Angie Adams – From punk rocking to frock smocking

Founder of Question Everything, qualified homeopath, former all-girl rock band drummer, and mother of three: Angie Adams knows a thing or two about getting stuff done. And when she wanted to source children’s clothes that were ethically made, comfortable to wear, practical to maintain, and beautiful to look at, she knew just what to do. Angie launched the award-winning Question Everything brand in 2012 to supply a range of unique hand-smocked clothes to children as discerning as she is.

From fashion to touring with Iggy Pop

Born in Manila, Angie came to the UK aged 11. After finishing school, she studied art and design at the London College of Fashion. Drawn to the energy of the music industry and Soho’s jazz and blues scene, Angie formed all-girl punk band Fluffy with her college classmate Amanda Rootes. Signed to Virgin Records, Fluffy’s debut album was released in 1996. They toured with Iggy Pop and the Foo Fighters, and opened for the Sex Pistols’ reunion tour in Japan. Regularly featured in Melody Maker, Kerrang! and NME, Fluffy helped define an important era in music. In 1998, Angie left the music business, returned to college, and became a qualified homeopath.

Back to fashion

Angie’s love of fashion soon drew her back to the world of design. As a teenager, she’d admired the styling of Madonna. Unable to find these clothes in London or Manila, which she frequently visited, she began to design her own clothes. Angie would find fabrics from local markets in London and take them with her to the Philippines, where local tailors would make up the garments to her designs.

Turing passion into business

Once she had children, Angie did the same with their clothes, choosing fabrics and having the items made up in Manila. Returning to England, friends and fellow parents encouraged her to turn this passion into a business. And this was the foundation of Question Everything. With the help of her family, she commissioned a well-known factory in Manila to make up the first collection, which appeared in boutiques across London. Find out about our ethical manufacturing processes.

Dress with attitude

Angie’s love of vintage clothes, classic cuts and quirky ensembles is the inspiration behind QE’s avant-garde designs. Smocking features heavily, and the quality of this hand-made element of each garment delivers a pairing of classic British dress-making with contemporary flair. In Angie’s words “the smocking is classic, but not twee. Interpret it how you want: dress up, dress down, dress differently – and most importantly, dress with attitude.”