Sandra‘s Closet

„To me, photography is an art of observation…
It is about finding something interesting in an ordinary place.“
-Elliott Erwitt

Recently I was invited by the Swiss private bank Clariden Leu to attend a very special soirée to celebrate the one year renovation of their headquarter on Bahnhofstrasse 32 in Zurich with the amazing exhibition „A World of Pictures“ by Elliott Erwitt. The photography legend had been flown in especially for the evening and it was a real honour to meet him.

Clariden Leu’s ‘Leuenhof’ was built in Neo-Gothic style between 1914 and 1915 and its impressive art gallery is the ideal venue for art exhibitions.

Olivier Jaquet, CEO Clariden Leu, gave an introductory speech and Birgit Filzmaier, owner of the gallery “19th & 20th Century Fine Art Photography” (the place to go if you are interested in Elliott Erwitts’s work) the laudation.

Elliott Erwitt with Mike Baur, Clariden Leu’s new Head Private Banking Switzerland

“Elliott Erwitt’s Best Picture? The Next One.”

Elliott Erwitt was born in France of Russian émigré parents in 1928. His formative years were spent in Italy. At the age of 10 he moved with his family to France afterward immigrating to the United States in 1939.

 

Grace Kelly, New York City 1955.

„It was pure luck. Luck is essential in photography.”

-Elliott Erwitt

Distinguished as both a documentary and commercial photographer, Erwitt has taken some of the most memorable photos of the 20th century, including portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy and Grace Kelly, as well as astonishing scenes of everyday life, filled with poetry, wit and a special sense of humor. Famous for capturing absurd split-second moments and subtle glances, Erwitt’s work is truly masterful. He likes children and dogs.

Jacqueline Kennedy, at the funeral of JFK, Arlington 1963

Dog Legs, New York City 1974

In 1953 freshly decommissioned from military service, Elliott Erwitt was invited to join Magnum Photos as a member by its founder Robert Capa. To date he continues to be an active member and one of the leading figures in the competitive field of photography.

Elliott Erwitt is said not to like talking about his photos as they talk for themselves. In the conversation between him and Ettore Gualtiero Robbiani, Clariden Leu’s art specialist and curator of the in-house private art collection, Elliott Erwitt’s evident sense of humour showed in his very witty answers and made him perennially quotable. Enjoy!

Elliott Erwitt, welcome to Zurich. How are you?

Most of the parts are working!

I have to confess I am really fascinated by you. What is this egg about?

Everybody has a tag here and I felt lonesome having no tag.

You are an eyewitness to history and a dreamer with a camera. You took some of the most memorable photos of the century. Where do you see your cultural roots?

Photographers don’t need to have roots.

Do you ask for permission taking somebody’s photos?

You never ask for permission. You shoot first and hope that they don’t realise. In Japan, it is very easy to be a photographer because everybody is. In Muslim countries it is hard as nobody likes their picture to be taken. In France, they have privacy laws, if people see themselves in the magazine, they can sue you if you don’t have a permission.

Couple Kissing, Santa Monica, California 1955

 

Have you been sued ?

I was sued by people who thought that they were in the picture but they weren’t.

How did your interest in photography raise?

Because of family circumstances, I was on my own since the age of 16 and I had to make a living. Taken photographs was a good way. You don’t have a boss. My only permanent job that I ever had was with the US military army. Everything else has been freelance.

Did you like the army?

I didn’t mind it.

Did you have your camera with you?

Always. I took some of my best pictures when I was in the army.

What is today your favourite camera?

I don’t have a favourite camera. I divide between my professional and personal work. For clients, you have to use the tools you need to achieve the results that your clients expect. For my own personal work, I walk around with a small camera, my Leica usually and that is quite seperate. One thing is for business, one thing is for hobby.

Miami Beach, 1962

 

And talking about influences? What were your early influences in photography?

My early influences were Italian films after the war, neo-realist films of Fellini, Rosselini, people like that. That was my main influence and apart from that the photography of Henri Cartier-Bresson which are the gold standards in my view of photography.

When it comes to being influenced you named Edward Steichen as a mentor. How did he influence you?

He didn’t influence me, he was just very helpful at that time. I was very young and I could use some help. He got me my first job by calling somebody up. He could do that, he was a very powerful man. My influences were as I mentioned before.

You once said that photography is a craft that everybody with normal intelligence could learn? But to take it beyond the craft is when the magic comes in? How do you actually approach your magic moments in a photo? Is it all staging, set-ups?

I don’t get up in the morning and expect to do magic. I think that magic is in the eye in the beholder. You don’t plan things. Good photography is not planned unless it is work which is planned. Photography which is interesting to me is simply an art of observation, organising elements, making fine prints.

Marilyn Monroe, New York City 1956

 

Coming to magic moments. In your career, you portraited Marilyn Monroe. I tend to say that you showed her in a different way than we know her. How was Marilyn as a person?

