An Interview with Penny Armstong, Designer at Native Youth

Self proclaimed no-nonsense British brand Native Youth are bringing their A-game for Spring/Summer 15. Signature details and no-fuss pieces come together to create a collection built for the British summer.

We caught up with one of the designers behind the brand Penny Armstrong, to find out more about her design inspiration, travelling the world and the key pieces within the Native Youth collection.

Native Youth’s main inspirations have always predominantly from myself and the team’s travels. Whether that be for work or pleasure, we put a lot of emphasis into the initial research process and also source all of our own fabrics for every collection.

And although, global travel is a huge part of the design process, we all combine this with our trademark ethos of producing No-nonsense British Fashion

The design process starts off with lots of mood bards and general ideas which get refined after fabric sourcing and inspiration trips. There’s two of us in the design department which means that we get to work really closely across product. There's always lots of late nights involved at the start of the season, but the finished collections always make it worth it.

I always really love our fabrications on jersey, but this season, I think the swims collection really stole the show. The prints all look amazing.

Native Youth offers a stand-out collection which meets the demands of the style conscious male, a guy that’s trend savvy but wants a little more from what’s on offer on the high street.

On our playlist right now is:

Ibeyi: River

Akshin Alizadeh: Pebbles on My Road

A Tribe Called Quest: 1nce Again

Jamiroquai: Love Foolosophy

Yes! When I was little, me and my brothers were always encouraged to draw. I used to make my own clothing catalogues and then try and sell my mum the clothes. Fashion is something that I’ve always been interested in, so it’s amazing that it’s now my job.

I studied fashion at Manchester School of Art and started applying for jobs in the area. I was so lucky to get a job straight after Uni and now I love working for Native Youth. I’ve been here from the start with the brand and its been great to see it evolve.

I’d probably describe my personal style as lazy, eclectic and erratic. Sometimes I dress totally different from day to day. I think its important not to take yourself too seriously especially in the fashion industry. I just wear clothes that suit my mood that day.

My favourite place in the world has to be New York City. Every time I visit,  I fall more and more in love with the people and the amazing museums, restaurants and bars. Paris is a close second… although I also fell in love with Cuba ….  I think maybe, everywhere I’ve ever been is my favourite in some way or other.

Thanks to Penny for taking the time to chat to us, make sure to check out the new Native Youth collection now available at The Hut.