Patrick McDowell in his studio at the JCA London Fashion Academy. Photograph by Aaron Bird

As the world’s fashion capitals gear up for fashion week, we’re celebrating designers who are paving the way for a more sustainable and ethical industry. Here, Patrick McDowell meets with Ella Johnson in his new studio at the JCA London Fashion Academy to discuss how sustainable fashion and social impact go hand in hand

Liverpool-born, London-based designer Patrick McDowell captured the world’s attention in 2018 with his graduate collection made from old Swarovski crystals and Burberry fabric donated by Christopher Bailey. Proving that sustainable fashion need not be synonymous with mundanity, McDowell was soon after nominated by Anna Wintour for the Stella McCartney Today for Tomorrow Award, and he subsequently went on to host London Fashion Week’s first ever Swap Shop.

Today, the 26-year-old has just been named the inaugural Designer in Residence at Professor Jimmy Choo’s JCA London Fashion Academy, where he will continue to make one collection a year under his eponymous label while carrying out sustainability advisory to other brands. But far from becoming a global brand overnight, McDowell is preoccupied with elevating other underprivileged creatives through scholarship programmes within the industry. Here, he explains why there is no time to waste.

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LUX: Your first interaction with upcycling was when you created a bag from an old pair of jeans at 13. Was that a consciously sustainable act?
Patrick McDowell: It was the defiant act of a child who had been told ‘no’. Typically, in very working-class areas, your school uniform is bought three sizes too big so that you can grow into it. I was just sick of this really long satchel bashing against my knees, so I made one that was shorter out of a pair of jeans I knew I was never going to wear. Nowadays, it’s quite cool for kids to chop and make stuff, but back then it was all about buying. So, while I had made the bag with a needle and thread, people didn’t believe that I had made it. I quite liked that reaction, because I thought I must be alright [at fashion] if people thought I’d bought it.

It was crazy, really: I was this curly haired, 13-year-old child – nobody could tell if I was a boy or girl – walking around in this very sad uniform with these elaborate handbags that I had been making! It was a very working-class suburb of Liverpool, and looking back, I suppose it must have been quite unusual.

LUX: Your ‘Catholic Fairytales’ collection addresses some of that disillusionment.
Patrick McDowell: I had a very Catholic upbringing. Every day started with a prayer. As a gay person growing up in that, it was quite challenging to realise that everything built around you was disagreeing with who you were. At 13, my Religious Studies teacher told me that it was OK to be gay, so long as I didn’t act on those feelings.

So, it was quite therapeutic doing ‘Catholic Fairytales’. The final irony of that collection is that what I did is way less avant-garde than actual priest robes, which have months and months of handwork. The recent history of the Catholic church is, on the whole, one of extreme extravagance. I did this very big, phallic hat for my collection, which people were surprised that I hadn’t invented – there was a papal tiara that shape, which they got rid of in the 1950s because they thought it was too over the top.

Read more: Patrick Sun on Promoting LGBTQ+ Art in Asia

LUX: What was your experience of joining Central Saint Martins as a northern, working-class, queer individual?
Patrick McDowell: I almost quit in the beginning. I somehow managed to get in without a foundation course, which is not meant to happen, and I failed the first year. I had such a panic because I’d spent six years trying to get there, but never considered what I’d do when I got there. All that self-limiting stuff comes from the class system and growing up working class. The school system is awful. It’s one of the reasons why I’m now such an advocate for creative education. I experienced how beneficial that kind of education can be, but also how hard it can be if you don’t do the ‘right’ things in the ‘right’ way.

LUX: Do you feel a responsibility to elevate others in the industry?
Patrick McDowell: I’m very aware of how privileged I am, but my journey, from where I came from to where I am now, was a lonely one. I embody that journey, but at the same time, I graduated from one of the world’s best fashion schools with a collection made from Burberry fabric donated by Christopher Bailey, and old Swarovski crystals, with a British Fashion Council scholarship. All of those things opened the doors for me. That’s why I cried every day for two weeks, walking across Hanover Square, when I first came [to the Jimmy Choo Academy]: I was so overwhelmed. But I’ve realised that by letting myself get so overwhelmed, I wasn’t doing anything productive. When I started looking into it, I was shocked that there aren’t more scholarships available in schools. It’s so easy and inexpensive for brands to do it, plus there’s no bad press for starting one. That’s why I built a scholarship programme into my next contract with Pinko. It’s also why I’ll always push for as many social and educational initiatives as I can. It’s usually something people come to later in their career, but in my view, there’s no time to waste.

LUX: You say that it is not only a designer’s responsibility to ‘create beautiful clothing’, but to also ‘redesign the systems they sit within’. How are you doing that from a sustainability perspective?
Patrick McDowell: I was already sustainability ambassador for the Jimmy Choo Academy, and now I’m also Designer in Residence. I only do one avant-garde collection a year. I’ll be doing my next collection in September so there’s no rush, which I appreciate: I can do it when I want to do it.

The rest of the year, I work with brands, schools, and Graduate Fashion Week. I mentioned Pinko, with whom we have a social corporate and sustainability focus. I’m about to do my fourth collection with them, but this year we’ve expanded it so that the business is also committing to 30% of this overall product having a sustainable attribute. We’re also starting a social sustainability programme to start scholarships and a stronger internship programme.

I’m not interested in constantly producing thousands of the same dress in slightly different colours because that’s how you grow a brand through a wholesale business model. I’m not desperate to become a global brand overnight. The impact I’ve made with all the projects I have done has been way bigger because I’ve worked with bigger organisations to make it happen, rather than going at it alone.

Photograph by Aaron Bird

LUX: This disinterest in building a brand overnight, is it personal to you or common among your peers?
Patrick McDowell: These days, it’s definitely more common for Central Saint Martins students to say they want to do less or fewer collections. Richard Malone is a great example of someone who has a very successful business that he’s intentionally keeping at a certain size, and making beautiful pieces that a certain type of person wants to buy or order. He has a made-to-order service in Selfridges. I never thought I’d see that!