I was afraid that you asked that. I am always asked that question. She was very nice, very photogenic. She looked better in pictures than in real life. Also she looked pretty good in real life as well. She was a sensitive person, a little bit nuts. She was very kind to me.

Whom of the famous persons that you met was meaningful to you?

Famous people are ordinary people that became famous. President Kennedy, Fidel Castro, of course that is interesting. Those people are very historic figures. And the problem of taking a picture of those famous people is exactly the same than taking it of ordinary people.

When you mentor young photographers what are looking for in their work?

Visual sense, application, a kind of burning ambition because it is very difficult to succeed in photography. Digital photography makes it easy to become a photographer but hard to become a good one. So you look for energy, for perserverance, and as I said most importantly for visual sense.

Metropolitan Museum, New York City, 1988

 

What about ego? Do you need a strong ego?

A strong ego gets generally in the way of things. People don’t react very well to people with a strong ego. If you have it, keep it private.

Who is your favourite photographer living or dead?

The ones that are in my agency Magnum. Henri Cartier-Bresson is the champion of them. There are some that are very promising. Photographers who work for the passion, those are the interesting ones. The ones only on assignment are not the interesting ones, they are just earning a living.

Do you collect yourself?

I am not a collector. But I have exchanged with some of my friends.

57th Street Gallery, New York City, 1963

 

This year, you received the Infinity Award 2011 for Lifetime Achievement from the International Center of Photography. Can you please describe what it is like to receive that honour? It is the lifetime Oscar  of photography.

It is a little bit embarrasing. It seems like your life is over. You get a nice dinner, a little statue, people think that you are okay. But it really shouldn’t influence you that much.

You son Misha is a photographer as well. When he told you about his future plans, how did you react? What advice did you give him?

Get a dayjob! But here is an amusing anecdote: When my father retired, he decided to become a photographer because he wanted to follow in his son’s footsteps which I thought was very sweet.

Thank you Mr Erwitt for coming!

Thank you all for showing up! I couldn’t imagine that I am that interesting.

What an honour: Elliott Erwitt with me.

LoL, Sandra

While being in Florence for LuisaViaRoma’s Firenze4Ever event, I was able to meet Laudomia Pucci, the daughter of Emilio Pucci who serves as deputy chairman and image director of her family’s fashion house.
(For further information on Pucci, I recommend a previous post. Just click here).

Laudomia with me

The charismatic lady was very delighted to see me in head-to-toe Pucci and answered all my questions enthusiastically. Please enjoy my little interview with her:

Laudomia, how was it to be the daughter of Emilio Pucci? Was he a strong character?

The more I go ahead in life, the more I think that those people in general to leave such a legacy behind them, they must have worked very hard and been very very strong.

I also worked with Hubert de Givenchy. That is of course a different kind of person but an esthete to the last tip of his finger. These people had a vision of everything, a culture to die for and a very very fascinating life.

When you think of my father, there was the war, the upbringing in America, a fashion career, his politcal career and his success as a skier. It was basically five lives in one. Of course, those people who survived and who had seen so much, they had to be special.

So to be the daughter of all of that was normal because that was my life. But the story is that he wanted me to work in his business. He adored women. So to have a little woman was the best thing that could have happened to him.

You are a mother yourself. How do you balance being a mum and a business woman?

I have three kids. A girl, a boy, a girl. I have just added my kids to my life. It was a fabulous accessory to have and it became much more of an accessory (laughs…). It just completed my life. I was a late mother and my children are just so precious for me.

Emilio Pucci

Was your father similar to you being a parent? How did your father prepare you to take over one day?

My father had me also quite late in life. It must have been totally alike. So for example, when we launched perfumes. I went back to research  how my father did perfumes and I remembered. He was in my room when I was sick at the age of four . He was in there mixing perfumes and asking me: “Laudomia,  do you like that or do you like this?”

He was always putting me in his vision. I think when you have children, you see yourself moving on. So he saw his fashion move on and that was the message I got. I started working with him in the early 80s when I just had graduated. In the late 80s when he was not feeling well, we decided let’s move on, let’s bring the company where he wants it to be. And that is what I have done. Basically for the past 25 years of my life.

You sold 67% of the company to LVMH in 2000. How do you feel today about your decision?

First of all, I would have never thought that I would have sold and it feels funny enough very much the same as before. The reason for this is more than the influence, there is a mutual respect. That is very very important.

When you are with a partner, when people see there is a point in what you are doing. When you both hardly object it. When you have the patience in life to make it happen. I realised after ten years of managing the company, that I didn’t have the creative talent of my father. I realised that very early. It became such a competitive business, such a difficult business, you couldn’t find talents and production facilities.

And to have that know-how behind you with LVMH now all around the world, is just fantastic. We have great designers. We have been able to open beautiful shops. We have been able to save so much.

Peter Dundas

You worked with many well-known designers like Christian Lacroix and Matthew Williamson in the past years. Today, the enchanted slumber seems completely over and Peter Dundas has taken Pucci back on a fast ride up to the top. How  do you see him?

