Designer Spotlight; Eliurpí

ELIURPÍ is a hat lovers everything come to life. An aesthetic addict’s fantasy made real in the everyday. And perhaps quite fitting to this summer’s heightened desires (if not urgency) to do nothing but sit by a pool in the heat, it’s exactly the reason you book a flight to the South of France or the Amalfi Coast right now so you can revel in the elegance of a life lived ELIURPÍ style. With a vision to ensure the romanticism of artisanal craftsmanship continued to be celebrated + respected at it’s core, ELIURPÍ was founded in 2010 by designer Elisabet Urpi + her partner + photographer Nacho Umpiérrez, ELIURPÍ who began with a small studio in Carrer de Petritxol, Barcelona + have grown to be one of those brands that, for those who know.. well IKYK, amirite?

Creatively, the brand is of genius standards having grown slowly but steadily over the past decade with decidedly brilliant collaborations with the likes of William Morris fabrics + a collection with Tara Jarmon. Their first store opened in Barcelona in 2013 with a slew of achievements, that for a small, considered brand only come for those who truly have it. Stockists include Browns, Harrods, Land Crawford Shanghai + Hong Kong, Ilum in Copenhagen, not forgetting many others across Japan, Russia, Greece, France, Italy + Indonesia.

With it’s origins in millinery - the brand has since become more accessories focused with bags now a part of the collections - each piece is created to shield the wearer from the sun yet designed to attract attention, it seems obvious to say that a core value for the brand might be that the wider the brim the more distinctive the statement; something I am all about when it comes to an investment hat of this calibre. And for the first time, this season sees the brand design a collection of dresses - that for those who love to feel wow’d + wow, well there’s little else to say, let’s let ELIURPÍ do the talking. See the SS/21 collection below.

Shop at E L I U R P Í . C O M

ALL IMAGES VIA ELIURPI

Designer Spotlight; Piece of White

Founded in 2017 by Turkish designer Zeynep Tansug, Piece of White is a stunning representation of something classic, appreciated, respected + imagined anew. Zeynep started the brand as a core collection of white shirts, constructed + created in a more dramatic manner; ultimately bringing to life the essence of daily dressing up. 

Having grown over the past four years as a go-to label for some of the world’s most perfectly dressed women (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s wardrobe has a number of pieces), the label has expanded to include a beautiful selection of jumpsuits, dresses, tops + trousers. Off the shoulder, one shoulder + sometimes no shoulder, whatever the design it becomes desired. Think unique twists + insane detailing, met with negative space backs + elegant high necklines. While using mostly 100% silk or cotton poplin, each piece is beautifully handmade with top craftsmanship + attention to detail. 

Piece of White is redefining  the definition of desirable pieces + taking those everyday wardrobe staples to an entirely new level. 

Now stocked as an edit on online at Moda Operandi or you can find the full collection on the label’s on website. 

Shop at piecesofwhite.co.uk

ALL IMAGES VIA PIECE OF WHITE

Designer Spotlight; Mach + Mach

Founded by Georgian sister duo Nina and Gvantsa Macharashvili, Mach + Mach is a perhaps Georgia’s most celebrated fashion brand and a dream come true for those looking for an Instagram-perfect-fashion-moment. Established in 2012 in the sisters hometown of Tbilisi, Georgia, the brand has garnered international attention and a love the world over for it’s glittering temptations and glamorous, shine-heavy pieces. 

The sibling partnership came to life from the duo’s deeply innate love of fashion. Describing their aesthetic as ‘bright, futuristic, pop’, it’s as though the masculine side of our most dreamed about fashion moment has just met it’s sexy feminine counterpart and they had the most flawless idea for a collection. Think key pieces but make them FASHUUUUN - the vibe is business now, party later. So think perfectly structured blazer dresses paired with diamante embellished see-through fishnet cycle shorts and a side of killer heels. Like who can resist!

Ideal for parties and making a statement, it’s all about the glam at Mach + Mach and in doing party chic just right, they’ve hit their niche, no wonder celebrities including Solange Knowles and Katy Perry, Kylie Jenner and Danielle Bernstein are huge fans. The brand shows at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tbilisi and is stocked at Moda Operandi. 

Shop at modaoperandi.com

ALL IMAGES VIA MACH + MACH

Designer Spotlight; Rotate Birger Christensen

Established in 2018 in partnership with Danish stylists, power influencers and now creative directors, Jeanette Madsen and Thora Valdimars, ROTATE Birger Christensen is a young brand on a rather stylish mission. The Copenhagen-based design house is Madsen and Valdimars solution to the pieces they felt were absent from their own personal wardrobes and nowhere to be found on the market at an affordable price point, they decided to take matters into their hands.