Read more: Markus Müller on the Importance of Global Sustainability Standards

LUX: Would you say that sustainability is a modern day luxury?
Patrick McDowell: I think it is a version of luxury that we see now. For a long time, harm was  fashionable. ‘How many exotic animals are in your Birkin? Mine’s got four’ – that kind of thing. Now, people take pride in saying ‘my jacket didn’t harm anything’. That’s an interesting shift. But it’s complicated, because for some people, wearing an outfit from a fast fashion company is their only way to feel like the person they want to be. I’m not going to be the person sitting in this Mayfair studio telling them that fast fashion is wrong. If that’s something that keeps that person going, then they need that. It always goes back to education and class systems, and to the fact that this country is set up to stifle the majority of the people that exist in it. And remembering too that it’s not sustainable either to completely change a business that supports thousands of people, because those people would then have no jobs.

LUX: What has the response been from the brands with whom you work on sustainability initiatives?
Patrick McDowell: It can sometimes be difficult going into a brand and disrupting the whole way they work. A brand is used to working in a very linear way, and then I go in and start asking people to work with each other who would never usually each other. But all those connections are exactly what businesses will need to grow and survive. I hope that I can do these things with brands and then, once I leave, there’s the infrastructure in place for them to do the work themselves.

LUX: It’s as though brands need external disruption to make change.
Patrick McDowell: It can’t happen with the teams as they already exist. Everyone is so busy; it just doesn’t work. But they’re going to have to start somewhere, so that’s where my consultancy approach helps. I’m not locked into these crazy fashion cycles. We have to rethink everything right now, to find creative solutions for everything from journalism to mathematics, science to fashion. It’s an extremely modern way to be working – to be passion- and emotion-led. It’s what resonates.

LUX: During London Fashion Week in 2020, you collaborated with the Global Fashion Exchange to host the first Swap Shop. What was that like?
Patrick McDowell: It was the first Swap Shop for any major fashion week, and we re-circulated 500 garments in 3 days. I always think that fashion weeks should be idea hubs; you don’t have to have it fully formed – just show an idea. We digitally tokenised all the swaps through QR codes, and we didn’t know if it was going to work, but now everyone’s doing it!

LUX: Is this pressure for perfection holding fashion back sustainability-wise?
Patrick McDowell: Sometimes we’re so scared of making everything so polished – especially with sustainability, where there is so much anxiety. We’d rather say nothing, because if we say something, people are going to criticise everything. But we all have a responsibility to just let people try things out and make mistakes. People think businesses are these holy grails of perfection, but the fact is they’re made by people, and people make mistakes.

LUX: It sounds like we need to put the fun back into fashion.
Patrick McDowell: Yes, you have to do sustainability in a way that’s fashion. It’s still fashion week, and it has to work for fashion week. It has to look great. Don’t be lazy. Just because you remade something doesn’t mean it can look bad, it still needs to be aspirational!

That’s one of the reasons my graduate collection went so well, I think, because it was all made from this old Burberry fabric, and it was glam, fab, and clean. It’s an easy message to get your head around: old stuff, turned into new stuff. I haven’t reinvented the wheel, or spent 20 years trying to get the spider make silk. Not everything has to be life-changing.

LUX: Can you tell us about your next collection?
Patrick McDowell: Marie Antoinette.

Find out more: patrickmcdowell.co.uk

All fashion images: Patrick McDowell’s ‘Catholic Fairytales’ collection, photographed by Aaron Bird

Marie-Claire Daveu with Elodie Brunstein of ecological engineers Solicaz in French Guiana. Image by Magneto.

The Kering group, owner of Gucci and Bottega Veneta, led the luxury industry by pioneering a sustainability strategy years ago. Marie-Claire Daveu, who spearheaded this move, explains how environmental accounting and the blue economy are good for business, consumers and the planet

DEUTSCHE BANK WEALTH MANAGEMENT x LUX

Marie-Claire Daveu. © Benoît Peverelli

The fashion industry is dependent upon nature’s resources to manufacture. It is also a vast industry and, unfortunately, one of the most polluting. This means we have a specific responsibility to act now and transform our business model to mitigate the diminution of resources, loss of biodiversity and climate change that we already see affecting our industry and our planet. Sustainability is not an option; it is a necessity. And it demands definitive action from the fashion industry and beyond.

The blue economy in particular has to be a huge focus for everyone. The oceans are the lungs of the Earth, producing more than half the world’s oxygen and helping regulate our weather. But in the past few hundred years they have absorbed vast amounts of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions, raising their temperature and changing their chemistry and ecosystems. Marine animals and humans rely on the oceans to live, and the only way to mitigate the harm being done is to change the way we operate here on land – from reducing plastic and chemical waste to choosing renewable energy sources where possible.

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Kering has already implemented a series of measures specifically in recognition of the rapidly degrading ocean environment. We have been working for years to preserve ocean biodiversity via programmes and partnerships with recognised associations – most recently, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). And in 2017, our chairman and CEO, François-Henri Pinault, presented the Fashion Pact to the G7, incorporating ocean protection as one of its main environmental goals. It proposes a set of concrete actions, such as the adoption of pollution controls to safeguard the rivers and oceans from chemicals released through the fashion production processes; and compels companies to develop innovations that will eliminate microfibre pollution from the washing of synthetic materials.

Such innovation is vital to growing a sustainable blue economy. In 2017, we committed to reducing our environmental footprint by 40 per cent by 2025, and half of that reduction will come from innovation, which is crucial if we want to bring new solutions into our business model.

Today, we are looking for and investing in innovations that can address blue economy challenges, including closed-loop recycling, alternative materials and sustainable sourcing. But there is still a long way to go. One of the main challenges the blue economy is facing is plastic, used to pack, transport and store garments. The fashion industry needs to urgently tackle polybag-packaging waste. One possible innovation has been developed by the Plastics Packaging Project – a Fashion for Good initiative supported by a coalition of companies, including Kering. The project aims to reduce the impact and use of plastic packaging, and recently launched a pilot for the collection and recycling of garment polybags. They will be transformed into new plastic film products, closing the loop and dramatically reducing the amount of plastic waste that often ends up in our waterways.

Kering’s Materials Innovation Lab. Image by Jean-Luc Perreard

Transparency will be vital to the longevity of such initiatives. Studies show that millennials and Generation Z are very sensitive to sustainability – with a keen focus on traceability. They also have very high expectations. Generation Z entering the workforce, together with increasing sustainability questions from consumers, will drive further efforts in the fashion industry and increased transparency around a product’s origins.