Peter is a very different approach. All the designers I worked with, I am grateful to. I needed a lot of input, a lot of energy. But Peter is a different approach. He is a dream! Peter gives all his time, all his energy to the company.

He is good with the girls, with the fashion, with the company, with the feeling. When you see him, he is big, he is blonde, he is sexy, “the blonde beau”. He has got all that and he gives that image to the company. When you asked about my father before, my father had a total different energy, but  also the same strong energy. But one thing that I like a lot is seeing the difference now 50 years later between my father and Peter. My father would ask if I had gained weight and Peter just loves bodies.

It is all about the body looking sexy. Women, the moment you make them look sexy, they are smiling, they are happy. And that is our job! The buzz at the moment is amazing. Peter is happy, I am delighted. So it is not the influence, it is what everyone of us can bring in to make Pucci the most succesful.

Thank you Laudomia for taking your time!

It was such a pleasure to meet Laudomia in person and I was so happy to see this on the official Emilio Pucci Facebook page:

As you already know, I am a huge Pucci fan and love Peter’s designs. For F/W 2011, he has seeked inspirations from Tyrolea and hunting, a little like Romy Schneider in Sissy or Anna Karenina. The beautiful embellishments and the corset-style dresses are absolutely divine. He laid the emphasis on the bust and the outcome is a collection that will make every Bavarian jump up with joy. Be prepared to see me at the next Oktoberfest in those suede knickers with the matching jacket. Love, love, love!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht and Pucci

Yesterday, I was so happy to meet Bex Manners, the designer behind BEX ROX, the It-jewelry brand from London. She came to launch her beautiful collection with Lovers Lane who will exclusively carry the little treasures in Zurich.

If you are looking for a killer statement necklace, for deco inspired jewelry or for animal shaped rings, you will instantly fall in love with her creations. The entire range is bold and very unique, combining chain mail techniques with ancient Chinese knotting.

Since the launch of BEX ROX in 2006, the rise has been unbelievable. BEX ROX has not only done acclaimed collaborations with MADE Africa, and with Browns Focus, it has also been celebrated with the Coutts New Jewellers award 2009.

Please enjoy my interview with Bex Manners below. All the photos I took show the pieces that are available now at Lovers Lane.

You were raised in Menorca. What is your nationality? Your cultural background?

I am English but born and raised in Menorca- my mother is Austrian and my father is British but my soul is definitely Spanish!

How much has the lifestyle of the Balearic Island inspired your work?

I would say a great deal.  My collections are about a feeling, being a free spirit, youthful and colourful with a sexy undertone which for me sums up the Balearics…

Since when do you live in London? How do you like the city?

I’ve been living in London since 2007 –  I love it – it’s edgy, diverse and full of constant inspiration – people aren’t afraid to show off their style.

What is your favourite place on earth?

Right now my bed!!

How did you come with the idea of creating jewelry? What did you do before?

I was fashion stylist in NYC  and used to constantly make pieces for photo shoots and then would wear them afterwards- people in the streets kept stopping me to ask me where I’d got “that necklace” or “that bracelet” and I would literally sell them off my neck- et voila I started BEX ROX.

 

What is your most iconic piece? Your signature?

My Eivissa Cuff and the Natalie Ring are my most iconic pieces but then again I believe in my identity and make sure that every season screams BEX ROX.

I like your idea of a necklace that you can take apart with your magnetic clasp to get a bracelet and to be able to mix and match with other pieces so that the customer himself can become creative. Will this always be part of the collection?

Always.

What is your style advice? How would your perfect outfit with Bex Rox jewelry look like?

Walk out the door feeling all woman and believe in yourself, this way you’ll make anything work.

Do you only wear your own jewelry? If not, what else do you wear?

I also wear lots of vintage jewellery and pieces from other designers that are friends of mine.

Do you have a muse? Or an icon?

Most of my best friends are my muses!

Bex Manners in 3 words.

Individual, freckly and pretty temperamental ( but I suppose that comes with being a redhead! )

Where do you see yourself in the future? Will we see more BEX ROX, probably handbags or even clothes?

I have already started collaborating and creating but for now that would be telling.

Thank you, Bex!

And now ladies, run to Lovers Lane and get your Rox on!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Meet Havva Mustafa, the mastermind behind the new luxury footwear brand HAVVA. Born into a family of third generation footwear artisans and designers, and growing up with the curious shapes of patterns, lasts and heels – Havva’s interest and passion for footwear was stirred from a very early age.

Determined to preserve the family heritage and knowledge Havva followed in her father’s footsteps and studied at the prestigious Cordwainers Footwear College in London. Gaining invaluable experience she nevertheless became increasingly frustrated by the constraints and lack of vision encountered. When wearing shoes of her own designs she was frequently stopped in the streets and realised that she wanted to share her passion. She set about making that dream a reality and launched HAVVA in 2009, with the support and backing of her family who all contribute to the brands existence.

