Pantheon of Prints

Why did you choose fashion as a career?

Initially, I didn’t. I had started with studying architecture in the US during which I had heard so much about Central Saint Martins, London that I wanted to take a transfer to pursue a three-month course in textiles. So I came to London to do the textile design course and I really liked the freedom that CSM gave me during my design process. After which I applied for a Masters course in fashion because it represented something that I hadn’t tried before and I like a good challenge. It was after this incredible journey that I realised I wanted to pursue a career in fashion and moreover there was an entrepreneurial instinct which made me want to start something of my own.

How do you think studying at Rhode Island School of Design and being a graduate from CSM helped you in your journey?

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It’s the closest that I think one can get to working within the industry. Prior to my MA in fashion, I only had two apprenticeships, so my Masters was the time where I tried to put down as much work as I possibly could and eventually got more confident about it. My time at CSM gave me the knowledge of the fashion movements of the past so that we can achieve newness, which I believe not many courses do.

How were you feeling backstage at your first show at London Fashion Week in 2008?

It was the best show ever! Sometimes I feel it was so long ago, so much has happened since. I remember being both excited and concerned because I didn’t know the reaction that I would receive from the attendees. I am very thankful for the great press and other team members who helped me through my first show.

You’re renowned for your prints and artistic take on oversized jewellery, perfume bottles, and landscape...

Well, I studied textile design so my signature became the print itself. However, more than the print, it was the visual language that I wanted to create that motivated me. It wasn’t a generic geometric or floral motif; it was more about creating a perspective through prints. So a perfume bottle, the interiors collection or objects of art represented a kind of a refined taste and aesthetic of what a woman would want to buy that will be flattering for her body type. So it (print) became the central theme of the collection. I think that’s what made my work so recognisable at that time. However in the last two years, I have decided not to put prints on the runway just because I wanted the audience to be able to understand all the different techniques that we as textile designers do with shape and form such as digitalised lace, woven brocade and other ingenious techniques within textile innovation.

You are known for your digital prints. Why choose technology over craftsmanship?

At the time when I started off, in order to translate all these ideas into print I had to work digitally because like we previously discussed about my artistic motifs, the only way to apply these prints on a garment was by using all the advances that were happening in digital printing. Eventually, it became such a strong movement that it was seen everywhere in the market. So I decided to step away from it in order to be unique and I did too. Now we do not use as much digital printing as we did before.

You have now shifted from digital printing to a more 3D outlook with embellishments and laser cutting...

It’s very important to have that 3D aspect within your work that allows your customer to buy something not because of your print only but also because of its craftsmanship that exists, to embellishments and a certain technique that has been developed season after season.

What inspires you?

It could be anything. I tend to find inspiration in something that conveys a mood or a concept. For example, last season it was all about cosmology. It started from an old engraving that showed a man with trees, stars and land in a time when everyone thought that the earth was flat. You know, it was an inspirational point not only because we were looking at cosmology but more because of its rendering. I had a very naive approach that influenced the cosmic embroidery that we used, how microscopic the prints were and how we put it all together. So from doing different research for silhouettes and textiles, the end becomes an amalgamation of different things. I believe that is what makes it special and distinctive for the brand and its aesthetics. The starting point is just an image; an image of a woman or an object, just anything, it literally can be just colour sometimes.

What are your views on mass imitation of your designs?

I think it’s something that a designer needs to get used to. It’s a cycle that expands within the fashion industry, where you come up with an idea and if it becomes successful, it will get translated and appeal to a much bigger audience through high-street brands and imitation. That’s when you know that you need to push the boundaries further, put something out there that is more difficult to imitate but equally special and that’s what us designers try to do. It’s flattering, on one hand, because I know that I have a hit the mark. It’s also a dangerous game to play because I know that when too many people have it, it no longer feels special and it loses its desirability. This pushes designers to move out of the comfort zone and try new things.

Any artist’s work that you keenly follow and why?

You know, design is a big part of art which comes to me as an inspiration each season. It’s very difficult choose one artist. Nowadays you see designers doing collaborations with artists that eventually blur the line between art and design. There’s a beautiful story that I’d like to share. We once did a collection that was inspired by flower fields versus the machines; this idea came from a sculptor named John Chamberlain. We built the collection and we wanted to approach him for an installation for the show, but it never happened. After the collection was showcased, I received a call from his studio saying how much he loved the collection and that he’d like to meet me. However, at that time my brand was really small. I couldn’t travel to New York to see him. Sadly, two months later I heard he passed away and that when he had contacted me he was quite ill. This whole episode was hugely touching so I contacted his studio to offer my condolences. I told them that I would have loved to work with him. After which I met with his studio and worked on a piece in his memory. It was a collection that I hold dear as I never had the chance to meet him in person.

What colours and fabrics do you like to work and experiment with?

That is so difficult! Could I say the rainbow? I don’t have a favourite colour, but I guess my lucky colour is orange, for no particular reason though, I rarely use it in my collection. I am very open to colour, I honestly feel all colours are beautiful!

How would you define a Mary Katrantzou woman?

She’s confident, feminine, stylish, sophisticated and wants to stand out. These are successful women from all over the world with different careers, who want to feel empowered in what they’re wearing. I believe that’s an important part of dressing up. You want the women to feel liberated and make the garment feel a part of them. I’m always inspired by the women I meet when I’m travelling, because they’re so diverse, I mean, you can have a mom coming in her 50s with her daughter, who is in her 20s and both of them are wearing my creations and looking great!

You have collaborated with various brands such as Adidas, Topshop and Longchamp. What’s next on your plate of collaborations?

To be honest, our strategy is to grow the brand, look at the products within the brand and map out all the categories that we’ve collaborated with. Every collaboration, that I’ve done is because I want to understand the know-how of that product. So, for us it is always about associating with a partner, who has excelled in an element that we don’t have yet. Now I believe it’s the right time for the next chapter to take these ideas in house and build on that diversity. We do have an upcoming collaboration that I cannot mention; it has nothing to do with ready-to-wear, it’ll probably take a year’s time before I can say something. This time it’s about taking our brand’s DNA and collaborating with companies that lie outside our comfort zone and represent another field.

Have you ever visited India?

I have never visited India, but I have an Indian friend Aruna Seth (designer), who constantly talks about the beauty of India. We both took an oath that we would go together next time because she has family in India. You know, we do a lot of our work in New Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai. I have never had the chance to go there, my embroidery designer does the travelling back and forth. So yes! A trip is due now that I have found an Indian friend (laughs). Actually no! I do have another friend! Saloni Lodha, who once invited me to go but you know, it’s a trip where I don’t want to go for a few days, I’d like to go for longer so that I am able to travel around.

If you could dress one Bollywood beauty in your garments...

Sonam Kapoor.

What advice would you give to current aspiring fashion student?

Go beyond your boundaries, have faith in your own abilities and be inquisitive.