“What will happen to us?” I asked.
“There will always be us.”, he answered.
My inspiration
Every collection has a story. For Winter 17 I have been very much inspired by Patti Smith’s book “Just Kids” . In this book she describes her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in the epochal days of New York city in the late 60’s, early 70’s. The days when they were just kids, trying to survive, never losing faith and helping each other in their artistic development.
The collection is built around 2 themes: “Chelsea Hotel” and “Bond Street” which are the 2 main places where Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe lived and grew together. The emblematic Chelsea Hotel represents the search for their artistic identity, the Chelsea Hotel is an amalgam of lots of creative souls living together. Smith and Mapplethorpe are open to all these extraordinary and diverse influences which inspired them a lot and influenced my creative soul to refine my prints and use refined and luxurious materials.
Bond Street represents the confirmation of their artistic development. There they found their path and developed it thoroughly. It also meant the end of their common life and the start of their respective and own different courses and artistic development. This second part of their life influenced my collection to use bolder materials and shapes and thicker leathers.
Although they went separate ways, they never stopped loving each other. They grew up together and were therefore connected for ever.
“Robert and I were always ourselves-
till the day he died we were just exactly as we were when we met.
And we loved each other. Everybody wants to define everything.
Is it necessary to define love?”