HAVVA shoes are truly precious objects of desire. Please find below an interesting interview that the beautiful designer gave Sandra’s Closet:

1.You were born into a family of  footwear artisans and designers. Did your family want you to follow in their footsteps? How has the experience that you have gained from a very early age helped you?

I remember growing up, I was constantly surrounded by shoes, around the dinner table normal conversation was, what leather, last or season trend was going to be appearing. My father and grandfather have always been in the shoe trade, I think it became second nature; it was always something I was going to go into, and wouldn’t change it for the world. As I grew up- my shoe collection gradually expanded until there was no space left- as you can image for a girl it was heaven. Going on holidays would never be the same if we didn’t stop in a few shops to check out the footwear, so I gained a great back round knowledge of the industry before I even went into it.

2. You studied at the prestigious Cordwainers Footwear College in London. How did you like the studies?
Studying there was great, I learnt from design to making which I think is very important to be able to know how the final product will be created. I made fantastic friends who are also in the shoe trade and we meet up all around the world.

3. Nicholas Kirkwood, who became very well known for his shoe designs, studied at Cordwainers, too. I recently did an interview with him. Have you ever met him?
No I haven’t but I would love to, his designs are amazing-what an imagination.

4. Could you imagine to do different collaborations with other fashion houses like he does? If so, which fashion house would be your prefered one to design shoes for?
I think collaboration is a brilliant idea. The creativity that you combine with a fashion house can produce beautiful creations. One of them would be Miu Miu- the shoes are fun and unique and every season I look forward to their collections.

5. Is there any other shoe designer that you admire? And why?
Rupert Sanderson’s footwear is pretty amazing; it’s great to see every brand has their own unique touch.

6. If you were able to dress the feet of a famous lady? Which ones would that be?
Dita Von Teese- she has such a unique style.

7. I like the idea of creating shoes inspired by modernist architecture. Your designs are very special. How did you come up with this?
My younger brother is an architecture student and I was flicking through his books and saw these amazing shaped 1960s buildings.  All of these shapes and designs represented progress and ‘moving forward.’ They symbolized to the people around them that everything, including architecture, was moving forward in some way or another.

The spiral staircase, Buhrich house, 1960, designed by architect Hugh Buhrich demonstrates the curve and shape that inspired Loretta, the swirling shoe boot with elements of the patterns from the 60s.
The design of the Hotel and Restaurant Astoria in Trondheim included various versions of the cone chairs lending itself to Gloria with the geometric lines and side scroll.
The Philips Pavilion designed by the office of Le Corbusier, had strong dynamically-angled contours, geometrical architectural sharp lines and pointing asymmetrical lines takes the form of the style Rene with its intricate diamond design.
The St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chicago is somewhat famous for its marching walls of blue diamonds and the architectural feature of a pediment in the shape of waves took to the patchwork layers of Venus- wave roofing’s and detailing was a feature of the 1960s architecture. The high shine leather metallic mix was a tribute to the futuristic movement called Googie.

8. Do you have a shoe no-go?
Shoes that don’t fit! It can ruin such a beautiful silhouette of a shoe. And always get your soles and especially your heels repaired-when i see a heel bending and the top piece has totally worn away into the actual heel its terrible.

9. Havva Mustafa in three words.
The person- Passionate, creative and bubbly.
The brand- Infinitely, lavish and innovative.

10. What are your plans for the future?
I hope that the HAVVA brand just carries on expanding and we become a known brand for creating beautiful footwear.

Havva’s amazing accessories collection for S/S 2011 includes beautiful headpieces.

I am sure that we will see much more of Havva Mustafa in the future! For store locations, please click here. Good luck, Havva! I am already a big fan of yours.

LoL, Sandra

26-year-old Alexander Wang has been conquering the high fashion world since his first eponymous collection in 2007. Born and raised in San Francisco, the wunderkind moved to New York City at the age of 18 to try his hand at designing clothes. He attended Parsons School of Design for two years and interned with Mark Jacobs.

Wang has become well-known for his M.O.D., “model–off–duty–look“. He says: „Anyone can get all dressed up and glamourous, but it is how people dress in their off days, that is the most intriguing.“
With a growing fan crowd embracing his modern approach to dressing, he has taken the industry by storm.

The bag collection was launched in 2008, followed by the diffusion line T by Alexander Wang and shoes in 2009. Wang has created already many signature It-pieces like the cat’s eye sunglasses spotted first on Lady Gaga or the bottom-studded Rocco bag, Mary–Kate Olsen was frequently seen.