Read more: These photographer-activists are capturing underwater beauty

Corporate sustainability agendas must take into account a product’s entire impact, from the raw materials to products reaching clients. At Kering, this has become an essential part of our products’ excellence, and we have made that process transparent through the creation of our Environmental Profit and Loss (EP&L) system, which measures, monetises and monitors the full environmental impact of a company’s operations across the entire supply chain, including greenhouse gas emissions, water use, water and air pollution, waste production and land use change. When you think about what is behind luxury, sustainability is often already built in: we use the highest quality raw materials; our products are made by skilled craftspeople; and some of them are passed down from generation to generation. They have to be perfect; even their sustainability must be perfect.

Building a sustainability strategy is about taking your whole supply chain and its impacts into account, and activating programmes to mitigate these impacts. The blue economy can be fully part of an environmental policy, and sustainability as a whole should be very much integrated in a company’s strategy. As an example, we know that the high-quality raw materials in luxury goods are ‘pre-designed’ for circularity, because of their value and versatility. But brands can extend product life cycles even further by employing recycled and upcycled materials. One blue-economy example within our supply chain is our collaboration with Econyl, makers of regenerated nylon yarn made of recycled fishnets, textile and industrial nylon waste. It has the same high quality as less sustainable alternatives, but can be endlessly regenerated.

Innovative collaborations such as these are the answer to accelerating sustainability. Our collaboration with IPBES is helping to strengthen the evidence base for better informed decisions about nature. And our EP&L hackathon in October 2019 brought developers and sustainability experts together to create digital tools that provide greater transparency around fashion’s footprint.

The message is clear: we want to play a pivotal role in leading the shift towards a sustainable future, but we can’t do it alone. Our action must be science-based and results-oriented. The private sector, governments and international organisations need to collaborate to protect nature and build a globally sustainable economy.

I am a very optimistic person, and I can see that a real shift has happened recently. Sustainability is at the heart of every conversation, both from companies and media, and this is a very good sign. Now it’s time for implementation, with unwavering determination. Fashion’s influence holds the key to accelerating those sustainable practices, both within our industry and beyond.

Marie-Claire Daveu is Kering’s chief sustainability officer.

Find out more: kering.com/en/sustainability

This article originally appeared in the LUX x Deutsche Bank Wealth Management Blue Economy Special in the Summer 2020 Issue.

Sunset, a limited edition photograph by Cathleen Naundorf. Courtesy of Cathleen Naundorf studio

Maryam Eisler

Following in the footsteps of Richard Avedon, Irving Penn and Peter Beard, Cathleen Naundorf is a world renowned photographer who works with large format analogue cameras to create a unique painterly aesthetic. Photographer and LUX Contributing Editor Maryam Eisler speaks to the Paris-based artist about photographing the Dalai Lama, creative influences and developing her own style

Cathleen Naundorf. Courtesy of the artist

Maryam Eisler: Cathleen, you have been working with analogue and large format cameras for some years now. I am interested in your visual aesthetics, especially in what you call your ‘Fresco’ imagery, which sits somewhere between photography and painting, in my opinion.
Cathleen Naundorf: Yes, that is correct indeed. The technique achieves painterly photographs. As a kid, at the age of four, I already had a pencil in my hand; I drew all my life. I was sponsored very early on, and had my first painting atelier at the age of twelve. It was only later that I decided to become a photographer, because I was looking for something that would allow me to both travel and remain close to painting, at the same time. I was young and didn’t want to be isolated in a studio, I wanted to go out and explore the world.

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I was raised in East Germany, and moved out before the wall was taken down; it was very difficult to get out. At the time, I was desperate to travel, and so, I applied for jobs with book editors and printed media. I landed my first job very early on, at the age of 23, for which I had to do a reportage on the Dalai Lama. By luck, I became a travel photographer, and I fell in love with this medium.

Corset by Cathleen Naundorf. Courtesy of Cathleen Naundorf studio

Cathleen on a studio shoot. Courtesy of the artist

To go back to your ‘Fresco’ question and achieving that painterly look, I decided to work with polaroid because you see the result immediately. Many 70s photographers also used polaroids as it was a great way to check up on lighting during the photo sessions. Helmut Newton used the XS – 70 polaroids, for example. I used small format polaroids during my travels, and took polaroid portraits of the people I photographed, in order to retain an immediate memory of them. From 2003, I started working in studios and so I chose the professional 8 x 10 inch and the 4 x 5 inch polaroid sheets. There were two reasons behind my choice of this particular material. Firstly, it allows for the development of unique pieces, and secondly,  it captures the light in a painterly way. In 2006, I started with the ‘Fresco’ technique, a complicated process, but well worth the complication as it produces stunning results!

Read more: ‘Confined Artists Free Spirits’ – Maryam Eisler’s lockdown portrait series

One of Cathleen’s storyboards for Anastasia, Vogue Thailand. Courtesy of Cathleen Naundorf studio

Maryam Eisler: I imagine this technique requires everything to be pre–planned?
Cathleen Naundorf: If you work with large format cameras and settings, you have to prepare the photo production well in advance. I draw everything first, each shot, just like you would if you were producing a movie. My storyboards explain the narrative which I have in mind. Each sitter (client or model) receives the story board several days before the shoot so as to get “in the mood”. My team also gets briefed in advance, and as such, all is well prepared. So, once you’re on set, the atmosphere is relaxed, giving time and space to concentrate on the subject, whilst allowing me to pull the trigger at the right moment … the extra ‘wow’ factor!

Read more: British-Iranian artist darvish Fakhr on the alchemy of art

Maryam Eisler: So storytelling is a significant part of your process?
Cathleen Naundorf: It’s always about storytelling. As mentioned, I started as a reportage photographer. When I worked with big agencies, they would always tell me ‘one picture needs to say it all’. I first put this theory to the test when I photographed the Dalai Lama, once when I was 24 and the second time at the age of 26. I think a photograph should always tell a story – this also applies to fashion photography, at least in my case.

Magic Garden, III ,Valentino Garavani, Wideville by Cathleen Naundorf. Courtesy of Cathleen Naundorf studio

Maryam Eisler: Would you say that your collaboration with your sitter equally becomes an integral part of the process?
Cathleen Naundorf: I always ask the person if he or she has agreed to be photographed. It’s a question of respect. Some situations are also very intimate, and the sitter needs to feel more comfortable than usual. With culturally diverse ethnic groups, especially, you need to take time, explain, share with them the process and the purpose of your work. It is a question of trust and communication. With models, they may find themselves nude in front of you. As such, you need to develop trust, respect and comfort, in the rapport which you establish with them. As a photographer, you have to have the ability to open the sitter’s soul, and in turn, they need to be made aware of that. That’s when you bring the best out of people.