No matter the day, occasion or audience-lined runway you’re looking to wow your way through, it’s all about WOW-ing at ROTATE. Think puff sleeves, loud and beautiful prints, pink jacquard minis, off-the-shoulder full feathered canary yellow mini dresses or perhaps for those looking for a slightly more pared back style adventure, a darkly chic vintage inspired piece. Whatever the level of magnificence though ROTATE’S mission is to inspire you to bring YOUR extra to the ordinary. It’s about the excitement of making the everyday seem that bit more effervescently glowing. So if statements on a Monday are your thing, ROTATE is your new best friend.

---

S H O P R O T A T E

---

Who Is.. Rick Owens

Crowned the Dark Prince of design or to some the Lord of Darkness, Rick Owens is something of a gothic genius, if not, the epitome of gender neutral dressing and an originator of the idea of goth, but make it fashion.

Born Richard Saturnino Owens, on 18 November 1962 in San Joaquin Valley, California, Owens grew up in a strict and controlled Catholic environment eventually leading him to a deep desire to escape his small town upbringing and make a break for the bright lights of Hollywood. Arriving in L.A, the young designer found himself in the pre-sanitised era of the city’s evolution, a time when L.A was as unwholesome a destination as one could imagine and the hedonistic nature of the time was something he couldn’t resist. 

The American born, Paris based designer started his career in fashion studying fabrics at Otis College of Art and Design before dropping out and moving to a more technical college, gaining knowledge in pattern-making and draping, two skills he is now so infamously known for. He then went on to work for sportswear and knock-off brands around L.A. In 1990 he secured a job at Lamy, a design house headed up by designer Michelle Lamy whom Owens later became business partners with and later again married. Just four years after starting with Lamy however he broke out on his own and started his own namesake brand, showcasing his arrival as a womenswear genius. It wasn’t until 2001 though that his brilliance was truly recognised on a more global level when his work came to the attention of just about everyone in fashion, in 2001, when Anna Wintour, at the helm of Vogue, sponsored his first New York Fashion Week showcase after Kate Moss wore one of his signature leather jackets in a fashion story in French Vogue. Working with stylist Panos Yiapanis on the presentation, it was a huge success and the two have collaborated on every single Rick Owens runway show since. The following year Owens was appointed Creative Director ta Revillon, a French fur house, a post he remained in for five years.  Around this time he broke into menswear and quickly became known for his interpretation of classic silhouettes.

Owens, at one point, a self-confessed savage drinker, often spent his days and nights on massive boozy benders during a period in his life that now thankfully finds itself in his rear view after he eventually stopped upon realising he felt like death on a daily basis. He ultimately sought help to leave the party when it all got too much. A defining life event in which he had a run in with a mugger in 2003 in L.A, saw him make a permanent move to Paris with Lamy, where the two have called it home ever since. 

Over a longstanding and estimable career that has spanned 25 years, Owens has brought to life many of his creative inclinations, from sneakers - his first was named the Dustulator Dunk to furniture - he designed a collection inspired by pieces he originally designed for his Paris HQ. He has collaborated with Adidas and his collections have been the subject of many fashion exhibitions. His work was celebrated in Milan in 2017 with his first major retrospective which chronicled his career to date in a museum exhibition at the Triennale de Milano. 

His collections are always in the hottest colour of each season, black on black on black. Always black. Long t-shirts, asymmetric dresses, avant-garde yet wearable, it’s all about the simple pieces , but always making them fashion. Aesthetically he’s got a post-apocalyptic take on dark glamour, a revered niche that has been described as ‘glamour meets grunge’. He is his own thing and in his own words he says “it’s about an appreciation of teenage angst without actually having the angst”. Perhaps some might say it’s an ideal elegance build on a foundation of rock couture. 

His pieces can be found in obscure boutiques around the world and on the backs of the hottest names in popular culture including Madonna, Kate Moss, A$AP Rocky and Bieber, Cher and Fergie, Rihanna, Kim Kardashian West, fellow designer Vera Wang and Kanye West. 

All Images via Pinterest

Designer Spotlight; Beaufille

Much more than simply a nonsensical French word (meaning “handsome girl” or also “one who presents an effortless chic demeanour”), Beaufille is a modern wonder and something of a fashion lovers dream. Pronounced bo-fee and founded by Canadian sisters Chloé and Parris Gordon - both of whom studied design at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design - Beaufille celebrates an inspired take on the French way of dressing, epitomising the meaning of classic while bringing to life just the perfect amount of interpretation.

The sibling design duo officially launched the brand as we know it today in 2013 after a rebranding of their original manifestation - Chloe Comme Parris, after their creations gained serious attention in Canada from the start. From the beginning it was a pretty huge success with the girls debuting at New York Fashion Week in September 2015 to rave reviews from editors and stylists while also gaining major retail recognition in the form of contracts with Net-a-Porter, Intermix and since then Moda Operandi, FarFetch, Browns Fashion, Forty Five Ten and Holt Renfrew. Stockists whose influence can bring a brand from zero to sixty in the click of an ‘add to basket’. 