He is the recipient of the VOGUE/CFDA Fashion Fund in 2009 as the Swarovski Womenswear Designer of the Year, celebrated again in 2010 with another Swarovski Designer of the Year Award (this time in the Accessory category). 
Last year he won the Swiss Textiles Award. As a culmination of this year’s gala, the king of sexed-up streetwear cool showed his surprising S/S 2011 collection, seen before on the New York runway.
The colour range went from all-white to ivory, mint, curry and terracotta. Deconstructed looks, coverall straps, stiff canvas covered with paint spots and industrial materials like Tyvek played an important role. Rose gold stripes reminding of duct tape and white paint in the models’ hair finally evoke the theme of carpenters.

I was very lucky to meet Alex in person and do an interview with him. Enjoy his answers and the photos of his S/S 2011 show in Zurich!
Photos: Image Gate © 2010 Getty Images

You are back in Switzerland again. How do you like it here?

Unfortunately, I haven’t been out that much. Hopefully I will see more. I was pretty busy. This time, I am enjoying it not to be under the pressure to compete.

You received a lot of top honours, among them last year’s Swiss Textiles Award. Those prizes are accompanied by a generous financial support. Did that help you building up your company and gaining even more popularity?

The monetary component is always an advantage but I wouldn’t say it is a priority. I think just the recognition of being in a different market than where we are based, having that awareness and exposure was definitely something that we experienced over the last year. Especially the opportunity and the ressources to work with the Swiss Textiles Foundation gave us the possibility of developing new fabrications for our S/S 2011 collection, that are much more special and expensive. That was definitely the part that I thought was the top advantage of winning the award.

You launched the your first collection in 2007.  Despite the financial worldwide crisis, you were on the rise during those for many people very tough last two years.
After your Wall Street inspired Fall runway, you are trying something new again, something unexpected was seen on the summer catwalk. After the deconstructed bankers there are now deconstructed carpenters…. What is your message?

I want to show the world that they don’t have me all figured out yet. For me, the most important thing is having a very strong point of view that you can evolve.
Every designer has their own method of doing things. This is my way of communicating to my customer and to the industry of what I have to say.

This season, we didn’t show any black on the runway. It wasn’t something that felt too urban. It wasn’t about doing something downtown or New York. I wanted to create something that felt very optimistic, very uplifting and pure, so with print and colour. That was the outcome of my vision.

You are opening your first store in the old Yohji space on Grand street in New York. Will we see more of your own stores in the future? What does your first store mean to you?

Hopefully, there will be more to follow but nothing is planned so far. I really wanted to take the time and do something right that I feel very strong about. A lot of people rush into things very quickly. I can’t say that. We obviously had a lot of growth in the last couple of years but sometimes you really have to take a moment to think what you are doing, to consider the next steps and where you want to expand.
For us, the store has always been the best possibility to really showcase the full brand and its entirety, where you can really control the image. We are opening it in New York next year. It is an intense process and I want to make sure that each and every detail is done correctly to my standards of perfection.

You already did a collaboration with Gap. Can you imagine to do something similiar with H&M, too?

We have done a couple of collaborations in the past. I kind of promised myself to be somehow over collaborations in that sort of sense.
Any collaboration that I will be doing in the future moving forward will have to speak to the brand on a completely different level. It has to be organic. The period of doing high-low collaborations feels over for me, to what it represents to our company. I think anything that we do now has to be something that feels fresh and looks modern.
If we were to do another collaboration, it would have to be definitely different and not with a high street brand.

Let’s take all that a little further. If another long-established fashion house asked you to become their new creative director and you could dream of one, which one would it be?

I don’t know if I could answer that question right now. The opportunity has definitely been there before but I feel that my focus should be on growing my own brand and company. Building something solid is my top priority at the moment.

Wangsters, Wang-ettes, fashion editors come up with all sorts of names for your fan crowd. How does it feel to be the leader of a cult?

I find it very flattering of course that people really dedicate themselves to what we are creating.

I do what I love and I am very thankful for having an audience that really appreciates my work. That is why I am a designer. I create clothes for people that want to wear, buy and live in them.
It is not for my own selfish indulgence, to do something just purely creative. It is about the combination of creativity and yet being commercially buyable, that goes to the stores and makes people desire it.

You are very good friends with Erin Wasson? Would you call her your muse? Who is inspiring you?

Erin is a friend of mine, for sure, but I rarely use the term of muse. I think it is outdated and old-fashioned.
I am inspired by people who work for me that are my family and friends, that I interact with, that I constantly have a communication with.

You went to Parsons for a four-year programme and dropped out after two years to focus on your first collection that was mainly about knitwear and sold to over 200 stores. That is absolutely amazing. Did you have any connections? How did you do that?

(Laughs) There has been the myths that my family owns production facilities. Probably because we are Chinese, people make that association. Other rumors said that we made a big investment. This is all not true.

The brand started off very small with only six styles. It was just that people really responded to the authenticity, to the genuine feeling. When you have someone who really believes in doing something and would do anything to make it happen. Luckily, I had a very big support in terms of a family and I don’t mean just financial.
The people around me encouraged me to keep going. My mum who let me leave school and friends who encouraged me to do what I believed in and not listening so much to what the stores were telling me to do, what the showroom wanted me to do. Saying so what, that is my customer, this is the one I want to design for, that is the one, I want to sell to and this how I want to approach it! And I just stuck with it.

