H&M REVEALS NEW DESIGNER COLLABORATION WITH ERDEM; BAZ LUHRMANN TO TELL THE STORY

H&M creative advisor Ann-Sofie Johansson, designer Erdem Moralıoğlu, and filmmaker Baz Luhrmann together on set in England.

H&M revealed its big news: its next exclusive designer collaboration will be with ERDEM, the London-based label loved by celebrities and insiders alike. Designer Erdem Moralioglu is one of fashion's most romantic creators, whose exquisitely crafted pieces celebrate the power of beauty by exploring historical references and personal narratives. His dresses are red carpet favorites, worn by stars such as Emma Stone, Ruth Negga, Keira Knightley and Nicole Kidman. ERDEM x H&M will feature a full wardrobe of his famously feminine womenswear, an accessories line and, for the first time ever, a collection for men. 

H&M is also pleased to announce that visionary film director Baz Luhrmann will bring the collection to life through his unique storytelling. Following the announcement of the collaboration, it’s time to get to know Erdem.

Erdem says his collaboration is a chance for him to look back at his career since he launched his label in 2005. “It was fun to reflect on what I’ve done over the past twelve years,” he says. Erdem was born in Montreal, Canada, to a Turkish father and English mother, a twin with his sister Sara. He moved to London to study fashion at the Royal College of Art in 2000, before launching his own label in 2005. His label has now grown to become one of London’s most successful, with his shows one of the highlights of London Fashion Week. He’s won multiple awards, including Womenswear Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2014, and his collections are stocked in the most prestigious stores around the world. 

His instantly recognizable design signatures have been there from the very beginning. “I love narratives,” he says. “Whenever I start a collection, I try to understand who the character is that season, what she thinks, who she is.” His thought processes lead to collections that are like time travel, connecting together different stories and seeing them from a 21st century perspective. He loves to create pieces that feel totally modern, yet as if they have existed forever. “I’m fascinated with things that you can’t tell if they’re 50 years old or 100 years old or completely new,” he says. “It’s so interesting to create pieces that look timeless, even if they’re created digitally and are totally new.”

What about flowers? Floral prints are in every single one of Erdem’s collections. “I’ve always been fascinated by things that explore femininity,” he says, “whether it’s lace or flowers or the aesthetics of beauty.”

The collection is still top secret, but what can he reveal about ERDEM X H&M? “I can tell you about one of my inspirations,” he says. “There’s a video by Bruce Weber for the Pet Shop Boys song Being Boring that I’ve always loved. It’s about a group of young people at a country house mansion. It’s that idea of a country getaway with boys and girls dressing up and playing with their look, with girls in ball gowns and sneakers, and also sharing a wardrobe with guys.

“It’s very personal,” he says. “The collection reinterprets some of the codes that have defined my work over the past decade. It’s also inspired by much of my youth, from the English films, ’90s TV shows and music videos I grew up watching to memories of the style that defined members of my family. Taking from these inspirations, I imagined a group of characters and friends off to the English countryside for the weekend. There’s a real play in the collection between something decidedly dressed-up and equally effortless.”

Erdem is known for his craftsmanship, which he is bringing to his H&M collaboration. “It’s all so beautifully finished,” he says. “It’s the way I approach every collection, turning it inside out and making sure that every detail is perfect.” 

WHAT’S IT LIKE DESIGNING MENSWEAR? 
“I found it a real joy,” says Erdem. “It’s really about looking at a wardrobe of pieces, and focusing on the exact design details. There has to be an easiness to menswear, and a sense of reality. I’m so happy with it, and I think so many women are going to love the men’s collection too.”

With Erdem’s love of narrative, it makes total sense that that ERDEM x H&M be brought to life by Baz Luhrmann. “I am so excited to be working with Baz,” he says. “He truly is one of the greatest storytellers of our time. I’ve loved his films from the very beginning.”

