STYLE & BEAUTY
STYLE & BEAUTY TRENDSETTER The Cashmere Connection With an Armani and Ferragamo pedigree, Scottish designer Graeme Black brings cosmopolitan flair to Inner Mongolia-based cashmere specialist Erdos. Mark Graham spoke to him about the brand’s transformation How has the company changed since you became creative director? I was brought on board to really push all the boundaries of creativity to see what could be done with manufacturing and with the collection. Part of that meant changing radically how the company perceived its products and how it was presented to the consumer. Now we coordinate each process, from design to manufacture. We present “in colour stories”, so you have a clear picture of how the collection comes together. The windows in the stores reflect that colour story and the advertising. It is about formalising the creativity within the brand to give the consumers a concise, clear message about what the brand is trying to say. I have always worked with cashmere, especially with Giorgio Armani, where it is huge for suiting and coats. Here, Erdos run the whole process – any colour, any type of fabric can be developed. It is incredible what we can do; the factories are fantastic, not to mention the knitwear technicians who are incredible. Your forthcoming A/W 2015-2016 collection draws from Scottish and Chinese influences – tell us about it. It was almost like a fusing of the two cultures, taking elements and applying them to textiles, print designs, jacquards and so on. It was interesting, this collision of the two cultures, using Celtic and Chinese symbolism and motifs in an abstract way. If it was inspiration from an antique Chinese textile, for example, we would develop it into brighter and fresher colours. What’s next? We are opening a flagship Above, clockwise from top left: a sample of cashmere; the goats that provide the material; the hand-knitting process in action store in Beijing this year, working with Michael Gabellini, a world-renowned, New York-based architect. That is a huge move forward, showing where we will take the brand in terms of image and how we will project the collection. That will be in the Kerry Centre, opening in July or August. What are the biggest successes so far? The accessory business has really taken off for us – scarves, for instance, are very popular. The double-faced cashmere coat is always successful, with some leather trim or combinations of fabric. The name of your new line, 1436, sounds like a historical date. It refers to the specification of the finest cashmere. The name is quite challenging to communicate with people, so we plan a campaign where there is this dynamic and fresh contemporary image presented, so you are always associating the name with the image, and that comes through time. 1436erdos.com PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: GALLERY STOCK, PETER ESSICK/AURORA/LAIF, © ERDOS, ROBERT NIPPOLDT 44 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM
Introducingfivemagnificentnew luxuryMansionsforyourholidaysintheuniquenaturalsetingofthe BulgariResortwithextraordinaryviewsovertheIndianOcean. Distinctiveandsophisticated,TheMansionsoferthecomfortsofhomewithaccesstotheexclusive customizedserviceandluxuryfacilitiesoftheBulgariResort.