Can describe the Wang factor, the Wang DNA in three words?

I wouldn’t limit it to three words. There is definitely a sense of ease. At the end of the day, it is fashion, it is fun. People need to enjoy it. At a certain point when it is so strict, so controlled, pretentious, I don’t fun with it anymore. And that is not what our brand is about it. It is about individuality, ease and a sense of humour. I always look at it light-heartedly.

I love dressing men and women of all different ages and sizes. I don’t want to dictate how to wear my clothes. I get motivated by how people bring their own approach to my designs.

What do you think of all those fashion blogs? Are they the future?

This is part of a generation discovering a new method of communicating. It is definitely about being more acknowlegdeable of what is around me, my surrounding and how to communicate. It changed the way that fashion functions. I feel very priviledged to be part of this advanced generation.

And I feel very priviledged to have met you. Thanks, Alex, for this lovely interview!

It was truly a pleasure to talk to Alexander Wang. He is a very charismatic, energetic person with a very strong vison and full of enthusiasm. On one hand, he seems like the young boy he still is, a little hyper and kind of innocent, on the other side, he is an already experienced business man who goes his own way. This is a very interesting combination and probably his key to success.

LoL, Sandra

Last night, the 11th Swiss Textiles Award was presented on the occasion of the first Fashion Days Zurich. The highly acclaimed fashion prize is worth € 100.000.- and talented designers like Jason Wu, Duro Olowu, Adam Kimmel, Juun.J, Damir Doma and Mary Katrantzou were fighting for it.
But there can be only one winner! And this year, it went to the only woman in the competition.
I was very happy to meet all of them and talk about their visions and designs.

The winner Greek-born and London-based Mary Katrantzou was my guess and also my favourite. So I was very happy for her to receive the trophy.

 

The 27-year-old is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London.

 

She belongs to a new generation of designers, using digital prints to create extraordinary trompe d’oeil effects. To me, she is creating unique pieces that the fashion world has not seen before, a true innovation! This is her fourth collection. The first was about perfume bottles, the second about artisanal blown glass, the third was inspired by jewels and this time it is all about rooms. Her stunning S/S 2011 interior-inspired collection was already the talk of London Fashion Week

 

Mary, congratulations, you have absolutely deserved to win. How do you feel at the moment?

Ecstatic! I couldn’t believe it and cried backstage so I think that says it all.

What does the trophy mean to you?

The financial support is amazing at a stage when the business is growing and it’s so important to have that support. I can invest in my company now on a multilevel, taking it to a newer and international level and award the people who have believed in me. It’s a very prestigious prize, it’s a benchmark and a great honour. You just feel you have been acknowledged.

Does your Greek origin influence your designs?

Probably in the concept of the female figure, meaning to design very closely to the body.
Moreover, it is very difficult and time-consuming to place the prints correctly on the clothes in order to flatter the feminine silhouette.

Do you think that your designs are wearable?

Absolutely! I mean the commercial aspect is important, too. I want women to wear my designs instead of hanging them in a museum. You should feel comfortable.
I like to make objects wearable and desirable. It is just my signature look, I don’t want women to feel objectified.

Any hints concerning your next collection for F/W 2011?

It’s a progression of this one, it’s not as thematic and it’s slightly darker. The thing is with my collections,  if I say too much then it will give it away. Like with this collection if I had said ‘rooms’, I would have revealed too much.

How do you like Zurich?

It is my first time and I haven’t been able to properly enjoy it as I was so busy with this show. But yesterday we were very hungry and went to the lake where all these old buildings are located. It was really nice and I love Zurich.

What will you do next?

Going home to my boyfriend and I think drinks will be on the list. (Giggles.)

Where are you going to put your trophy?

Top front in my new studio that we are right in the middle of moving in.

That Mary had to beat off stiff competition from fellow designers can you see below.

Jason Wu was born in Taipeh and moved when he was a child to Vancouver. He studied to be a sculptor and went to Parsons School of Design. His first collection was launched in 2006.

 

His career kicked off when Michelle Obama supported the young talent by wearing a custom-designed one-shoulder, floor-length white chiffon gown, at the ball on the night of President Barack Obama’s inauguration. Later, she appeared on the cover of the US-Vogue once again in a Wu design, a magenta silk dress.

 

 

 

Today, Wu works in New York. His eye for details and colours is his strong point.
For S/S 2011 he cut out small petals and created beautiful embellishments.

Jason was very sweet and revealed some interesting facts:

My mum always supported me. She bought me a sewing machine at the age of 10 and paid a fashion student to teach me.
My beloved symbol, the owl, was inspired by my last name Wu because if you say it many times in a row, it sounds like it.