Pose enchantée by Cathleen Naundorf. Courtesy of Cathleen Naundorf studio

Maryam Eisler: Do you have a secret formula or recipe in your photography? A signature of some sort?
Cathleen Naundorf: Not really. I am very critical of myself and try to improve the quality of my work with every shoot. It’s a daily task, step by step.

Read more: A new retrospective of photography by Terry O’Neill opens in Gstaad

Maryam Eisler: Most artists are doubters. They never know when the painting is finished. It is quite wonderful to have that certitude and to be able to say, ‘This is done! This is it!’
Cathleen Naundorf: Yes. When I shoot, I say to the team, ‘Guys that is it; we have it!’ It’s also fantastic to have the polaroid result in 60 seconds. Once I had to shoot the cover for a US magazine and I was photographing Laetitia Casta. I only shot seven polaroids and sent just ‘the one’ to the Editor-in-Chief of the magazine. They complained and asked to see more options, but I knew that that was the one. The magazines sold out, and there was the proof in the pudding! When you have it, you have it!

The enchanted forest I by Cathleen Naundorf. Courtesy of Cathleen Naundorf studio

The doubt by Cathleen Naundorf. Courtesy of Cathleen Naundorf studio

Maryam Eisler: How old were you when you left East Germany? And how much of an influence did your country of origin have on your career?
Cathleen Naundorf: I was 17 when I left East Germany. When I was 6 years old, people around me used to say ‘Oh she is an artist, she is so sensitive’. I knew then that I was different. Being raised under that regime made me very strong over the years. Freedom and human rights took top priority in my life as a result. To be physically and mentally free are essential to me. You need to make choices in life and stand for what you believe in. I had to pack my suitcase in 24 hours and take what I could. That teaches you a lot in life!

Maryam Eisler: The choice of photojournalism could be considered activism in itself.
Cathleen Naundorf: Yes, I wanted to give something back to society. At 18, I became an active member of Amnesty International. I worked on cases in Yugoslavia during the war and also in Turkey. In 1993, I met the Dalai Lama. I was very fortunate. As mentioned before, I did a reportage twice on him. I was the youngest photo reporter and I was also the only woman. It was, and still is hard for a woman to be in photojournalism. In East Germany where I grew up, women and men were really equal. So, when I came to the West, I was disappointed. I felt like I had to battle even more in order to gain respect. Even today, I sometimes feel like I have to battle in order to protect my rights and justify my job.

Read more: SKIN co-founder Lauren Lozano Ziol on creating inspiring homes

Maryam Eisler: How do you marry your two worlds together: activism and fashion? It seems like they would normally be at polar opposites of each other?
Cathleen Naundorf: Honestly, I never saw myself as a fashion photographer. Horst [P.Horst] became my mentor and influenced me in the direction of fashion photography at the beginning of my career, alongside the influences of work by Richard Avedon and Irving Penn. I was eventually taken under Tim Jefferies’ wing (Director of Hamiltons Gallery, Mayfair), and the rest is history! When I moved to Paris in 1998, fashion was a kind of ethnic voodoo, with a touch of glamour, especially during the times of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano. It was great and I saw eye to eye with that kind of fashion. But those times are over, there is no Diana Vreeland or Francesca Sozzani anymore. People think I belong to the fashion bunch, but I don’t really. I am considered an artist, even by the fashion industry, and I always want to keep it that way.

In the clouds, II by Cathleen Naundorf. Courtesy of Cathleen Naundorf studio

Maryam Eisler: Talk to me about the influence Horst had on you.
Cathleen Naundorf: When I discovered Horst’s photography, I called him in New York. I realised, that if this is and can be called fashion photography, then I must try and learn it. His work was magnificent. Later we found out, that my family and his family knew each other, because they each had big shops in the town of Weissenfels, in East Germany, on the same street! Can you believe that? He saw my travel pictures and he said ‘ Why don’t you try fashion?’ He influenced me at the beginning, and, of course, later on in my career, I developed my own personal style.

Maryam Eisler: Where do you find your inspiration?
Cathleen Naundorf: Everywhere. I always have pictures in my head! My fantasies drive me. And, I like to realise my dreams. It is these dreams and fantasies that empower me and make me feel alive!

View Cathleen Naundorf’s portfolio: cathleennaundorf.com
Instagram: @cathleennaundorf

British model Anna Proffitt. Instagram: @annaproffitt

LUX contributing editor and model at Models 1, Charlie Newman continues her online exclusive series, interviewing her peers about their creative pursuits, passions and politics

Charlie Newman

THIS MONTH: 22-year-old British model Anna Proffitt has appeared on the catwalk for top fashion houses and graced the pages of many glossy magazines all while juggling a university degree and setting up a platform to discuss slow fashion. Here, she talks to Charlie about escaping to the countryside, sustainable shopping habits and reintroducing a ‘mend-it’ mentality.

Charlie Newman: Firstly, can you tell me about your background? Where did you grow up?
Anna Proffitt: I actually just moved back to the village I grew up in, I missed the countryside and Derbyshire folk when I was in London full time! I’m from a tiny village near the Peak District that’s all hills, fields and forests. I love it now, but not so much when I was young, I thought it was very boring. Everything was very quiet, my primary school class only had nine students. I remember passing my driving test in about four months so I could have some freedom! Now I’m so happy to live in the quiet, I can hike, climb, run and see the horizon all the time. I’m much more productive when I’m here, it’s all the clean air.

Follow LUX on Instagram: luxthemagazine

Charlie Newman: Were you always interested in fashion fashion?
Anna Proffitt: It’s the classic story of someone from the middle of nowhere seeing fashion as this glamorous escapism. I had a subscription to Vogue when I was 14 and fantasised about what it would be like to work in the industry. I did Fashion Design at College then Fashion Communication at University. Midway through studying I was scouted by an agency in Milan and went there in my summer break. When I came back I decided that I wanted to pursue it properly so applied to London agencies online and Models 1 signed me. Having worked for three years now experiencing the ups and downs, I am so grateful for the opportunities that have come out of it and know how to make it work for me. I have great respect for models, you have to be very strong and grounded to succeed.

