Words with...Nina Bon Bina

I fell in love with Nina Bon Bina's delicately embellished, floaty and feminine pieces at Clothes Show London, so caught up with the lady behind the label, Nina Patel, to find out about her gorgeous new collection, design principles and fashion inspirations.

Tell us about your design background:

I studied fashion design at Manchester Met Uni and then was lucky enough to go on to do an internship at Maria Cornejo in New York.

Although our design aesthetics are very different, I learnt a lot through her. Her dresses are often made from one crazy looking pattern piece that’s folded and sewn together with maybe one or two seams that result in beautiful garments.


I definitely learnt that good design doesn’t have to be complicated.

When I came back to the U.K, I fell into designing for the high-street supplier side of the industry, designing for many of the giants, from M&S to Oasis. It was always my goal to set up my own label. My parents are self- employed and always encouraged me to go in that direction. About a year ago I felt it was time to make it happen.

Who are Nina Bon Bina pieces designed for?

My pieces are designed for women that want to look good, are aware of trends and are after key pieces. My collections are full of strong flattering separates and dresses that create instant looks without the fuss of having to layer many pieces or style with lots of accessories to make it work.

Where would you wear a Nina Bon Bina item?

My pieces are versatile, for example my ‘bows a plenty’ blouse for S/S 10 can be worn at the office with a pencil skirt and can look just as good worn with harems or shorts in the day or evening. Dresses like ‘Leila’ and ‘Touch of Paisley’ have been bought for special occasions, for example to wear at Ascot or at a wedding.

The shapes of your collections are simple and classic, yet the embellishments are very intricate. Do you work with the philosophy that beauty is in the detail?

Yes, I do. I think that the beauty in the detail is achieved through intricate embellishments but can equally be achieved through using lovely fabrics, ensuring garments are cut to flatter the body and by making sure all finishings are of a high quality.

All the embellishments are done by hand. How long does this take per item?

It depends on the style. My gypsy-luxe dress for A/W takes 3-4 hours to hand embroider.

How many of each design are made?

The quantities differ per style but I’d say approximately 25-30 pieces per style. I am looking for more stockists and of course would like to increase the number in order to sustain a business, but I will never be producing thousands of pieces per style. I want people to know that they are buying into a small brand and that they’re getting something special.

Which designers do you admire?

For the gorgeously girly collections I admire Lela Rose, Erin Fetherston and Matthew Williamson. I also like a lot of French and Australian brands like Maje and Willow.

What details have you taken from your S/S collection into your new season styles and what's new?

The S/S collection was very floaty and dreamy; I had gorgeous silks and chiffons in smock shapes in pretty pastel colours. For A/W, the feminine handwriting remains but in-keeping with A/W trends, the colour palette is richer, silhouettes have become more fitted and the brass embellishment and zip details give a slightly harder edge to the pieces.

What influences are you drawing on for your autumn/winter Look Book?

The lovely Laetitia, aka Mademoiselle Robot, will be styling the collection and we’re going to keep the look very clean and fresh with simple styling. I love the Kirsten Dunst issue of Lula so we may draw a few influences from that.

Which is your favourite piece in the new collection?

The cobalt sequin dress is my favourite. I love the colour, it’s incredibly flattering to wear and can be worn year after year.

Where can we buy Nina Bon Bina pieces?

At the moment my full collection is only available to buy through www.ninabonbina.co.uk. I also sell through two boutiques in Essex, one in Surrey and one in Lincoln but I’d encourage customers to contact me regarding specific pieces to check if the boutique stocks the styles they’re interested in, as none of the boutiques stock the full collection.

Prices start at £65. The Nina Bon Bina S/S collection will be going into sale 31 July, with selected styles discounted by 20-45 per cent.