 

Born in Lagos and based in London, Duro Olowu went on a quite different career path.  He studied law in England, worked as a lawyer in Nigeria before switching to his first love, fashion. Drawing on the inspirations he found by the unexpected mix of fabrics, textures and draping techniques of the clothing worn by the women of his native land.

 

He launched his own label in London in October, 2004 which became an instant hit with his use of luxurious fabrics and ecclectic, clashing prints.
Last year, he opened his own boutique in London.

Michelle Obama has supported Duro’s carrer as well, as she has been seen many times in his vibrant styles.

 

For his S/S 2011 collection, Duro flipped easily back and forth between retro silhouettes and modern bright pop-like references, incorporationg the saturated colours of tribes in Papua New Guinea and the ever present influence of his Nigerian and Jamaican heritage.

I spoke briefly to him and was overwhelmed by his charming positive attitude. His aura reflects the joie de vivre that shows in his collections.

Being proud of his roots, he is a leading example of how you can life your dream and that everything is possible.

Damir Doma is a modern nomade. His collections are inspired by his own way of living.

 

He was born in Croatia and grew up in the southern part of Germany. Same like me, he studied fashion design at ESMOD (L’ Ecole Supérieure des Arts et techniques de la Mode) in Munich and Berlin. He graduated in 2004 with magna cum laude for the best collection and worked after that in Antwerp for Raf Simons whom he sees as one of the most inspiring designers.

In 2006 he started his label with menswear, followed this year by his first collection for women. He is widely considered the most improtant German fashion designer of his generation.

 

Damir explained:

I don’t like the body to adapt to the clothes, it should be vice-versa. I love soft materials and flowing volume. I grew up in my mother’s atelier and was playing with fabric starting in my early childhood. That might be the reason why fabrics play such an important role for me.

 

Adam Kimmel stands for the American way of life, uniting the worker and the artist. As he states himself; it’s all about giving the industrial style profile by infusing relaxed elegance.

 

He studied architecture, completed then later an apprenticeship with an Italian samples manufacturer before launching his debut label in 2002.

The New Yorker designer received standing ovations for the presentation of his S/S 2011 collection last night. The usually more quiet Swiss audience cheered from the first moment when the sounds of Snoop Dogg echoed in the hall.

The Snoop looky-likeys paraded down the aisle in a perfect mixture of hip-hop style elements produced in the finest Italian cashmere. I am sure Snoop would love it.

 

Later at the after party at Moods, Adam told me more:

I saw the Wall Street Journal including something about Snoop Dogg and got immediately inspired to create this collection.

As we could not bring the models to Switzerland, we did a fun street casting in Zurich before to find the best bad boys.

 

The final show last night was the one of last year’s Swiss Textiles Award 2009 winner Alexander Wang.
Stay tuned as I did a fantastic detailed interview with him which will soon be published here.

LoL, Sandra

Yesterday, Zurich’s best shoe shop Lovers Lane hosted a trunk show to present the gorgeous creations of Nicholas Kirkwood. The British designer is the biggest name in shoes today, known for his craftsmanship and innovative designs, that are instantly recognisable. He also has a lot of celeb fans, among them Sarah Jessica Parker who wore his extravagant designs all the way through the Sex and the City 2 promotions.
The famed footman came extra to the Swiss city for the event last night and I was very lucky to do an extensive interview with him before he left for New York for a meeting with Anna Wintour this morning.

 

You were born in Germany. Do you speak any German?

No, I was just born there because my Dad was living in Münster at that time.

Being here in Zurich today to present your amazing creations, do you have a vision of the typical Swiss woman?

I came to Switzerland quite a lot when I was younger for my ski holidays. We were always staying at the same hotel that was run by lady who was very firm, and very strict, you could never do something wrong.  When we were running around, she would say no-no.

So tonight I am looking forward to meeting another type of Swiss ladies and see how my customers here look like.

Which woman do you have in mind when creating your shoes in general?

One season is more feminine, the other more angular. It is quite open. Therefore I like to do events like tonight. Seeing the shops I sell to and  meeting the women’s wishes. Every market is different. You have to start somewhere.

You logded with the late Isabella Blow?  Has her eccentric style influenced your work?

She was very encouraging. Any new idea, any of her thoughts would make a good idea. And of course, knowing her was amazing, her inspiration and unique character.

Is there a celeb woman that you would love to dress in your shoes that does not wear them yet?

A very interesting question. Let me think. If I was walking in the streets and my cell phone would be ringing and somebody would be asking me for shoes, who would shock me the most? Mmh, Madonna, no… Now I know. Imelda Marcos! I just want her to have my shoes even if she probably can’t wear them anymore.

Lovers Lane sells other brands as well. Which one do you like the best?

I love very much what Charlotte Olympia does. A wonderful girl, very beautiful. I think we sometimes have the same customer, it is a very close but friendly competition.

I know that you are not a big fan of kitten heels. So how did you like this season’s shoe trend? Will we see one day a Kirkwood kitten heel?

