The 5-minute Interview: Basso & Brooke, Designers
'I wish that people would take more notice of punctuation'
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Your support makes all the difference.The designers Bruno Basso and Christopher Brooke run the London fashion house Basso & Brooke, which was named 'Elle' magazine's new designer of the year in 2006. They will show their sixth ready-to-wear collection this autumn
If I weren't talking to you right now...
Chris: I'd be pattern cutting. It's the only thing I seem to do nowadays.
Bruno: In front of my computer or I'd probably be planting tulips.
A phrase I use too often...
Chris: "If you want something done, do it yourself." I'm a bit of a control freak.
Bruno: "You are what you believe you are."
I wish people would take more notice of...
Chris: Punctuation. For example, when someone writes "their" instead of "they're" and vice-versa. It's just one of those basics. Of course, I excuse it if they speak a different language, or in text messages.
[Bruno didn't answer this]
The most surprising thing that happened to me...
Chris: Eventually setting up our fashion label after talking about it for eight years. I expected to keep saying it without ever doing anything about it.
Bruno: Deciding to come and live in London.
A common misperception of me is...
Bruno: That I'm grumpy.
Chris: People often think I'm under the thumb.
I am not a politician but if I was...
Chris: I would fine people for spitting. And, even worse, when people blow snot out of their nose by blocking the other nostril. What is that about?
Bruno: I think I'd create harder penalties for bad customer service.
I'm good at...
Chris: My job. I'm also good at gardening, pattern cutting, decorating, DIY, cooking and cleaning so, if all else fails, I've got a good few things to fall back on.
Bruno: I'm good at Adobe Photoshop [digital photo manipulation software].
I'm very bad at...
Chris: Being told what to do. It's the bane of my mother's life.
Bruno: Taking planes at 7am.
The ideal night out is...
Chris: Remembering you had the best night of your life but not actually remembering anything.
Bruno: When you meet true friends and say silly things all night long.
In weak moments, I...
Chris: Buy absinthe.
Bruno: Buy Memphis vases.
You know us as designers but in another life, we'd have been...
Chris: A landscape gardener or a maths teacher.
Bruno: The conductor of an orchestra.
The best age to be is...
Chris: When you don't care what people think of you. When you're fearless.
Bruno: In your early 20s.
In a nutshell, my philosophy is...
Chris: Move on.
Bruno: For every action, there will be a reaction.
Alice-Azania Jarvis
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