Showing posts with label Isabel Marant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Isabel Marant. Show all posts
Monday, August 10, 2015
Friday, November 7, 2014
Friday, December 6, 2013
Isabel Marant: How Politicians Could Learn From Designers
Politicians could learn a lot from the work ethic of fashion designers, says Isabel Marant.
"Sometimes I want to be a politician," she said. "If politicians put the same amount of energy that we put into our collections… I think designers could be great politicians. If I was running my company the same way that my government runs my country, I wouldn't be where I am now. We are trapped into a system where it's difficult to find your own path."
Nonetheless, Marant has always had a very unique identity, revealing her tomboyish, free-spirited bohemian style is something that she developed from an early age. Her sense of relaxed elegance was the accidental by-product of never quite fitting in with (or agreeing with) traditional forms of beauty.
"My mother was a German model, she was super pretty and I was an ugly little girl. No really I was," she laughs. "I had a beautiful brother and everybody would say to him, 'What a nice girl' even though he was a boy and nobody would look at me. I was a tough little girl. In hindsight, I think I had to define myself in some way. So I turned to music and was very influenced by that."
Marant followed music trends rather than fashion trends, becoming a punk, then later still a keen reggae fan. Although she refuses to be drawn into conversation over which of her many fans look the best in her clothes ("I hate having that sort of judgement on people, I think that it's rude"), she loves women who sing rock, citing PJ Harvey and Alison Mosshart.
"They have a roughness and femininity," she said. "There is strength, but also fragility - it's something I incorporate into my work. I want to dress myself every day. I pick up the things I feel good and comfortable in, that give me a certain attitude. I like simple things, not things that show off."
Marant is responsible for having designed some of the industry's most desirable and widely copied pieces - from embroidered trophy jackets and cowboy shirts to flippy skirts and peasant blouses - but, she says, there is no formula to creating cult-worthy items. Rather, she aims to reach that "perfect point" and then there is a eureka moment - the most memorable of which was the season that she conceived those pervasive high-top trainers with a concealed hidden wedge.
"The first thing I did was say, 'Call my lawyer. The whole planet will copy them.' I told my office, 'This is it, you have to do something with this; it's going to be massive,'" she recalled. "I first came up with the idea when I was 11 when I put cork in my shoes to make me look taller. I never liked wearing heels, it was feminine - it was what I hated - but looking taller makes you walk differently, it makes you feel different. But you want to be comfortable; you don't want to be a little woman like that."
The designer says that she initially felt "robbed" by the legions of catwalk copies, but has learnt to accept it ("You can't hold onto that bad energy, you have to move on"), even launching a high-street collaboration with H&M last month. In September, she softly opened her first standalone London store and already the shop is one of the label's best-performing outlets. Expansion of the brand will come slowly, with such a growing empire there is no need to rush.
"I am so involved in everything, it's not just about product - each piece is like a child to me and I want to design it like I would an intricate piece of jewellery," she said. "I put a piece of my soul in everything and hopefully that keeps it unique."
Thursday, November 14, 2013
The Wait Is Over: Isabel Marant For H&M Lands
Finally, the day has arrived - the Isabel Marant for H&M collection has landed in stores. Already, Ebay is selling pieces from the range for as much as 12 times the asking price - the black wool jacket is available to buy for £970, compared to its £79.99 retail cost.
Eager shoppers arrived as early as 2am this morning to ensure that they were in time to buy their favourite pieces. VogueTV was there to see the commotion unfold - watch the action above.
Even Sienna Miller was not immune to the collaboration's pulling power, attending last night's preview event to stock up on pieces for both herself and her mother - including the colorful wool hooded cardigan. She arrived 50 minutes early to avoid the crowds, coming fresh-faced from rehearsals.
However, this morning's dedicated queuing contingent were mostly there to shop for themselves, although some had braved the early morning cold to make a profit on Ebay. The most in-demand items are expected to be the fringed boots and beaded jackets.
"We've been here since 5.30am, and we plan on buying then selling," said Emily Williames. "There are no restrictions on how much you can buy today, so we'll buy as much as we can this morning and will hopefully make around £2,000 from it. The beaded jacket, the fringed boots and the sequined trousers are probably going to be the most popular."
Scrum-like scenes were avoided though with H&M's organised queuing system - the stores opened at 9am and the first 420 shoppers were given different coloured bracelets, which gave them access to different time slots of 15 minutes each. Those not in time for the first round of bracelets, were asked to wait until all other customers were allowed through the store. The brand's website has also made provision for the "high level of interest" - shoppers are currently being placed in an online queue.
"At first when I heard Isabel Marant was working with H&M, I thought, 'Oh God, not another designer collaboration.' It's not what she used to stand for," said another shopper, Lies Verbovery, who had been queuing since 7am. "But then I got really excited. It all looks so similar in quality and it's so cheap."
If you haven't picked your wish list yet, then peruse our gallery below before it sells out.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Isabel Marant For H&M Hits Ebay
Isabel Marant's H&M collection is already available to buy online at eBay, with expectedly exaggerated prices. The £149.99 fringed wedge boots are priced at £450, while the £179.99 leather trousers cost £575.
The pieces - which also include the ruffle black skirt, the embellished beaded jacket and silk blouse - were bought at a pop-up shop in Paris, where shoppers were given exclusive access to the collection. The range is due to hit stores next Thursday, November 14.
Not that demand for H&M's latest collaboration was ever in any doubt, but this is just another indication that the offering is set to be the chain's most popular to date.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Sunday, May 5, 2013
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