I met Marios Schwab when we both taught on a fashion degree in a London University a few years ago. In my new role as fashion reporter for Mono. one of the first people I wanted to speak to was Marios Schwab; he designs clothes with an intelligence & subtlety that I admire.

Some of his early collections remind me why I had always wanted to do design clothes. With influences from body-conscious Azzedine Alaia & more sculptural Claude Montana, Marios seems to understand the ongoing dilemmas I face each day as a woman. To be feminine or to be tough? I try to be both depending of how I feel & who I want to be that day - or whom I am going to be working with.

I wanted to get an insight in to his process & to gather what drives him & feeds his imagination. I know he is a good-looking, funny man with a dry wit but he is also a serious designer with ambition. He works on his own label from his studio in Dalston, east London, he is also is head designer at Halston in New York. We manage to slot a telephone interview into his hectic schedule.

I am greeted with 'Hello Daahling' his accent reminds me a tiny bit of Zsa Zsa Gabor.

Flora McLean: Ballet & architecture were your other career options, do these professions influence you design process?
Marios Schwab: That's true, yes. My Mother was a topographist & my Dad an underwear engineer. I had a passion for proportion & the body I guess. I saw quite a lot of ballet when I was little. My mum used to play a lot of classical ballet music & I liked dancing on a Sunday with my best friends – a young boy's that never happened. For me at this time it was really playing with fabric, playing & experimenting on paper, my mum kept all the paintings & drawings, she still has the archive.

FM: Did the fact your Father was an engineer in a bra factory influence your chosen career?
MS: He was actually the manager of Triumph International. There was always lots of underwear lying around the house. I just like details, so many small pieces, so many details on them; this is what was interesting to me. I asked my parents if I could join a fashion college from a very young age. I left Greece at 15 & moved to Austria for next 4 years.

FM: Your designs have been noted for both femininity & toughness? Who are your favorite female icons?
MS: It's not a specific person when I talk about the clothes I design; it's a woman of confidence who displays her sexuality in a non-challenging way. She is a sensual woman; she plays within her own rules. I like a woman who has a character; she remains a subject of her own right. She decides rather than being overloaded by something that is the obvious choice? I like to create fashion about enhancing the character of a strong personality.

FM: Did you watch films as a child?
MS: I always loved the 1940s movies & obviously the 1990s.

FM: Did you have a favourite super model?
MS: I had a source book that I created when I was 13 with cuttings from English & French Vogue. I used to collect all the super models each one had 10 pages - I would make a collage of all of the photo shoots I liked. I made little previews for the first pages.

What I was really interested in was the intensity of the character & the emotions. The environment they were in was quite fascinating as at the time there were some amazing photographers creating very strong images. It wasn't just about the fashion it was the combination; it was the whole package, the attitude & how to represent this woman with her very strong personality. It was very different to now, as it was about women that were women, not girls.

Lots of different women I know become the heroine of the collections. Lately I am very attracted to the French/Greek actress, Ariane Labed. When I saw her in the trailer for 'Atenberg' I was really fascinated by the beauty & the character. It's great as later as her stylist approached me for a dress for the Oscars. She is probably the girl I like to have in mind when I design.

It's funny with a muse because I don't really look at a particular person before I design a collection. It's mostly fictional. I do like the fact the heroine has a clash of two personalities. Many women, they like a very particular product, they like something that has character within itself but they don't let it over load their personality. That is the important thing for me: you cover the body with fabric but reveal on the surface. I think that's what the Marios Schwab label is about. It is a game of hide and reveal, sectioning the body so that it becomes stronger - more like architecture in an anatomical way.

FM: You are head of Halston in New York but still work from London studio. Is moving your studio to New York ever an option?
MS: It's very hard for me to move to New York, as I like to be surrounded by my team. I would have to close my studio in London & not many people would be able to follow as they have family ties, husbands & children. The Marios Schwab label is very personal to me; it takes a good strong team to do all these things each season in this creative world.

FM: What was the transition to Halston like? Has this design work affected what you do on your own line?
MS: No not really, It's a learning curve in the beginning, you are quite nervous about how you are going switch between the two & how you are going to manage your time but I see myself as a creative who can dip in to many different styles. I am versatile so I can design fashion subjects & also some things that are more functional & less decorative. Of course its very very difficult but it's a matter of allocation of time.

FM: Many designers feel they have just started. Do you realize that you are living the dream or do you still feel you are on your way still?
MS: Well no. I think I fulfil my dream. I do what I want, I compromise & I create what I want to create. Of course I would like that the Marios (Schwab label) becomes more available, more noticeable. That's the aim, right?

M. How do you cope with the ongoing relentless pressure of the fashion cycle? What keeps you going when things get too hard? Where do you go to clear your head?
MS: Speaking to my family & boyfriend probably. The best way to relax is to do the things you normally do to stimulate yourself. I go to galleries & I love going to the cinema. I am obsessed with watching movies. Generally, I do like to involve my work in my free time - it is like something that's taking over my whole existence!

FM:I know your parents were surprised & reluctant about your career choice. Have they changed their minds since?
MS: They are vey proud, they follow what I do. They were surprised in the beginning; they worried if this would make me.

FM: Do you still have the creative freedom you had when you were starting your career? How do you maintain this?
MS: Of course you have certain limitations & certain time spans only allow you to do so much. Sometimes the accountant says you can't buy this fabric or don't touch that technique as this is going to create problems in production. You feel like you've been left out in the cold & it can be quite tricky. The team want to create what you want but also they do tell me to be careful…

M. What is your proudest achievement so far?
MS: Proudest achievement is having done what I've done so far! Being able to be one of the leading brands in the UK & to have achieved strong collections in a very short time & building up a supportive team who are very understanding.

M. Do you have a favorite fashion designer from now or the past that you follow or look at regularly?
MS: I do like to collaborate with other creative people from different backgrounds. I do like to talk to other people who don't necessarily have creativity but it is hidden within them, I gain from them as well as get their opinion.

FM: I have noticed some designers who work with cloth have flat ends to their fingers. Is that true of your hands?
MS: What I have in my fingers sounds a bit disgusting I have had this since I was little boy. I have a callus that sticks out like a little, how do you say, bolt? On the finger that I draw with, it's a sign of a person who is drawing a lot…

FM: Thank you Marios & good luck with your new collections. I will let you carry on with your work now.

MariosSchwab.com
Halston.com