you’re scared you have to work through the pain barrier because you come out with new inspiration”

Looking forward to next year, the Spring/Summer collection for 2007 is well underway, with Fanniann having its own copyrighted fabric designs to maintain the exclusive characteristic of the British label.

ENDS
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