Newly-appointed president of the ADC, creative force behind almost all of their costumes and one of Varsity’s Top 100, Bethan Bide is a name you are likely to hear a lot in the near future. John Lattimore and Luciana Bellini met with the designer for a chat over coffee and cake.

So Bethan, when did you first realise you were interested in fashion and, more importantly, designing?

Well, until I was 15 I hadn’t really thought about it. I was really sick of all my friends’ clothes – you know, baggy trousers, hoodies etc. All I wanted to do was make fairy costumes. Ha, that sounds so silly! The real turning point came when I read Vivienne Westwood’s auto-biography. It was incredible, all about finding your own look; taking a pair of scissors to any item of clothing and making it something unique. It made so much sense to me to make my own clothes.

Would you say Vivienne Westwood is your biggest inspiration, then?

Oh definitely. And Alexander McQueen. They’re both such masterful tailors. Their designs are like sculptures, yet still totally wearable. I think that’s really important. It’s easy to create clothes that look great on a hanger, but to make clothes that fit, clothes that really enhance and flatter is much more challenging… Everything that I make, I make for myself – the emphasis is always on shape and cut. Even the clothes I make for other people, I make mock-ups in my size first, try them on and then alter accordingly. It’s time consuming but I think the results just look so much better.


While we’re on the subject, how do you go about making clothes from scratch? Does it take ages?

Actually no, not really. Obviously it depends on the item of clothing and how much time I have – when I realised I had nothing to wear for John’s Ball, I made a full length gown in four hours! I get loads of inspiration from things I see everyday – colours, patterns, designs etc. I’ll just go home, sketch ideas and then, after figuring out how to construct them, sit at the sewing-machine for however long it takes.

How did you learn the ins-and-outs of tailoring?

Um, I took an evening course in tailoring in London – personally I think something like that is essential for any aspiring designer. Also, try branching out. Maybe an embroidering class? It’s really good to have a skill that could give your designs an extra edge.

Right, so what other advice would you have for any budding young designers?

Getting into costume design is a really good start. It’s a great place to learn how to be creative, there’s a relatively large budget and you can be quite free with your designs. People at Cambridge tend to be open-minded and accommodating so it’s a really comfortable and supportive environment.


Ok, so tell us what happens outside Cambridge. Do you want to continue working in costume design when you leave?

Not really. I enjoy it a lot in Cambridge but outside I’ve already set up my own business in London where I design small bi-annual collections for boutiques in Madrid, Barcelona and Spitalfields. They’ve already sold out completely, which I’m thrilled about. Ultimately I’d love to take a masters degree in fashion and then set up my own boutique somewhere - but obviously that’s still quite a long way off!

Bethan is not only radiant in one of her own designs, but also fun and easy to talk to. We had a great time snooping through her wardrobe, drooling over her hundreds of dresses and skirts (she owns not a single pair of trousers – “I never wear things that don’t suit me”) and trying to slip as many pairs of shoes (she has over 70) as possible into Luciana’s handbag - we were not successful.

Photographs by Marianna Xenophanto

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