It’s the start of a new chapter, one that will allow people from all around the world to be able to experience their own ERDEM story. “I love the idea that people of different backgrounds, and different generations, will wear the collection.”

fashionado

FACE 2 FACE with Katherine Brooks

You may know her from the award winning (Atlanta Film Festival, L.A. Outfest, Paris Cinema Festival) and controversial film, Loving Annabelle. You will know her from her current film, a thriller, starring Sarah Roemer, Elizabeth Shue, Taryn Manning and Will Patton, released last week titled

Waking Madison

. AND you definitely know her from the Emmy Award winning MTV hit shows The Real World, The Osbournes, Newlyweds and The Simple Life (to name a few) where she served as director/producer. BUT now, you will know filmmaker/director/producer 

Katherine Brooks

through a very personal and intimate journey as she takes on the most challenging and possibly most important project of her life, about the

reality

of her life, in a film currently in production titled

FACE 2 FACE

.

In a passionate, spirited and revealing 40 minutes, Kat, as she likes to be called, got up close and personal with me about her new film, life, gay marriage and Lady Gaga.

So Kat, you have packed your life into a vehicle for the next three months and you're spending it on the road traveling to meet 50 of your virtual friends to make a film about the experience. Can you talk about how you conceptualized this?

I was recovering from surgery and was heading back to L.A. to work on reality shows. When I returned home to New Orleans I swore off working on reality tv... I felt disconnected and alone. While surfing on Facebook, I was staring at this huge number of friends and it started to trip me out. How can I have 5,000 and have no one to call a real friend? I needed to connect, to reach out and be face to face with other people. Why the need for so many Facebook friends/fans? Is it like high school, to feel popular? I wanted followers because I thought it made me feel better but instead, I felt invisible.

You're halfway through your journey. What can you say about the Face 2 Face experience so far?

I wasn't expecting to connect as deeply. I wasn't expecting

it

be so much about

them

. [I know] it seems narcissistic because it was all about what I needed. But all of a sudden, these people, these virtual friends, shared their life with me and suddenly it became really about them!

This has been emotionally challenging also because I'm connecting so deeply with my new friends and then I have to leave. They are in my heart, I carry them with me and then I meet the next person and I want to give them all. I am a part of their life for a day and whatever they're going through... AND that's what has been so surprising... not one person has been camera shy or not shared something monumental.

Why do you think this is?

I came into this project 100% authentic, nothing fake. I believe they see that, pick up on it and are being real.

What impact on you is it having to meet these Facebook friends?

This experience is bringing me in touch with humanity.

I've quit smoking after one of my new friends on this journey died from cancer.

This trip has empowered me a little bit. Life means more to me now. And to truly connect with people now has become more genuine.  [I've learned] that you really can't know someone until you meet them face to face. You need to smell them and see them to really connect - you can't do it through a computer!

I know you're an activist, especially when it comes to the matter of equality, so what do you think about the recent same-sex ruling in New York?

Finally! I always try and think very positively about change and it keeps getting better... its inspiring. New York is the hub of all of us and it represents a lot of what we are as a culture in America. [Hopefully] this will set a fire under people's asses and stop being so silly.

Let's talk GAGA? I've been following your tweets about her. They're crazy fun! What's going on? [At this point, Kat revealed a secret!]

People think I'm a super fan, obsessed with Lady GAGA.  [But really] I have been researching Lady GAGA from when she first came on the seen. She is the most original, complex and fascinating individual. There is something about her that is absolutely, without a doubt intriguing. I am doing the research for my next film. Its about a music journalist and her relationship with a mega-pop star. [Its about the] exploration of fame and how someone can be one of the most famous people in the world and still feel very alone and misunderstood.

When is Face 2 Face slated for completion and release?

My main goal is to get it to the 2012 

Sundance Film Festival

.  I hope to be done in October and if all goes as planned it will be screened in January.

Kat is brilliant and engaging. Speaking with her was so comfortable. It felt more like a conversation with a friend rather than an interview. I was moved by her sincerity and openness. There were a couple of times when Kat even got emotional when talking about the experiences of meeting her new friends. She feels (about Facebook/Twitter) "technology is not bad if used in a way to connect with people," explaining that it "gets dangerous when used as a bandaid for loneliness."

What I found so beautifully cosmic about Kat Brooks is that her life seems to have come full circle in such a meaningful way - from reality tv, to scripted, disappointing unreality, to finding fulfillment in making a movie about her personal reality. With this, Kat has embraced humanity and now has a greater, deeper appreciation for life - her own and others'. She hopes through her film that people will become inspired to get out more and socialize with one another, FACE 2 FACE.

Finally, the FACE 2 FACE movie trailer is about as

REAL

as you can get. Its powerful, moving and inspiring:

fashionado