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A model market
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Kate Moss for Topshop, Elle Macpherson's lingerie range. Millia in Harvey Nicks... As celebrities and models increasingly make the shift from showcasing fashion to designing it, is this democratisation or a dumbing down of the industry, asks Jess Cartner-Morley[/FONT]
[FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]Saturday February 17, 2007
The Guardian
[/FONT]
[FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]Elle Macpherson poses for photographers during a photocall to launch a range of her designs. Photograph: Bruno Vincent/Getty Images
[/FONT] The hottest new British fashion designer of 2007 is not, as you might expect, some kooky young prodigy fresh out of Central St Martins. In fact, she has no design training at all (and, by all accounts, can't draw for toffee). She has, however, spent nearly two decades at the epicentre of the fashion industry, notching up 23 Vogue covers and a few million in the bank along the way. She is, of course, Kate Moss.
Back in September last year, when Moss's new role as designer of her own Topshop range was still just an unconfirmed rumour, it had already attracted the kind of column inches most British designers spend their careers dreaming of. When the 90 -piece range finally hits stores on May 1, scenes of mass hysteria are pretty much guaranteed. Few have thought to quibble with Moss' transition from wearing clothes to designing them - she is, after all, simply the latest and most high profile example of a growing trend.
Elle Macpherson long ago graduated from life as a supermodel to being head of a thriving empire. Jovovich-Hawk, designed by Milla Jovovich and Carmen Hawk - both successful models - has in the past 18 months become one of the most critically acclaimed small labels at New York fashion week. A stint on the catwalk is starting to look like an even better leg-up in the designer ranks than an eye-catching degree show or an internship at Armani.
Kate Moss is as famous for her wardrobe, these days, as she was for her waif-like figure 15 years ago. She has a very finely tuned instinct for spotting a trend early; combined with the ability to impart sex appeal to the most unlikely garments, she creates a virtuous circle: she spots something that could be come a trend, she wears it, and by wearing it she guarantees it catches on. Why, even Hunter wellies, favoured footwear of pig farmers and fishermen, were imbued with glamour the moment Moss sported them backstage at a music festival.
Even at the height of her cover-girl fame, Elle Macpherson "never felt comfortable about making my career out of modelling. I was a surfer chick studying law in Sydney; I started modelling to pay for school books. Fashion never really resonated with me , but five years into my career I had done a lot of lingerie shoots, and I realised I could use my experience , along with the recognition I had, to launch a company. It was a business decision."
Macpherson was by no means the first model to cross over to designing - Twiggy put her name to a range of dresses back in the 1960s - but her success as a businesswoman has altered perceptions of life beyond the catwalk. Today, she is creative director of lingerie brand Elle Macpherson Intimates, a role which involves "working on design, packaging and behind-thescenes stuff, as well as getting out front and selling it to the public ". Although Macpherson modelled early collections herself, she no longer does so; our chat today is scheduled between business meetings rather than shoots.
Other ex-models have turned to design as a creative outlet rather than a business one. When Milla Jovovich and Carmen Hawk launched their label four years ago, they stitched the first collection by hand in their apartments. These days, after several seasons notching up good reviews and prestigious stockists, they can hire staff - but the mood of the collection remains cerebral rather than commercial. References include Gertie Stein and Katharine Hepburn rather than, say, Mischa Barton and Kate Bosworth.
Nonetheless, many of those in the fashion industry who have a real knowledge of and passion for design are concerned that the "model " ranges are symptomatic of a "dumbing down " of fashion. Willie Walters, fashion course director at Central St Martins, admits to being "thoroughly fed up" with "the whole celebrity thing. In fact, if I thought about it too much I would probably give up and go home. But I don't pay it much attention. I see it as ephemera. It has nothing to do with serious fashion design." Does it devalue the training St Martins stands for ? "There probably are people out there stupid enough to think that all you need to be a designer is to be famous and thin. But luckily, I don't have to deal with those people very often."
Savannah Miller, St Martins alumni (with a First, no less) and sister of Sienna, is in a unique position on the training-versus-celebrity debate. While a student, she did a stint at Alexander McQueen; since graduating she has designed knitwear for Anya Hindmarch and Shanghai Tang. She has just fi nished work on the first collection for her own label Twenty8Twelve - a collaboration with Sienna, whose designing qualification is that she is already a high-street fashion icon.