Instagram: @annaproffitt

Charlie Newman: How easy was it to manage both modelling and studying?
Anna Proffitt: I studied at Nottingham Trent University so I was on the train to London pretty frequently. At times, it was hard to juggle as my course was very intensive. I am naturally organised and hard working so I made it happen, I wrote a lot of my dissertation in queues for Fashion Week castings! I don’t think I would have done it in a different order as my modelling career helped with my course, it inspired and influenced a lot of the projects I did. I had a real industry perspective so could tune my projects to what actually happens in fashion, not just what I read about. I’m lucky to have had truly supportive agency that respected my studies and asked how I was. The stress of third year really took its toll on me so I took a long break from modelling but with a great team, I came back and walked Celine in the September after graduation.

Charlie Newman: In my opinion, catwalk modelling is the most gruelling part of the industry. How do you get through fashion week?
Anna Proffitt: It really is! I’ve certainly not always thrived in it, you have to be so in tune with yourself and able to ignore a lot as the nature of the process strips away your self-worth very easily if you let it. But then you have to be in it to win it. It’s all about the balance of knowing what is right and safe for your physical and mental health whilst allowing your ego to take you into that model mentality. I have a much stronger sense of self now, I guess it comes with age. So fashion week wouldn’t be so gruelling for me now as I know how to keep myself level.

Read more: Truffle making & Michelin-star dining at St. James’s Hotel & Club

Charlie Newman: What has been your favourite show to walk in and why?
Anna Proffitt: Celine is the biggest show I’ve walked yet and it was amazing to be surrounded by some of the biggest names in the industry. It was fascinating to see how a big fashion house works and be a part of the hype around Hedi Slimane’s first season at Celine. As a dressmaker myself, it was a dream come true to see how expert tailors fit the garments and discuss fabrics. I love Paris so much too, being able to spend 3 weeks there was amazing. Travel is definitely the biggest perk of the job!

Charlie Newman: Other than Celine, what’s been a career highlight so far?
Anna Proffitt: I loved the shoot I did for Wonderland Magazine with Campaign for Wool. It was all about championing British industry and conscious consumption which I am extremely passionate about and it was also my first glossy magazine shoot. I ended up collaborating with Campaign for Wool on my final major project at University. It’s so fulfilling when you meet lovely people on a job that you get on with and can work with on other projects.

Charlie Newman: Who do you look up to within the industry?
Anna Proffitt: I look up to the Ateliers of Haute Couture, they are some of the most skilful and talented people on the planet. My favourite artists in the industry are Rei Kawakubo, Tim Walker, the late Alexander McQueen and Christopher Simmonds.

Instagram: @annaproffitt

Charlie Newman: How did you come up with the concept for The Idle Hands Collective?
Anna Proffitt: Idle Hands is a platform that discusses conscious consumption in the fashion industry. It started as a way I could visually explore the topic so more people can join the conversation. I am passionate about the craft of fashion and using what we already have, there are so many amazing clothes in the world we don’t need to make more, especially more that are made from plastic and fall apart after one wear. I want to champion quality over quantity and prove you don’t have to forfeit your aesthetic in the slightest to dress sustainably. The blog consists of think pieces about sustainable fashion and features people, makers and communities that are paving the way. It goes alongside my vintage and up-cycled business which I have on Depop and my Instagram.

Read more: Why Spain is best for cultural travelling by Geoffrey Kent

Charlie Newman: As consumers, how can we make our approach to fashion more sustainable?
Anna Proffitt: Stop buying crap clothes! Why would you want to put your hard-earned cash to something that you know will only last you about two months? I would love to see a massive shift in consumer mentality that champions quality items over anything the fast fashion brands give you (which are inherently made to be disposable). I would love for charity and second-hand shops to be destigmatized and a ‘make do and mend’ mentality to be reintroduced. In this consumerist society, we can vote with our wallet, so make your money count.

Instagram: @annaproffitt

Charlie Newman: Who are your favourite sustainable brands?
Anna Proffitt: My favourite sustainable fashion brands are: Paloma Wool which is ethically made in Barcelona, Girls of Mars, FARA Charity shops because they are usually nicely presented and Rokit Vintage (my favourite is the Covent Garden branch). I am currently using a face oil by an independent maker called Lovely Skincare based in Sheffield and I use Neal’s Yard too as their green credentials are to be envied.  The Body Shop and L’Occitane have recently teamed up with TerraCycle so you can recycle all beauty empties in store, which is quite revolutionary. The best places to shop are always local; support your local community. Shop your local markets, greengrocers, hardware stores, charity shops and book shops.

Charlie Newman: Lastly who is your role model of the month and why?
Anna Proffitt: My role model of the month is the climber Nina Williams. I watched her documentary at the Reel Rock Film Festival and I am in awe of her mindset and strength. Go check her out!

Follow Anna on Instagram: @annaproffitt

Olivier Rousteing with models, including Cara Delevingne, after Balmain’s SS19 show at the Hôtel de Ville in Paris

The French label Balmain, known for its 1950s couture, has been turned into a leader of the 21st-century pack by its creative director Olivier Rousteing. Harriet Quick meets him at his lair in Paris to discuss glamour, music and diversity

“Glamour never went away but right now we don’t like to like glamour – it’s something taboo, a guilty pleasure. It is easier to say a grey oversized coat is chic and beautiful,” says Olivier Rousteing. Over the past eight years as creative director of Balmain, Rousteing has started a brilliant new chapter in Parisian glamour with his continual reinvention of the fashion lexicon, with his signature ballast-shouldered d-b blazers, crazy beautiful embellishments, and architectural silhouettes conceived for megawatt impact. There are many neutral, minimalist suits and swishy plissé skirts designed for 2019. He’s the master of unapologetic va-va-voom, the kind that is rewarded with fire-flame emojis on Instagram, the kind that speaks of female empowerment, dynamism and a knock ’em-out fighting spirit, a message that the brand spreads far and wide.