I kind of did a kitten heel, but it was very strange looking. There is more a hype, than a reality to it. A lot of people want it to be a trend, are pushing it to be a trend.
The shoes might be not as high as they were in the last few seasons and I might be completely wrong but I just do not see this happen.

You have a signature look that is instantly recognisable . I truly admire that, especially with all the different collaborations you do, like for example Rodarte, Erdem, Peter Pilotto. Now, you are the new creative director for Pollini. You seem to be an unlikely fit for the traditional house. Do you have a carte blanche? How much freedom do you get in creating for other designers?

Pollini is a big challenge and I like it. I have a lot of work and I do not sleep much.

The best collaborations come out of working together. I’d hate it to be just told „do what you want“. The other party tries to bring the most into it. So the final product is the result of both rather than being too heavily weighted on one side or the other.

How did the pop-up e-commerce shop go? (The runway shoes he created for Peter Pilotto and Erdem were available for just a few days during London Fashion week.)
Would you do it again?

I think we will do it again. It was a great experiment.
In some ways it is the future. Probably sad to say but that is the way things are going to go and we like to keep ahead of the game. Burberry did it with clothes. I might be wrong, but with shoes we were the first.
Fashion is so quick. Something can seem old before it even hits the shops.

Will there be a Nicholas Kirkwood online shop soon? Do you dream of your own stores?

Yes, but we are not there yet.

In 2009, you created jelwery in collaboration with Swarovski? Will we see more Kirkwood in the future? For example handbags, menswear and more?

Men’s shoes, handbags, jewlery and sunglasses, yes! Soon…

Do you like things to be matchy-matchy? Like matching your bag to your shoes?

No, hate it. Similiar colour that is o.k..

Experimenting with heel shapes, negative spaces and shoe shapes might be pretty expensive. Do you have some base models you always start working with?

I try to always do something new. As soon as I have finished the collection, I start over again. I re-start and also keep something. Partly it is mostly somewhere close of what I have just done.  Fashion is too quick to always change.

I read once that you do not like fastenings and excess, do you still agree with that? Has your focus changed or developed during the last years?

No, it is not that I do not like it. There is sometimes a need to have a buckle and sometimes I try to think of other solutions than a buckle. But it is also nice to have those elements in there. When you are at a young stage, you start out on one tune.

Now, I am trying to expand the range, become more obedient to different types of customers, to become more of a shoe brand not just a niche for a small community.
Those details will become part of the collection more and more. There will always be my signature in it, but probably just not so in your face.

Is there a creation that you find horrible today?

Oh yes, especially a shoe that comes out crooked. I normally try to hide and burn it without anybody seeing the disaster.

Did you ever see a woman wearing your shoes and you did not like what you saw?

Sometimes, when I see somebody wearing my shoes completely beaten up. But on the other way, it is a sign that she very much loved them.

I hate it if they are wearing the wrong size and the toes are hanging out.

Have a you ever made a shoe in which it was impossible to stand or walk?

Yes, especially for photo shoots. You could stand in them for 10 seconds and that was it.

The Alice in Wonderland shoes that I made for Printemps in Paris, you could probably not walk in them because of the little hanging porcelaine cups.

Do you have a favourite of your designs?

In some ways I am never satiesfied with anything. Sometimes I am very happy with the way things come out. But once the shoe is made, I am over it. I have seen the process for so long, it gets kind of boring after a while.

It is like recording an album. You are listening to the same thing for such a long time, that by the time it is finished, you can’t stand it.

Your shoes melt contemporary art and fashion? Best example is the upcoming Keith Haring collection. Do you see yourself as an artist?

No, not at all. I am more of a product designer. I studied fine arts at St. Martins. I am a big fan of art. It is a completely other thing. You do not replace it so easily like a piece of fashion. It has more of a longevity to it. There are similiarities to it like the way  people get excited.

I feel a little like the art world looks kind of down on the fashion world, a little bit of a high brow.

Could you imagine to do a collaboration with H&M? Or to create a more budget-friendly second line?

Not yet. I have been approached by similiar kind of things. I always like to promote the quality manufacturing and made in Italy. That is what I sort of believe in. It is different with the ready-to-wear. Regarding footwear, you will really notice a cheap pair of shoes . I don’t want to say that I will never do it. (Laughs…) I will wait until I can make a hell out of money out of it for a one-time-thing. And make a big party after.

I mean, there are a lot of people out there, not everything has to be accessible to everybody.

I don’t say that I will never,  there is just no need at the moment unless I will be forced by a powerful editor who says you have to.

Like the one you are seeing tomorrow (Anna Wintour)?

Laughs again. No, not her.

I hope that you have liked the interview. I had a blast talking to Nicholas as he is such a sweet guy. The party at Lovers Lane was really great. I took some photos for you to get an impression.

And gentlemen, sometimes it is worth going shoe-shopping with your wifes or girlfriends. There might be a little treat for you, too.

LoL, Sandra