The Millers are savvy enough to realise that Sienna's profile and proven ability as a clothes horse is a crucial element of their appeal. "Sienna's clothes were being ripped off left right and centre, and usually really badly. And then the opportunity for backing came up" - from Pepe Jeans boss Carlos Ortega - "and we thought , there's something happening here that we may as well take advantage of. It's an opportunity for me as a designer - and I think it could do great things for Sienna's public image, because it's a very sophisticated collection, not like some of the rubbish in the shops supposedly inspired by her."
Twenty8Twelve will blend the sisters' personal styles. "I'm very romantic, and Sienna's more rock'n 'roll, and the amalgamation makes something quite unique. So the first collection has elements that are very ethereal and pretty, and others that are more Dickensian - quite dark and eerie. Ultimately, we are designing clothes we want to wear - we're not trying to be Nicolas Ghesquière, much as I would adore to be able to do what he does. We are just trying to make beautiful clothes which are fl attering, and which women will want to wear. That's quite enough of a challenge in itself."
Savannah insists that Sienna was involved at every stage of the process. "The collection began with ideas from both of us, and our co-designer . As it turned out, we were all thinking along the same lines. From there we did visual research, and made mood boards, and then started drawing. Most of that was done by me and the team, because of Sienna's filming schedule, but she was constantly emailing and web-chatting. She can draw, too."
In this, Sienna may be the exception. As Willie Walters puts it, "Milla and Kate may be savvy young women, with a good eye - and of course, think how much incredible fashion Kate's seen over the years - but I don't imagine they are sitting down with a sketchbook." The "Kate Moss Topshop " collection is heavily under wraps until an exclusive in the April edition of Vogue , but a Topshop spokesman will reveal that it had a slightly different modus operandi. "Kate doesn't draw, but she was heavily involved in the design process. She has worked alongside the team, bringing in things she found in vintage stores. And she's the fit model, so she tries everything on to make sure it's right. When you see the collection, it's very her."
What's more, says Topshop, the way the collection will be stocked refl ects how Moss would wear the clothes. So rather than being strictly divided into seasons, there will be hotpants alongside sweaters - because that's how Moss dresses. This is important, because it refl ects the fact that the emphasis of fashion has shifted from the cut and construction of a garment to how a look has put together. As Savannah Miller says, "it's all about how you wear clothes. I might come up with a pretty silk dress, but Sienna will put it on with thick tights and killer shoes and yesterday's make-up, and suddenly it looks rock hard."
Fashion purists would argue that this way of viewing fashion - that how you "style " or put together your clothes has as much impact as the intrinsic nature of the clothes themselves - is further evidence of the dumbing down of fashion. Those designers who are seen in the fashion industry as lacking in substance are often dismissed as being "just stylists", meaning that they are merely tweaking and rearranging fashion material that is already out there. Interior designers, as opposed to architects, as one comparison has it. Be this as it may, however, the ubiquity of Rachel Zoe has left no one in any doubt that stylists - particularly those who occupy that space on the Venn diagram where styling and celebrity intersect - are increasingly infl uential. Indeed, Zoe already puts her name to a line of handbags for Judith Leiber, and there are rumours of an own-label clothing brand.
It is possible to see the model-designer phenomenon in an altogether more positive light. It is, after all, part and parcel of the democratisation of fashion over the past decade, which has seen trends go on sale to Primark shoppers just as quickly as they are available to those with Harvey Nichols' personal shoppers on speed dial. Fashion is no longer just about what women are wearing on the Givenchy catwalk, but what they are wearing at Glastonbury; the must-have designer buy of the season might be by Viktor & Rolf for H&M, or Giles Deacon for New Look. And ultimately, while the celebrity angle might get a label a fast fix of column inches, if the public don't buy it, it will vanish as quickly as it appeared. "I do realise some people are going to be out to get us," says Savannah Miller of her label's celebrity connections. "But I've got a fantastic team, and ultimately the clothes speak for themselves. The fashion press will be hard-pressed not to like the clothes. Even though I know they don't want to."
