How Fashion Designer Elle B. Mambetov Turned Tragedy Into Success (Exclusive) Celeb Secrets
In 2011, the talented designer Elle B. Mambetov made her mark in the fashion industry in London, where she debuted her very own womenswear label, Elle B. Zhou, during London Fashion Week.
Her brand quickly became a must-see brand and generated so much positive traffic that at age 26, she became a successful London Fashion Week designer securing huge sponsorships from Evian and from Toni and Guy.
However, while her clothing brand, Elle B. Zhou flourished in England, she was facing an internal battle where the launch of her fashion empire derailed for two years.
All her hard work crumbled as she was betrayed by her friend who not only used her name to create fake documents, but took money under false business pretense. It led to Mambetov being arrested and forced to spend two years in a UK maximum security prison for a crime she was falsely accused of.
Writing about her experience in her book, A6347DW: American Captive, Mambetov tells us exclusively, “I wrote it as a farewell letter to the world, which was completed and covertly sent out from within the prison while I was still inside.”
Gratefully freed by the U.S. government and turning her tragedy into triumph, Mambetov was able to re-build her fashion empire moving to Los Angeles to relaunch Elle B. Zhou.
Fashion has always Mambetov’s security, and her dedication and hard work has led her to overcome her challenges showing just how unstoppable she is!
Her latest womenswear collection is titled, “Let the Stars Be Our Guide” and shows a constellation map over Mecca. With the collection paying a tribute to Lebanon, it is connected to Project Hope and Slow Factory Foundation where people can donate to those who were hurt and affected by the destruction that occurred in Beirut, Lebanon.
After years of hard work and facing challenges, she has opened her own store in Beverly Center, Los Angeles where she showcases her incredible brand and designs!
Learn more about how Mambetov began her career in fashion and how she overcame challenges by reading our full Q&A with her below. Let us know which collection is your favorite by tweeting us @celebsecrets!
You can connect with the talented designer by following her on Instagram or visiting her website.
Celeb Secrets: Moving to London in 2011 to begin a career in fashion, what inspired that move and how did it help jumpstart your fashion career?
Elle B. Mambetov : “I’m not sure where this crazy plan of mine came from. I moved from the US to China to London and no one could quite understand what I was doing but I seemed so sure it was the right thing. I wanted to learn about manufacturing in China and needed a place that cultivated creativity for new designers and at that time that place was London. I was free there to develop my design aesthetic as I envisioned it.”
Celeb Secrets: What began your passion for womenswear and how did you start your womenswear label Elle B Zhou?
Elle B. Mambetov: “Being interested in fashion from a very young age I asked for my first sewing machine at 7 years old. Truth be told I had always been scared of womenswear. I remember being in London at Somerset House sitting in meetings and people urging me to do womenswear. I always replied that I didn’t have the brain for it. It seemed overwhelming and scary. I suppose just getting over that fear and taking the plunge is one of the best things I have ever done in my career.”
CS: What was it like seeing your collection at London Fashion week and did it help you network with other designers?
EBM: “There is an innate network within the London Fashion Scene anyways, regardless of London Fashion Week. There are so many creatives that inhabit the city, or at least there were during my time living there. So it was a very comfortable place to network and meet so many people writing for publications all around the world, or who were designers, etc. And of course, seeing my collections at London Fashion Week felt surreal. The experience of being back stage with hair and makeup and last minute adjustments to the garments, then sending each model out on stage; it’s shaped my ability to handle pressure, to move quickly, and to survive under deadlines. When you’ve invited the whole world to see your new designs, you better be ready. It’s not a party you can postpone because something went wrong. There is no option but to perform and hopefully succeed.”
CS: Being betrayed by your friend and falsely accused of a crime you did not commit, how were you able to recover from that and relaunch your fashion line? What were the responses like from other designers and buyers?
EBM: “I’ve not recovered yet if I’m honest. I have a hard time trusting people. My husband has of course been very supportive of this journey that I am on and it was at his urging that I go back into fashion.”
CS: You did a documentary with Apple called A6347DW: American Captive, what did you hope your viewers would take away from it and how did it feel to have a chance to tell your honest truth about what happened to you?
EBM: “I’ve not done a documentary with Apple about my book, although I suppose that could be quite an interesting project to bring to Apple TV. My book has been available on Apple Books and I wrote it as a farewell letter to the world, which was completed and covertly sent out from within the prison while I was still inside. I didn’t want to them to kill me without the world knowing what they did to me. It was such a dangerous place, I was housed with the most dangerous criminals in the UK. There were serial killers, people who had been convicted of chopping up bodies and scattering the parts around the city. Danger plus institutional corruption is a difficult thing to survive.”
CS: What made you decide to team up with European and Eastern brands at your boutique showcases and what was the response like from the public and for you in general? Were you able to dive into new projects or be inspired to start new collections?
EBM: “My connection with Middle Eastern brands comes from my religion. I am a Muslim convert so I am studying and reading the Quran in Arabic so I have infused Arabic writing into my design aesthetic. Because I began my career in Europe, there is an innate sense of European style in my own designs so the Elle B. Zhou boutique pulls from both influences. Because we are a Farfetch boutique as well, I have the opportunity to introduce new brands from around the world not only into the US market, but internationally though Farfetch.”
CS: Can you tell us a little about your new collection Let the Stars Be Our
Guide and how you were able to work with the Egyptian actress Huda El Mufti for it?
EBM: “Covid-19 really changed the accessibility of fashion. As designers we were forced to think outside of the box in regards to who we would present our collections to the world. I presented the Let the Stars Be Our Guide collection in efforts to raise money for charities benefitting those effected by the blast in Lebanon. We have a Lebanese brand in the boutique called Azzi & Osta who are responsible for some of the most amazing couture gowns seen on people like Beyonce. It’s always been very dear to me to fuse fashion and charity as there are so many ways to give back in our industry.”
CS: Making headlines on Forbes, Glamour UK, and Vouge Australia, did you have any moment where you felt like this was the moment you finally made it in the industry?
EBM: “Haha that’s probably a better question for my mom! I send her all my articles and I know she is very pleased and proud. I just keep my head down and keep going. I supposed in 30 so years from now I’d like to reflect to see what I’ve accomplished by that time. Then come back and ask me! I’ll be more prepared for the answer!”
CS: Not only do you work in fashion, but you are a FEED Ambassador working with Lauren Bush Lauren. What influenced you to be involved in this work and how do you hope others can give back to children all around the world?
EBM: “The organization FEED is such an amazing concept created by Lauren Bush Lauren. Her whole team is so lovely and it gives me an opportunity to again, fuse fashion and charity together. It’s easy to get wrapped up in our own lives and forget about the starving children suffering in other parts of the world. It’s a reminder that there are other lives in the world other than our own that need taking care of.”
CS: We here at Celeb Secrets want to know, what is your secret to becoming successful in the fashion industry?
EBM: “Amnesia, lol. With any dream, sometimes you just need to forget all of the failures and hardships to become successful. Just keep going.”
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