Difficult to master, yet eternally in vogue, the young and empowered brand personifies a level of chic often difficult to achieve; it’s the perfect mix of masculine and feminine while consistently keeping a very evident current of French heritage flowing through each design. Collectively, the collections play host to an aesthetic of intoxicating elegance; a sophisticated take on the everyday, where wearable meets ‘high-fashion’ every time. Think menswear inspired trench coats and comfy knitwear with carefully placed cutouts, statement style jackets and jewellery pieces worth beans on toast for the next 3 months. It’s solid yet playful. In three little words, strong, sexy and understatedly stylish - ok four, I tried. 

With such a strong foundation in it’s design direction and a consumer interest that runs deep, some would say to an almost cult level following, it’s no wonder the young brand has seen astonishing successes in every regard from the get-go. So if you’re interested in the dramatics of a minimalist look, Beaufille is your next investment. 

Designer Spotlight; Amina Muaddi

Admittedly anything Rosie Huntington-Whiteley or Kendall Jenner wear on repeat very quickly and absolutely gets our attention. This time it comes in the form of Amina Muaddi, the Paris-based shoe designer who has cultivated a following bordering on religious level standards in such a short time that it’s impossible not to be wide-eyed in awe. The thirty-three year old designer, who grew up in Italy and with her half Jordanian, half Romanian heritage, has used her stylish roots while cultivating a world class taste and knowledge for life’s heavenly high-heels.

Coming from a place of immense knowledge and understanding of the shoe industry, the young designer has carved our quite a niche for herself. She began her career upon graduating from the Institute of Design in Milan after which she spent time as a stylist with stints at l’Uomo, Vogue and GQ. Realising her innate talent and passion for designing she landed in the Riviera del Brenta, the celebrated destination of all destinations for artisan shoe-makers. Working with high-end craftsman there, she learned her craft, using the time developing the 40-50 elements that go into each of her designs. She then moved to Paris to collaborate and create with the famed French couturier Alexandre Vauthier on his shoe line, a line she still designs today. 

Today though, along with her other design commitments, she heads up her very own brand; Amina Muaddi Shoes. Recognized for her fabulous architecturally inspired designs, each collection is created with a whole lot of sass. Bold shapes and sparkling embellishments, you will instantly recognise a pair of Muaddi’s creations by their flared heel, her identifiable point that sets her apart from the masses of stiletto styles or regular block heels we’ve become so acquainted with in all our heeled existences. 

Upon branching out to go solo (at just 31), her business-boss-lady-taking-over-the-world self came to the forefront when it came time to find retailers who would take her on and of the process she explains how she “wanted everything to be secretive and super exclusive. I was in no rush to take on lots of stores, I wanted to do things the right way”. Her attitude stood to her because upon meeting her, every single major buyer bought in. Now, with her eponymous brand, she designs just one large collection a year, which she then drip-feeds in to high-end retailers alongside her own e-commerce platform month on month. Hyper sexy with an edge of cool and a major helping of sass, Muaddi describes her collections as “shoes from nine to midnight”. Each pair is designed in Paris and produced in Italy with impeccable craftsmanship, attention to detail and a creative mastermind with an eye for beautiful aesthetics. 

With celebrity followers like Rihanna, Kendall Jenner, Dua Lipa and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, who all became self-proclaimed fanatics upon independently finding their way to her shoes, not to mention Princess Rania of Jordan also being a fan - she donned a pair on an official meeting with the Queen in London, you can be sure Muaddi is here to stay. 

---

SHOP AMINA MUADDI

---

Designer Spotlight; Christopher John Rogers

This year the young designer to join an elite legacy that includes the likes of Alexander Wang & Proenza Schouler is the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund’s 2019 winner, Christopher John Rogers. Helping to launch the careers of many super talented designers over the last 16 years, the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund is a sure sign that Rogers is about to see his career in fashion jump into full throttle and we’re set to be seeing a lot more of him in the years to come.

The budding designer, born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1994, now bases himself in Brooklyn, close to the fashion lime-light of New York’s well established elite. Growing up a Southern Baptist, his Grandmother had a huge influence on him and the way he understood the magic of dressing up. His love of fashion was evidently well established prior to his move to New York; he cleverly taught himself how to sew via tutorials on Youtube and carefully studied every word big designers, who he considers creative heroes, like John Galliano and McQueen would say in backstage interviews after their runway shows. After high school he went on to study at fashion at Savannah College of Art and Design before relocating to New York City. 