Follow LUX on Instagram: the.official.lux.magazine

Balmain’s spring/summer 2019 collection, staged late last year under the frescoed ceilings of the Hôtel de Ville in Paris, was a paean to the extraordinary depth and breadth of culture in the capital, to Rousteing’s own exploration of it and to Parisian savoir-faire. Model and actress Cara Delevingne opened the show in a sculpted metal bustier, a fluid white satin trench with exaggerated shoulders and utility trousers that would suit a modern-day Cleopatra. Extreme fan shapes in triple organza arched over the torso like an unfolded concertina, micro dresses were constructed out of a mosaic of Plexiglas and black graphic knits boasting white hieroglyphics. “We’ve also riffed on the origins of modern-day Paris – and, actually, modern civilization itself. My fascination with the impressive obelisks, pyramids and columns that date from Napoleon’s campaigns and adorn this city’s most iconic public spaces is reflected in the collection’s many references to Egypt,” says Rousteing of his tour de force.

There are no half measures with Rousteing and he admires designers who work with similar conviction. “In my eight years as creative director, we’ve seen so many strong trends. I’m a huge fan of Demna Gvasalia, Hedi Slimane, Phoebe Philo and Raf Simons – they have visions and strong points of view. When I saw the hyper-real street wear of Vetements, I was happy because it is refreshing, but it doesn’t mean I have to do that. In fact, the opposite – you have to become more you. One might like or dislike Balmain but it keeps a fan and customer base, and you have to challenge and be relevant every season,” says the 33-year-old.

Olivier Rousteing, photographed in Paris in 2017 by Pascal Dangin

“I love what is figurative and what people can see. I use a lot of patterns and craftsmanship because I love the first IMPACT! But just because a piece is shiny does not mean there’s no depth. It’s so easy to say ‘bling’ but that means nothing. A piece can be shiny and be created with so many innovative artisan techniques – it is more than surface. The Tour Eiffel is impressive with or without lights; I hope, night or day – these clothes can stand up,” says the designer who joined Balmain and became its studio manager under his predecessor, Christophe Decarnin, in 2011. Previously, he had worked as Peter Dundas’s right hand at Roberto Cavalli, excelling in that brand’s neo-bohemian glamour.

Read more: In conversation with artist Victoria Fu

Balmain is majority owned by the Qatari investment fund Mayhoola, which is also behind Valentino, Pal Zileri and Anya Hindmarch. The luxury investment business that is supported by the emir of Qatar paid around $560 million for Balmain in 2016. The operations of the royal family-owned luxury investment business is secretive, with turnover figures for the brand undisclosed. To date, 80% of the turnover of Balmain has been at wholesale with collections for men, women and children being sold into multi-label boutiques and department stores around the globe. Success at wholesale equates to customer loyalty, which is impressive in this era of promiscuous label shopping. This year, under the new CEO Massimo Piombini, there is a major expansion into brick-and-mortar stores, with flagships opening in Miami, Moscow, Paris, Rome and Las Vegas. “Piombini is daring and is not afraid, and I love to push the limits of design. This is the base of making a great business in fashion. With Mayhoola, we want to make the business BIG and push it to the next level,” says Rousteing. Currently, Balmain employs 350 staff with 25 in the design studio.

This year has also seen new developments with the launch of a demi-couture collection entitled ‘44 François Premier’ (it carries the address of founder Pierre Balmain’s original atelier); a twice-yearly women’s wear capsule called Episode, which is showcased during the menswear shows; and a big boost to shoes and handbags. The line ‘Beauty’, following a capsule line with L’Oréal, is in the works. In total, Rousteing designs 14 collections a year.

Balmain SS19 ready-to-wear collection

The shift into demi-couture is significant in its appeal to a growing number of younger couture clientèle. Where a typical heavily embellished cocktail dress might cost £2,500–4,000 in ready-to-wear, a gown in ‘44 François Premier’ is £20,000 and up. “The line is not about trend or future forecasting; it’s about beauty for beauty’s sake, with iconic pieces; we have a huge market for that with so many celebrities embracing the brand,” says Rousteing, whose designs were inspired by his delving into the archives and by the golden years of Pierre Balmain, who dressed Hollywood, socialites and royalty in his exuberant designs in the mid-century. For Rousteing, the jewel-coloured ‘Dynasty’-style gowns, with their gigantic ruffles and furls and sinuous Grecian drapes as well as hand-crafted embellishments by Maison Legeron (a long-established maker of fabric flowers) proved a timely recalibration of the couture dream. The line quickly picked up red-carpet strikes with Lupita Nyong’o and Penélope Cruz parading looks at summer premieres.

Rousteing’s latest show was streamed live to the few lucky owners of Oculus VR headsets. While virtual reality has been used by brands including Chanel (in exhibitions) and Dior (in VIP presentations), the VR stream flagged up the digital savvy of Rousteing who embraced the peer-to-peer power of social media and Instagram (where he has five million followers) early on, much to the snobbish dismay of the old luxury elite. “We always have to remain two steps ahead,” says Rousteing, thumbing the shiny gold Balmain buttons on the shoulder line of his cashmere Breton sweater as he sits behind a vast desk of brown marble and bronze.

Balmain’s new store in Miami

The contemporary take on the Parisian dream is epitomised in the micro-detail of the scintillating embellishments, as much as it is in the flagship interiors. The stores offer a new version of the traditional hôtel particulier with white stucco interiors, gilded mirrors and parquet floors that you could skateboard across, with the associated uptight, cloistering atmosphere banished. Likewise, the virtual universe is vibey with campaigns directed as pop videos. Cue the sonic autumn campaign video entitled ‘The Balmain Beat’ (their ad campaign using a series of films) directed by Jake Nava who has worked with Beyoncé and Britney Spears. It features a group of disparate performers including Milla Jovovich and Daphne Guinness in diverse locations in Paris, from empty office blocks to an 18th-century folly, drawn together by a spontaneously evolving tune played out on found instruments. It shows off the brand’s hero bag – a classy BBox bag with a medallion clasp – and clothes that vibrate with neon colour and metallic sheen.

Watch ‘The Balmain Beat’ Fall/Winter 2018:

What are his views on social media? “It’s a fantastic communication channel yet we have to be careful. Five years ago what I loved was the transparency and authenticity of social media – it was spontaneous and honest. Right now, it’s too commercial and you lose the magic of honesty and credibility. The millennials are not going to like it, as they don’t want to feel trapped,” he says.

In the Balmain world, real or virtual, music is a constant. Prince’s ‘When Doves Cry’ was the opening track to the spring/summer 2019 show. “We are witnesses of our time. I’m very passionate about inclusivity; I’m mixed race myself, and I look for diversity in everything I do. And listening is a key to that inclusivity. There’s a rhythm of life happening all around us. You won’t be scared of what happens tomorrow, if you take the time to listen,” says Rousteing.

