MODERN TALKING
Most high-street-meets-high-fashion collabs tap into the star designer’s archives, but Erdem’s H&M collection reflects what’s in now – all while staying true to its romantic spirit. In an exclusive interview ahead of the Nov 2 launch, designer Erdem Moral
An exclusive interview with designer Erdem Moralioglu on his upcoming Erdem x H&M collection.
IT OFFERS A DEMOCRATIC APPROACH TO DRESSING
“Usually when I design for a show, it’s about a sequence of looks... For this 82-piece collection for H&M, I designed each piece as an individual garment. It’s more about people making their own look and pairing pieces in an unexpected way – like wearing the ballgown skirt with a hoodie... I wanted that sense of playfulness and freedom.”
HE’S BRANCHED INTO MENSWEAR (YOU KNOW, ALA THE LIKES OF STELLA MCCARTNEY AND MICHAEL KORS)
“It’s my first time (doing so), and it was really thinking about what I’d wear, and have worn, at different stages of my life. I thought about the nipped-in suits that my father wore in the ’60s, with a neat shoulder and a clean leg. I wanted the tailoring to be beautiful with details like covered buttons (and made) coats using Harris Tweed... It also gave a new dimension to the womenswear because I thought about how they’d look when mixed with the menswear.”
IT KITS YOU OUT FOR THE GENDER FLUID MOVEMENT
“I loved the idea of creating a group of clothes for men that could be absorbed by women too. It’s great to think of someone taking the fleece from the men’s collection, and wearing it over the sinuous sequinned slip dress, or a man taking the frilled collar shirt from the women’s line, and wearing it with tailored pieces. I wanted the collection to be very much an open proposal.”
IT’S “ECONOMY CONSCIOUS”
“There’s no compromise on quality (despite the prices, which range from $44.95 to $449 here). It was amazing to introduce H&M to many of the small mills that I use to make my own collections. I wanted this to be a collection that you can wear for years.”
IT’S HIGHLY PERSONAL AND NOSTALGIC – ONE OF FALL/WINTER 2017’S KEY MOODS
“(The menswear) made me think about what I wore growing up – things like an old Norwegian sweater from high school, which led to the graphic take on the Fair Isle sweater. This made me think about what my twin sister Sara wore, and how she would wear a fleece over vintage tea dresses – something I’ve always thought was so cool. Then I remembered my mother putting our father’s tweed blazer over her shoulders when she drove us to school, and the structured handbags she carried in photos from the ’60s... (I also) returned to my own work and reappropriated them. The sun-ray plisse dress reference is from my very first collection, while the Victorian button loops used as a trim detail are from a collection I did three years ago.”
IT CELEBRATES EARLY ’90S, KITSCHY POP CULTURE
“Growing up as a teenager in Canada, I loved Twin Peaks, and two of the mohair sweaters in the women’s collection are very much inspired by (the ones worn in the show). I (was also influenced by) the narrative of Pet Shop Boys’ Being Boring video that was shot by Bruce Weber – all these young people invading a country house mansion and dressing up. The idea of playing with a wardrobe – that contrast of girls in ballgowns and trainers – felt interesting and relevant.”
EXPECT A FRESH TAKE ON HIS SIGNATURE FLORALS
“I’m fascinated by things that imply femininity, whether it’s lace or flowers or a certain silhouette. Flowers are something I always return to, and always seem fresh to me. Here, I’ve used many different floral prints, playing with ideas of scale and formality... It was also fascinating to see how flowers worked on men’s clothing.”