Designer Paula Thomas doesn't follow the crowd. While other labels are showing their autumn/winter collections at luxury hotels in central Paris, the founder and designer of hip Los Angeles label Thomas Wylde chooses to showcase hers in a small loft in an obscure corner of the city.
Most brands display their wares on glass tables and wooden shelves but Thomas has turned the space into a Thomas Wylde-themed area featuring furniture, rugs, a bathtub and a king-sized bed covered in 1,000-thread count linen in her signature skull print. After six seasons, Thomas is on her way to creating a global lifestyle empire.
'This is the first season of life- style for us and it's getting bigger and better,' says the British-born designer. 'I even had our own bed made but it weighed five tonnes and we couldn't get it in here. I had to re-route it back to LA.'
Thomas Wylde is fast becoming a latest must-have label with the right mix of feminine, luxurious and Gothic-inspired pieces. Although the name may not be familiar to those outside fashion circles, the designs have been spotted on celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan - who was photographed wearing a signature black-and-white skull scarf when she left rehab - and Sienna Miller, who Thomas says is her 'ideal woman'.
'Before we launched, I sent Sienna Miller a brown carrier bag and said whatever you wear, great,
if not don't worry,' says Thomas. 'Luckily for us, she wore everything and it took off. She's eclectic and has her own personal style, and that's very much what my collection is about. I like a woman to have a sense of reality about her.'