Worn by the likes of Michelle Obama, Kirsten Dunst and Keira Knightley, Erdem is one of London's most desirable labels. Tom Jeffreys has a chat with designer Erdem Moralioglu ahead of February's London Fashion Week.
I think the first proper fashion show I ever went to was the second Fashion Fringe initiative back in September 2005. The winner – selected by a panel of judges including Roland Mouret – was Erdem Moralioglu. Since then, his label – Erdem – has gone from strength to strength. Now sold in 45 stockists across 22 different countries and worn by the likes of Keira Knightley, Thandie Newton, Claudia Schiffer and Kirsten Dunst, Erdem is, today, one of the hottest young designers in the world.
With two weeks to go until his Autumn/Winter 2010 collection hits the catwalk at London Fashion Week, I caught up with Erdem in his East London studio to see how it's all coming along. “It's all going well,” Erdem says, “but it's such a short time between Spring and Fall/Winter so this season is always really nerve-wracking. You just have so much going on at the same time, and you're also delivering your production as well, so it's a bit stressful! But everything's good.”
And what can we expect from the Autumn/Winter 2010 collection, I wonder? “I've been looking at lots of disaster movies recently,” Erdem explains, “films that I used to watch when I was a teenager, like Alive and Picnic at Hanging Rock. They both have a lot of common, I guess – they're both about a group of students who go missing and have to survive somewhere that they're not used to. So maybe it's all about surviving. I always feel that each season is a narrative. We have our girl and different things happen to her. Something big has happened to her this season!”
“I also like the idea of contradicting yourself a little bit, so there's often a reaction to the previous season. The Spring/Summer '09 collection, for example, was influenced by A Midsummer Night's Dream – it was very pastel and floaty and diaphanous. But then the following season had all the red and royal blue. Last season was very much inspired by my trip to Japan, so I've banned flowers this season! Well, to a certain extent...”
As well as all the amazing celebrity support, Erdem has recently been involved in some high profile collaborations – with the likes of Smythson, Globe Trotter and Cutler and Gross. “I've been really fortunate,” Erdem admits, “in that any collaboration that I've done has been with a brand that I use and love already. And the products reflect the ethos of both brands.”
So what is the Erdem ethos? “It's very accidental, very colourful. I like the idea that it's about objects of desire – creating a garment that someone absolutely wants and can relate to. It's not really related to a particular season – The Erdem girl will wear something whenever she wants. I like things to feel very special and very individual – hopefully, they're pieces that someone really treasures and enjoys wearing.”
Judging by the massive success that Erdem has enjoyed over the last few years, it looks like people really do treasure his careful combination of beauty and craftsmanship. I wonder what Erdem's personal highlights have been in that time. “Last season,” he smiles, “I had lunch with Christian Lacroix. He's one of my real heroes – so that was wonderful. And Anna Wintour being at the last show, and having her backstage – having her support has been amazing. Oh, and quite recently we had Sarah Brown, Samantha Cameron and Michelle Obama wearing my designs in the space of one week! That was pretty amazing...”
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