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Kate Moss for Topshop, Elle Macpherson's lingerie range. Millia in Harvey Nicks... As celebrities and models increasingly make the shift from showcasing fashion to designing it, is this democratisation or a dumbing down of the industry, asks Jess Cartner-Morley[/FONT]
[FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]Saturday February 17, 2007
The Guardian
[/FONT]
[FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]Elle Macpherson poses for photographers during a photocall to launch a range of her designs. Photograph: Bruno Vincent/Getty Images
[/FONT] The hottest new British fashion designer of 2007 is not, as you might expect, some kooky young prodigy fresh out of Central St Martins. In fact, she has no design training at all (and, by all accounts, can't draw for toffee). She has, however, spent nearly two decades at the epicentre of the fashion industry, notching up 23 Vogue covers and a few million in the bank along the way. She is, of course, Kate Moss.
Back in September last year, when Moss's new role as designer of her own Topshop range was still just an unconfirmed rumour, it had already attracted the kind of column inches most British designers spend their careers dreaming of. When the 90 -piece range finally hits stores on May 1, scenes of mass hysteria are pretty much guaranteed. Few have thought to quibble with Moss' transition from wearing clothes to designing them - she is, after all, simply the latest and most high profile example of a growing trend.
Elle Macpherson long ago graduated from life as a supermodel to being head of a thriving empire. Jovovich-Hawk, designed by Milla Jovovich and Carmen Hawk - both successful models - has in the past 18 months become one of the most critically acclaimed small labels at New York fashion week. A stint on the catwalk is starting to look like an even better leg-up in the designer ranks than an eye-catching degree show or an internship at Armani.
Kate Moss is as famous for her wardrobe, these days, as she was for her waif-like figure 15 years ago. She has a very finely tuned instinct for spotting a trend early; combined with the ability to impart sex appeal to the most unlikely garments, she creates a virtuous circle: she spots something that could be come a trend, she wears it, and by wearing it she guarantees it catches on. Why, even Hunter wellies, favoured footwear of pig farmers and fishermen, were imbued with glamour the moment Moss sported them backstage at a music festival.
Even at the height of her cover-girl fame, Elle Macpherson "never felt comfortable about making my career out of modelling. I was a surfer chick studying law in Sydney; I started modelling to pay for school books. Fashion never really resonated with me , but five years into my career I had done a lot of lingerie shoots, and I realised I could use my experience , along with the recognition I had, to launch a company. It was a business decision."
Macpherson was by no means the first model to cross over to designing - Twiggy put her name to a range of dresses back in the 1960s - but her success as a businesswoman has altered perceptions of life beyond the catwalk. Today, she is creative director of lingerie brand Elle Macpherson Intimates, a role which involves "working on design, packaging and behind-thescenes stuff, as well as getting out front and selling it to the public ". Although Macpherson modelled early collections herself, she no longer does so; our chat today is scheduled between business meetings rather than shoots.
Other ex-models have turned to design as a creative outlet rather than a business one. When Milla Jovovich and Carmen Hawk launched their label four years ago, they stitched the first collection by hand in their apartments. These days, after several seasons notching up good reviews and prestigious stockists, they can hire staff - but the mood of the collection remains cerebral rather than commercial. References include Gertie Stein and Katharine Hepburn rather than, say, Mischa Barton and Kate Bosworth.
Nonetheless, many of those in the fashion industry who have a real knowledge of and passion for design are concerned that the "model " ranges are symptomatic of a "dumbing down " of fashion. Willie Walters, fashion course director at Central St Martins, admits to being "thoroughly fed up" with "the whole celebrity thing. In fact, if I thought about it too much I would probably give up and go home. But I don't pay it much attention. I see it as ephemera. It has nothing to do with serious fashion design." Does it devalue the training St Martins stands for ? "There probably are people out there stupid enough to think that all you need to be a designer is to be famous and thin. But luckily, I don't have to deal with those people very often."
Savannah Miller, St Martins alumni (with a First, no less) and sister of Sienna, is in a unique position on the training-versus-celebrity debate. While a student, she did a stint at Alexander McQueen; since graduating she has designed knitwear for Anya Hindmarch and Shanghai Tang. She has just fi nished work on the first collection for her own label Twenty8Twelve - a collaboration with Sienna, whose designing qualification is that she is already a high-street fashion icon.
