What the MAES London team are reading, discussing and drawing inspiration from this month...
DIOR AND I
The publication of 'Miss Dior', a new book about the extraordinary life of Christian Dior's sister Catherine by Justine Picardie, led us to revisit one of our favourite fashion films - 'Dior & I'. A documentary which goes behind the scenes of former creative director Raf Simons’ first collection for the iconic Parisian house, it showcases the important role the atelier team play in helping to bring designs to life. We especially love director Frédéric Tcheng's words... “I hope that the film showed fashion in a different light – that it’s a collaborative art form, not just a one man show, as the media portrays it.”/span>
READ ALL ABOUT IT
We always love seeing manufacturing in the spotlight, especially when it comes to British businesses. Two recent articles shining a light on local garment production include a story from The Guardian detailing ‘Why the new era of British fashion is all about the factory’ and the Business of Fashion’s piece on ‘How To Find a Manufacturer’. Insightful and informative - we highly recommend a read of both.
OVER THE RAINBOW
Although the weather has turned autumnal in London, the outlook in the studio has been bright, with a dazzling array of colours in the form of designer Supriya Lele’s mood-lifting designs lighting up our days.
LISTEN IN
Our founder Diana Kakkar has been busy chatting about fashion, launching MAES London and the importance of finding your passion on several podcasts and panels recently. Tune in to one of her most recent discussions on the 'As Diverse As Two Peas In A Pod' podcast about navigating the world of garment manufacturing as a woman entrepreneur.
WORK IT
As part of an upcoming project we have been looking at vintage workwear as inspiration, in particular painters' shirts or boiler suits - utilitarian staples that strike the perfect balance between purpose and design. We love this image of artist Barbara Hepworth in her signature work attire.
SHOW TIME
We were thrilled to see the return of London Fashion Week with physical shows and presentations back on the agenda. Seeing designs that have been worked on in the studio come to life on a runway is always captivating, yet due to the long hiatus imposed on physical presentations by the global pandemic, this season it felt even more mesmerising.
IT'S A WRAP
Last but not least, while we weren't lucky enough to visit Paris to see Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s ‘L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped’ in person, we keenly admired the installation from afar. A project first conceived in 1961 and realised posthumously by the artists’ team, 25,000 square metres of silvery blue fabric elegantly draped one of France’s most emblematic monuments. A striking, transformative work with a prescient message that has remained relevant through the passing of time.
