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February 13, 2008 11:40 am
While other young British designers are following punkish, deconstructive, or simply whacky design trajectories, Montreal-born, London-based Erdem Moralioglu has made his focus femininity. The Royal College of Art graduate and DVF alum has a trademark whimsical look that mixes botanical and insect prints, Fortuny-style pleats, and a smattering of tailoring, a combination that’s earned him such style-savvy fans as Keira Knightley, Kirsten Dunst, Tilda Swinton, and Chloë Sevigny. It’s also made his show tomorrow one of the more anticipated of this London fashion week. We caught up with him for some pre-collection chat about French television, suicidal budgies, and his favorite word.
You’ve recently won another award for your mantelpiece: the Swarovski British Fashion Council Fashion Enterprise Award. Do you still get excited about the awards or does it add to the stress of it all?
It was a stressful process—the application, interviews, and also just not knowing if you’ve won or not for such a long time. They said my name, and my twin sister, who was sitting next to me (she was my date—in one of my dresses!), grabbed my arm. I was thrilled and hugely surprised when I won. It was such a good night—we danced a lot after that.
If you were a film, you would be a mix of Patsy Kensit in A.S. Byatt’s “Angels and Insects,” Geena Davis in “The Accidental Tourist,” and Tippi Hedren in “The Birds.” Where does this all come from?
It comes from growing up in the suburbs of Montreal (very “Virgin Suicides”!) and watching Canal 5 (the international French channel), where they used to show all the couture shows. I also had a serious dose of Merchant Ivory films—my homesick mum’s fault. Then it was moving to London and the time I spent at the Royal College of Art, where all these influences came together.
Your father’s Turkish, so you have connections with both Istanbul and Montreal. Did they inspire you?
Montreal girls are really stylish, but it’s a laid-back kind of style, a little like San Francisco. They have an amazing way of putting things together that shouldn’t go together. Also there is really good vintage available there for both boys and girls. Istanbul is a great city, but I think it’s a bit less relaxed than Montreal. They are more put together and like a bit of glamour. I don’t think my girl is from one particular city—there are elements of her from everywhere I know. Every season I end up in the same old London library and stay there for days. That’s where the collection comes together, amongst towers of books.
You seem to have a thing for birds—they’re all over your prints, and one was even flying around during your show two seasons back. What’s the fascination?
I do love birds. We weren’t allowed dogs growing up—only budgies that often turned suicidal. They would get restless and fly into the side of the cage. Very traumatic. I also had a turtle—but I digress. The only fascination is really aesthetic, but they do seem to follow me, those damn birds.
Who would you most like to dress that you haven’t yet?
There are loads of dead people I would like to have dressed like Natalie Wood, Marlene Dietrich, and maybe Virginia Woolf. I would very much like to dress Cate Blanchett. I have an “Elizabeth” preoccupation and she seems ever so lovely.
How would you best describe the Erdem aesthetic and the Erdem woman?
I would describe the Erdem aesthetic as accidental, colourful, and slightly odd. An Erdem woman is someone who marches to her own drummer, does not follow seasons, and is lovely—I overuse this word, don’t I?
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