The Millers are savvy enough to realise that Sienna's profile and proven ability as a clothes horse is a crucial element of their appeal. "Sienna's clothes were being ripped off left right and centre, and usually really badly. And then the opportunity for backing came up" - from Pepe Jeans boss Carlos Ortega - "and we thought , there's something happening here that we may as well take advantage of. It's an opportunity for me as a designer - and I think it could do great things for Sienna's public image, because it's a very sophisticated collection, not like some of the rubbish in the shops supposedly inspired by her."
Twenty8Twelve will blend the sisters' personal styles. "I'm very romantic, and Sienna's more rock'n 'roll, and the amalgamation makes something quite unique. So the first collection has elements that are very ethereal and pretty, and others that are more Dickensian - quite dark and eerie. Ultimately, we are designing clothes we want to wear - we're not trying to be Nicolas Ghesquière, much as I would adore to be able to do what he does. We are just trying to make beautiful clothes which are fl attering, and which women will want to wear. That's quite enough of a challenge in itself."
Savannah insists that Sienna was involved at every stage of the process. "The collection began with ideas from both of us, and our co-designer . As it turned out, we were all thinking along the same lines. From there we did visual research, and made mood boards, and then started drawing. Most of that was done by me and the team, because of Sienna's filming schedule, but she was constantly emailing and web-chatting. She can draw, too."
In this, Sienna may be the exception. As Willie Walters puts it, "Milla and Kate may be savvy young women, with a good eye - and of course, think how much incredible fashion Kate's seen over the years - but I don't imagine they are sitting down with a sketchbook." The "Kate Moss Topshop " collection is heavily under wraps until an exclusive in the April edition of Vogue , but a Topshop spokesman will reveal that it had a slightly different modus operandi. "Kate doesn't draw, but she was heavily involved in the design process. She has worked alongside the team, bringing in things she found in vintage stores. And she's the fit model, so she tries everything on to make sure it's right. When you see the collection, it's very her."
What's more, says Topshop, the way the collection will be stocked refl ects how Moss would wear the clothes. So rather than being strictly divided into seasons, there will be hotpants alongside sweaters - because that's how Moss dresses. This is important, because it refl ects the fact that the emphasis of fashion has shifted from the cut and construction of a garment to how a look has put together. As Savannah Miller says, "it's all about how you wear clothes. I might come up with a pretty silk dress, but Sienna will put it on with thick tights and killer shoes and yesterday's make-up, and suddenly it looks rock hard."
Fashion purists would argue that this way of viewing fashion - that how you "style " or put together your clothes has as much impact as the intrinsic nature of the clothes themselves - is further evidence of the dumbing down of fashion. Those designers who are seen in the fashion industry as lacking in substance are often dismissed as being "just stylists", meaning that they are merely tweaking and rearranging fashion material that is already out there. Interior designers, as opposed to architects, as one comparison has it. Be this as it may, however, the ubiquity of Rachel Zoe has left no one in any doubt that stylists - particularly those who occupy that space on the Venn diagram where styling and celebrity intersect - are increasingly infl uential. Indeed, Zoe already puts her name to a line of handbags for Judith Leiber, and there are rumours of an own-label clothing brand.
It is possible to see the model-designer phenomenon in an altogether more positive light. It is, after all, part and parcel of the democratisation of fashion over the past decade, which has seen trends go on sale to Primark shoppers just as quickly as they are available to those with Harvey Nichols' personal shoppers on speed dial. Fashion is no longer just about what women are wearing on the Givenchy catwalk, but what they are wearing at Glastonbury; the must-have designer buy of the season might be by Viktor & Rolf for H&M, or Giles Deacon for New Look. And ultimately, while the celebrity angle might get a label a fast fix of column inches, if the public don't buy it, it will vanish as quickly as it appeared. "I do realise some people are going to be out to get us," says Savannah Miller of her label's celebrity connections. "But I've got a fantastic team, and ultimately the clothes speak for themselves. The fashion press will be hard-pressed not to like the clothes. Even though I know they don't want to."
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