From The Observer Magazine
[FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif] Lucinda Chambers
Creative director, Marni[/FONT]
[FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif] For the past few years, one of the hottest show tickets in Milan has been for Marni, the folksy, artisan collection overseen by Consuelo Castiglioni. Fashionistas go crazy for the label's quirky handbags, as well as the charming mix of hand-crafted prints. The label's secret weapon is Lucinda Chambers, mother of three, textile fanatic and fashion director of British Vogue . 'I've done a lot of consultancies, from high street to designer,' says Chambers. [/FONT]
[FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]Her work with Marni, which was essentially a fur house, began when she was asked to work on an advertising campaign. The meeting turned into something bigger. 'I thought, why don't we do fashion fur coats? Why don't we make fur coats for younger people?' It was a meeting of minds. Chambers clicked with the family-run business. 'It was more about a way of life, and a way of wearing clothes. We started doing a relaxed, eclectic collection. Nothing is done from a business point of view. It's really, "What do we want to wear? What do our children want to wear?" We never think, "This is groovy and hip."' Whatever the formula, it has certainly worked. Marni's prints are now more influential than its furs, and the fashion world looks forward to each new collection with bated breath. 'They don't want to be big. We've been very surprised by its success. They feel it should be like a family restaurant you keep to yourself.' [/FONT]
[FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]Chambers, 42, began her working life after attending Hornsey Art College, as a PA to Vogue 's then editor, Beatrix Miller. 'I couldn't type or anything,' she says, but she enjoyed dressing up for work, and eventually got to assist the fashion director, Grace Coddington. Apart from a few years when she worked with Sally Brampton on the launch of British Elle , she has worked most of her life for Vogue . She spends about 22 weeks of the year away, shooting on location with photographers including Mario Testino, with whom she works a lot. One of her earlier consultancies was for Prada. At the time, nobody had even heard of the label. Chambers worked with Miuccia on the first collections for the brand and continued consulting for seven years. [/FONT]
[FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]It's important to Chambers that she is given room to play. She admits to not being a very good businesswoman. She is far more interested in creative freedom. With Marni, there are few constraints. 'Creatively, I can just fly,' she says. Her own house is full of colour and fun, and her collections of fabrics and trimmings which she has been collecting since she was a child. She never throws any out, and they provide her with a constant source of reference material. [/FONT]
[FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]'A collection can start with anything,' she says. 'The last one started with a belt. It was an old belt with chains and gold. Everything was based around this belt.' She found it in Portobello market, and knew it was a good find the minute she saw it. 'It can be anything, from pieces of old fabric to a pair of clogs, bedspreads, pencil sharpenings.' [/FONT]
[FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]A true creative genius, Chambers finds inspiration in everything. She even keeps all her slivers of old soap because, she says, 'the colours are so pretty'. [/FONT]
I'd only known her as the stylist for Marni and was never able to see her work, so I'm very pleased! I like the first collection of photos too. She has a knack for composition and blends textures and colours together very beautifully
