To celebrate our collaboration with utility and modern basics brand L.F. Markey, we caught up with the creative behind the East London label, Louise herself. Talking us through her design process, motherhood and what’s on her bookshelf, we took the chance to dive into the mind of the eponymous creative.

I start with colour, working in tandem with the fabrics – which there are often a huge amount of. I look at fine art and paintings, sourcing colour ideas to build up the palettes and from there, I work in the styles. My collections often focus on updates of previous pieces – I like to perfect patterns over several seasons, whilst adding new shapes.

Yes definitely. The collections are often inspired by workwear or street style, and then other elements are motivated by something completely unexpected that I’m into at that point in time, such as bespoke art.

I design for creative people. It doesn’t matter if they’re in a creative industry as a main vocation or if they’re just a creative person naturally, off-duty – I always have a creative person or a ‘maker’ in mind. The clothes have to make them feel good, as well as being practical and comfortable. This is essential with every design. Even if we’re creating occasionwear or eveningwear – which we are doing more of nowadays – pieces will always be non-restrictive.

Definitely. When I first started my label I was 27 and I’m now 39 – I’ve also had three children so my body has changed. I look for comfort more than ever and less at fashion and of-the-moment trends. I lean towards oversized silhouettes and I love boilersuits.

So much, but mostly, the children themselves. I’ve got three boys and the most recent is only three months old, so it’s quite a handful. They all have their own individual personalities already which I love.

At the moment – unexpectedly – I’ve been reading loads of sci-fi, which isn’t something I’ve dipped into before. My husband has an extensive collection and it’s been a great route of escapism. Most recently I’ve enjoyed Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

I am drawn to artists who command colour, so Helen Frankenthaler is a favourite and I love the photography of Charles Fréger. My bookshelf is full of art books – I’m always exploring something new.

I absolutely love the sense of community, which was something that was hard to find when I first moved here. Especially coming from Sydney, that is what I missed most. We now live in Stoke Newington, which has a similar feel and I love it.

Whistles are a brand I really admire and they don’t shy away from colour, which is what captivated me most. I’d also seen other collaborations which I thought worked well and spoke to me, such as Whistles x Cold Picnic. We fused easily and when kicking off the design process we started looking at L.F. Markey classics and reworking them for the Whistles woman, whilst keeping the same sensibility. We made a concise capsule colour palette, which mainly consists of spring-summer pastels.

The Orlando dress is my favourite – it’s so easy to wear and comes in two colours.

Get dressed in the morning – this may seem obvious but it’s so important. And get out for air as often as you can. Again, this is something simple but I think we should make the most of the summer months and take the necessary time to refresh ourselves outdoors.