Rousteing’s ‘lair’ is a spacious glass-walled office on the top of a six-floor HQ in a narrow street in the 8e. The brown marble and bronze desk, stacked with piles of books, devices and leafy plants, is his own design. While he is working, at the gym, or sketching, loud music is his constant companion. His catholic taste includes David Bowie, Rihanna, Ed Sheeran, 80s electro pop, rock and roll, and RnB. His spring/summer 2019 menswear was devoted to Michael Jackson, with its sequin jackets, rolled-cuff denim and white sock/patent shoe combos.

Read more: Italian brand Damiani’s Kazakh-inspired jewellery collection

Rousteing is one of the few black designers currently at the helm of a major brand. Recently, Virgil Abloh was appointed head of menswear at Louis Vuitton, but the numbers are tiny. Independent talents, who have the black experience at the heart of their work, include Duro Olowu and Grace Wales Bonner in London; Stella Luna in Milan; and in New York, Telfar, Pyer Moss and Shayne Oliver.

He has brought pop into fashion and fashion into pop and, by virtue of that ambitious confluence, has opened up a once tired old fashion house to the world. Balmain resonates with a vast audience that exists in and beyond the relatively limited fashion devotee circle. His collections are anthems built on a masterful spectacle and pageantry. He works closely with Rihanna, who first visited his studio in 2013, and he has created hundreds of looks, running the gamut from Egyptian goddess to American high-school denim and sweats, for Beyoncé and her crew for Coachella 2018. A limited-edition line was released shortly afterwards.

Balmain SS19 ready-to-wear collection

“Sometimes people love the tortured element of fashion – depressed, dark and wounded – and there is a depth and struggle in my clothes, but I am pudique (modest). I don’t like being in your face with the torment of creating my clothes,” says the designer who wears no sign of angst on his dewy, unlined complexion. Rousteing has a naturally mellifluous voice and a gentle, warm smile that mellow his fierce rhetoric.

While Rousteing might be a champion of diversity, global messaging and universality, he also remains particularly and brilliantly French. He upholds the values of Parisian glamour that he first fell in love with when a young boy of mixed race raised by adoptive parents in Bordeaux, gazing at images of Iman, Betty Catroux and Catherine Deneuve with their just undone coiffures and smouldering sexuality. He faced adversity (although he does not go into details) but one can assume that a bourgeois city in south-western France might not have been as liberal as it appears now.

Read more: The Bahamas’ new 1,000 acre luxury resort

“I’m obsessed with being French. I am not conservative but I love to push traditions to the next level,” says the designer who joined Balmain at the young age of 24 and brought about radical change making the brand diverse, inclusive, ‘empowered’. Those values, championed by the greats in the 1960s and 70s – Pierre Balmain and Yves Saint Laurent included – had fallen by the wayside in the following century. Now, a more humanistic approach is considered a vital ingredient of contemporary fashion. Frenchness to Rousteing is about creativity, breaking boundaries and yes, freedom, liberté, egalité and fraternité. His own ‘nest’ is in a light-filled Haussmann-heritage building in the 11e that is a contrast of bold minimalism and flamboyant baroque style. His pride and joy is a vast sculpture of a bronze eagle that boasts dazzling amethyst rock. Thinking about the price of Balmain demi-couture, I ask the designer what he would do with 40,000 euros. His answer is a big slab of brown marble to create a piece of furniture from, to go alongside the gym. “I love the way light dances off marble,” he says.

“Being too popular? I’ve never understood that language. Democratising is not something that’s not luxurious. People talk about chic, about style, about proportions, about the front row, but who is defining these words today and what do they mean? If you take a dictionary 20 years or 100 years from now, you will have new words and new meanings and it’s time for fashion to take on a new meaning.”

Discover the Balmain collections: balmain.com

This article was first published in the Winter 19 Issue

Model and actress Adrianna Gradziel. Instagram: @adriannagradziel

LUX contributing editor and model at Models 1, Charlie Newman continues her online exclusive series, interviewing her peers about their creative pursuits, passions and politics

Charlie Newman

THIS MONTH: At the age of 30, Adrianna Gradziel’s career resembles someone twice her age. With campaigns for La Roche Posay, Clarins, Vichy, Pandora, a Mercedes TV advert and a Van Cleef and Arpels perfume advert under her belt, Adrianna branched off into the world of acting, landing roles in two French TV series as well as the French Rom-Com I kissed a girl. Born in Vienna, she speaks and has performed in three “and a half” languages: English, Polish, French and a little bit of Italian. Charlie speaks to Adrianna about the development of her career, female solidarity, and dealing with rejection

Charlie Newman: What was the reaction from family and friends when you started modelling? Were they supportive?
Adrianna Gradziel: I don’t know if my parents were all that supportive with the idea of me becoming a model because
they thought I would be better off studying and staying at home. I started, like a lot of models, really young at 15 so I moved out of home at 17, inevitably they were a bit worried. But then after some time they realised everything was going well, that I didn’t party wildly and that they could have confidence in me. At the beginning they thought the job was dangerous, with strange people and maybe a bit superficial, but then they saw that I was making something out of my life, and how happy I was working.

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Charlie Newman: Was modelling something that was always on your radar or was it a total shock when you were approached?
Adrianna Gradziel: Actually, modelling wasn’t something I was thinking about at all. But then I was approached on the street by a mutual friend of my parents who was a model agent in Vienna and he was the first to sign me. I felt really flattered at that age because all of us in our teens are really uncomfortable in our bodies. So for someone to tell me I could model and go and work in Paris made me feel great about myself.

Charlie Newman: What has been a career highlight for you so far?
Adrianna Gradziel: One of my career highlights so far has definitely been working with Jean Paul Goude with whom I shot a Galerie Lafayette campaign. He’s such an incredible artist – he was the guy who basically created Grace Jones and the artist she became. I was so impressed by the way he works because he is super friendly and knows exactly what he wants, he gives good direction and he doesn’t have to be rude to get people to listen. I really love working with people like that.

In October, I had a job in Spain where I worked with a Spanish director called Victor Clement for a TV commercial. He was exactly the same type of person who is very creative, loves his job and comes up with great ideas quickly. It was amazing to see someone so creative within the constrains of such a commercial job, I loved working with him. For me, it’s about working with great people.

