Miuccia Prada’s Paris Fashion Week offering was an exercise in pattern awareness.
CHARLES WARREN FASHION STORY "WILD THING CHARLES WARREN"
August 21, 2014 8:12 AM
Exclusive Interview/Fashion Story "WILD THING CHARLES WARREN" is now updated!
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WILD THING CHARLES WARREN
Charles Warren a Montana native studied fashion design at Parsons in New York and Paris where he graduated with a BFA in Fashion Design in 2009.
During internships at Lanvin, Thom Browne, Pat McGrath and W Magazine in New York, Charles decided to open his design studio Charles Warren New York where he developed exclusive creations for private clients. Working personally with his clients allowed him to understand women’s individual and collective needs for what they wanted to express through their appearance.
For Charles Warren’s first collection, titled Projection, he drew inspiration from the Rorschach tests, the idea that we outwardly project ourselves, and how these impressions are perceived. The drama and intensity within the construction and designs of the collection juxtaposed with the light fabrics and delicate pleating and draping to represent a balance of hard and soft, strength and fragility.
The Autumn/Winter 2014 collection is made from Italian furs, silks, wool and leathers, each garment constructed using layered materials and volume, giving the collection varied textures. To highlight the texture, Warren carefully chose a dominant range of colors; cool grays, deep blacks, milky ivory and oxblood red with a trace of gold sparkle throughout.
1.What motivated you after four years to produce and show your own collection?
After working with private clients for a few years, it became clear that I was at capacity in terms of what I could realistically create. One of the biggest components of custom work is time, so while I had a fantastic amount of creative freedom, the scope of what we were able to produce - the volume - was limited simply by the nature of the very intense, personal, gradual process with the clients. I decided to venture into ready to wear at a time when I felt ready to apply the process I had learned with the clients to something new, and approach a bigger challenge with that same foundation.
2. What makes you stand out from other new comers?
I would like to think its less about me as a designer, and more about how women feel in the clothing. Whether it is to feel confident, celebratory, loved - whatever the reason - I hope my work imparts that to some degree.
3. How do you see your client wearing your collection, and where?
I’ve been asked that a few times, and after never really having a definitive answer it made me realize that I don't design for specific scenarios, social scenes, etc. My work is more about designing something that will evoke a response from the wearer - making her feel a certain way. Being able to trigger or heighten someones emotions through ones work is, in my opinion not only success, but also a very intimate dynamic. And even though it can be a beautiful, sparkly, glamorous process I take it very seriously, because at the end of it all, someone will put my ideas on their body, and my work will be with them in these different moments in their lives, whatever they may be.
4. What other passions besides fashion do you pursue?
Dinner parties, vodka and comediennes - in that order.
5. What do you think of the future of fashion, what is your prognosis on how dressing might change within the next 50 years.?
If only someone had the answer! I view my job as being somewhat reflective of whats currently happening, and being able to predict it in time for a delivery where there will be some resonance. What I see currently changing fashion more rapidly than anything else is technology - the way we view, embrace, and buy it… And very slowly we’re starting to see technology influence how we construct it. If we think about the similarities between 3D printing and knitwear, they absolutely share some of the same principles. I cant even imagine how production will evolve over the next five decades - maybe the sewing machine wont even be used - but, aesthetics aside, I can't help but think that technology will be the largest influencing factor of how we dress.
6. What would you like to change in today’s society ?
Pressure. I think our society would be vastly different if we weren’t under so much pressure - and we can see it in just about every aspect of society whether its political, social, economic, religious, etc. I think there's a large part of human behavior that is reactive and right now, as a society we’re reacting to so many different things, that we’re exhausted. On the one hand it's interesting to see how we crave so much escapism —magical thinking — but the impetus behind that, I believe, is the insane amount of pressure we’re under.
INTERVIEWED & WRITTEN BY: CORINNA SPRINGER
PHOTOGRAPHY: KINYA
STYLING: HISSA IGARASHI
HAIR: TOMOYUKI TAMURA
MAKE UP: CEDRIC JOLIVET
PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT: STONE
STYLING ASSISTANT: MEKO LIN, MARIE ARAI, DORA CHI
MODEL: SOLANGE WILVERT @SUPREME MANAGEMENT
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