Nicholas Kirkwood loves a good collaboration. In between designing his most diverse collection of shoes for fall—killer heels and fresh new daywear looks among the standouts—Kirkwood once again teamed with hot ready-to-wear houses Erdem and Rodarte for several co-branded looks that push footwear to its artsy side.
WWD: Do you have a dream collaborator?
Nicholas Kirkwood: Alaïa. But his shoes are so good already. He probably doesn’t need my help. I love his sensibility, and his attention to detail and quality.
WWD: How do you approach your collection with Rodarte?
N.K.: We take a maximalist approach. The shoes are always going to make a statement. We view it like we’re making an object. The platform can be an object by itself, or the heel can be, like this season’s molten candle-wax heel.
WWD: Would you ever do something a little more price accessible?
N.K.: Not for a long time. I’ve been asked, but I just don’t feel like it’s right for my brand image. You can tell immediately if a shoe is made in China. That’s not to say I would never do it, though.
WWD: What projects are in the works for spring?
N.K.: We’re going to be doing a yearlong collaboration with the Keith Haring Foundation, as well as a line with Peter Pilotto—it will be very different from Rodarte or Erdem. [They are] three very distinctive collections and all add a lot of diversity to the brand.