Charlie Newman: If you could work with any photographer who would it be and why?
Adrianna Gradziel: There are a lot of people whose work I really admire but are impossible to work with as they have died. Helmut Newton for example, whose imagery of strong and sensual women I love because it’s so powerful. I also love the softness of Paolo Roversi’s imagery, it’s very feminine too but in a different kind of way, it’s more vulnerable and sensitive.

Instagram: @adriannagradziel

Charlie Newman: What would you say are the best and most challenging parts of modelling are?
Adrianna Gradziel: The best parts of modelling are definitely travelling and meeting fun, creative, crazy people. I wouldn’t have got to where I am today without all the bonds I’ve created with them and you’re paid really well. What is definitely more challenging, and for me personally, is that I had a little too much weight for the job. It was really hard for me to live up to the expectations of the job; to always be in shape, always happy, always smiling. Sometimes you have to be a little bit of machine. I’m a very sensitive person, I’m not the same person everyday so sometimes I wouldn’t feel so great, but that immediately comes through in your work. This is very tough because you’re expected to be this joyful, sparky person all the time and if you’re not then people aren’t afraid to tell you you’re not on top which is super hard.

Another part is that you can be really lonely a lot of the time when you’re working. When you move out of home so young you don’t have friends everywhere, you’re constantly travelling and often alone. One negative which I have now found to be a positive is the fact that you don’t know when or where your next job is going to be. At first it’s hard to adjust to this carefree lifestyle, but now I enjoy the fact that not every day is the same. Also when you’re young it’s really hard to stand your ground when people are being rude or expecting too much of you. Now that I’m 30, I’m not afraid to speak up.

Charlie Newman: What was the process between you transitioning from modelling to acting? Has it always been on the cards or was it something you just fell into?
Adrianna Gradziel: Acting was something that has been on my mind since I was younger but I never really had the courage to say it out loud, it always seemed like some weird dream you can never actually do. Then when started modelling I kind of forgot about it, but my agent and ex-boyfriend in the same week mentioned that I should try acting because they thought I might like it. I then enrolled at the Cours Florent and I quickly realised how much I enjoyed doing it. The transition from modelling to acting is tough though because you don’t feel legitimate at the beginning. So many models try acting, yet not so many are good at it and also because you’re pretty, people often think that opportunities come more easily. I always had the feeling that I needed to be better and do more so I could prove them wrong because models are seemed as superficial etc. I even cut my hair to make me look more interesting or maybe more arty, but in the end I think it all comes from inside.

You just have to train really hard to be a good actor, you can’t just rely on natural talent. I didn’t feel good enough to be an actress at the beginning. It wasn’t until only recently that I started to believe in myself. You might think acting and modelling are two similar jobs because it’s about an image on a screen, but it’s not at all the same. Acting is about emotions, whilst modelling can be but it’s mostly about selling something ,which are two completely different things. A director’s camera and a photographer’s camera expect two different things from you.

Read more: How Hublot’s attracting a new generation of customers

Charlie Newman: What has been your favourite character to play so far and why?
Adrianna Gradziel: I think my favourite character so far was Natalia from a French comedy TV show. It was a great role. She was a Polish lady who moved to France with her husband and was really unhappy with him so she was very grumpy all the time! I loved playing this character because she was a foreigner in the country she lives in and felt lonely, which of course I could relate to. Mainly, it was fun to play the role because it was a comedy and a cliché of how we see Eastern people. I really enjoyed playing out this cliché, for example, Polish people only eat potatoes and all those kind of jokes. The preparation for it was interesting too because I had to have a Polish accent in English! It helped train me in accents and apply it to future projects.

Instagram: @adriannagradziel

Charlie Newman: If you could work with any director who and why?
Adrianna Gradziel: Wow there are so many! Firstly, I love Wes Anderson movies because of all the juxtapositions. They’re childish yet elegant, deep but shallow, entertaining but violent all at the same time, which is a most amazing combination. I love Pawel Pawlikowski’s work, it’s extremely beautiful whether it’s the frames, the light or the writing. His films are very moving, I feel like he is a director who really has something to say and that it’s really crucial for him to tell the story, it’s in his flesh.

Charlie Newman: What was your favourite film growing up as a child and what’s your favourite movie now?
Adrianna Gradziel: My favourite movie when I was growing up was all the James Bond movies because we watched them with my family and it was always such a pleasant family moment. Growing older, tastes change. It’s difficult to pick one movie but I think The Double life of Véronique has moved me the most, it has a special place in my heart.

Charlie Newman: With acting and modelling comes relentless rejection which can be extremely tough -how do you overcome this? Do you have any advice for other aspiring models/actors on how to combat
it?
Adrianna Gradziel: This is a great question because there aren’t many jobs out there where you experience daily rejection. At the beginning it was so tough because I permanently felt that it was for a personal reason, therefore I took it personally. I was constantly trying to adapt to something I could’t control. Then one day when it wasn’t bearable anymore I thought maybe I should actually start doing some spiritual evolution inside of myself, see the bigger picture and not take myself too seriously. Now, I know if I don’t get a job it’s only because it’s not meant to be, and to have more faith in myself. Also I think if you chose this line of work, you have to accept that rejection becomes part of your daily life and you shouldn’t see it as something damaging, but instead as something constructive. Rejection makes you learn about yourself, so I think it should be seen as more of a blessing than an injury.

Charlie Newman: You are working within two industries that are heavily involved within the MeToo movement. From your experience, is there anything you would like to see change personally? How do you think both industries can better themselves?
Adrianna Gradziel:  The MeToo movement is highlighting a huge global problem, affecting every industry. What I would like to see improve more is female solidarity. We can’t break out of the patriarchal society without coming together. We have to overcome the intimidation we feel by a woman who might be older than you, or prettier than you or whatever. If we are all looking out for each other then we can help one another to stand up for ourselves in testing times. Once that happens on ground level, then hopefully it will filter up to a political and economic level too.

Charlie Newman: Who’s your role model of the month?
Adrianna Gradziel: I have a a few! My mum, because I’m always so impressed by the fact that despite her age, she still sees life through a child’s eyes, she has so much energy and is very emotional and generous. My friend Valeria for being such a tough warrior and my acting teacher Tom because I look forward to his classes so much. They’re all very powerful people who give me light, inspire me and go further.

Follow Adrianna on Instagram: @adriannagradziel