He has spoken about the realities of a young designer trying to catch their break in the fashion world and the innate difficulty it entails when you don’t “come from money”. Of his experience, Rogers says “Oh gag. So I actually have no money. I don’t have backers, I have a full-time job as a designer at Diane Von Furstenberg, and I take that money and I buy fabric I can afford and I try to turn the party.” However his diligent and industrious determination seems to be working, beautifully, for in 2017 he dressed Cardi B for the 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards, SZA wore his designs in the Black Panther soundtrack’s “All the Stars” video and in that same year Tracee Ellis Ross donned a look from his SS19 collection. Just a year later he showed his first full NYFW show in September 2018 at the age of 23.

So in a whirlwind and short career to date, he has quickly established himself a firm favourite and someone the industries leaders are watching very closely, not to mention as a creator of avant-garde evening wear that, in all it’s excessive beauty, is something of a magical spectacle. His belief that there’s “nothing wrong in effortful dressing” beams through in his designs and he creates with a mindset that allows women feel seen and heard. A look by Rogers is always big, bold and ravishingly engaging. He recently received a well-deserved standing ovation for his SS20 NYFW runway presentation and in the audience to support him were some of the industries top designers and influential figureheads including his former boss Diane von Furstenberg, Kerby Jean-Raymond of Pyer Moss, Alejandra Alonso Rojas, Adam Selman and Joseph Altuzarra. Self-proclaimed lovers of Rogers creations who have publicly worn his designs include celebrities from Michelle Obama and Rihanna to Lizzo, Ashley Graham and Kat Graham. 

With the help of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund’s financial prize of $400,000 and a year of invaluable mentorship from top industry insiders, ahead of him alongside his innate and towering talent, we’re absolutely sure Rogers is here for the long haul. 

Follow Christopher John Rogers on Instagram

Designer Spotlight: Gareth Pugh

Gareth Pugh is a British fashion designer renowned for his fantastical and futuristic designs, an aesthetic unparalleled in the industry since perhaps the dark and dreamy era of McQueen’s. Born August 31st 1981, Pugh grew up in Sunderland in the United Kingdom and was an avid dancer as a child. The famed designer started his career in fashion, close to where his passions lay, at the youthful age of 14 when he began working as a costume designer for the English National Youth Theatre as part of the Wayne McGregor Company, the celebrated resident choreographic company at Sadler’s Wells, London. 

Later he went on to study his craft, beginning his fashion studies at the City of Sunderland College and later completing his formal education at the prestigious Central Saint Martin's. Upon graduating in 2003, his final collection was selected for the cover of cult British magazine Dazed & Confused, something that catapulted him into a whole new realm of fame and popularity as a young budding designer.

In 2005, Pugh was asked to design for Kylie Minogue’s Showgirls tour, a project from which came the opportunity to design for Lady Gaga, Roisin Murphy, Beyonce and Rihanna on their world tours. His earlier life as a dancer has continued to have a thread throughout his career in fashion, seeing him design costumes for Alea Sands at the Paris Opera Ballet and Eliogabalo at the Paris Opéra. 

His creative tendencies do not stop at dressing the worlds most elite stars and fashionistas though; his love of film has seem him collaborate with director Ruth Hogben and creative genius Nick Knight on fashion films, one of which, A Beautiful Darkness examines our internal dispute between chaos and control alongside the journey we take through the fluctuating states of sanity. His work holds an immense profoundness and he consistently seeks to wow through his search for the dark, unapologetic depths of creativity that aren’t always perfectly placed or wonderfully beautiful. 

He opened his first boutique in Hong Kong in 2010 and is stocked in major international boutiques and department stores such as Opening Ceremony, SAKS Fifth Avenue, Barneys and Bergdorf Goodman in New York, Selfridges and Dover Street Market in London, Colette in Paris, IT and Joyce in Hong Kong and Side by Side in Japan. His work has been featured in all the top fashion publications including W, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and LOVE.

Pugh lives and works in London where he currently shows at London Fashion Week and has an ongoing collaboration with choreographer Wayne McGregor. 

garethpughstudio.com

---

SHOP GARETH PUGH

---

Designer Spot Light, Noha Raouf, Dallas

Born and raised in Egypt, Noha Raouf is a Dallas-based womenswear designer whose love of design stems way back to her early childhood when, by the age of five, she delved into the art of dress making under the mentorship of her grandmother. 

After attaining her BA in Mass Communication in Egypt, Raouf worked in the PR world for a number of years before moving to Dallas with her husband to pursue her love of design. She attended El Centro School of Design where upon graduating, her graduate collection earned her well-deserved recognition and the best fashion collection accolade. 

Having since launched her synonymous brand, the designer is focused on extraordinary textures, clean cuts and distinctive constructions. On her own personal direction and as the driving force behind the brand, she says, “NOHA RAOUF is specifically designed for the fiercely independent and the exceptionally original.” With both read-to-wear and demi-couture pieces available, the NOHA RAOUF brand is one of Dallas’s finest and is committed to bring character to women’s wardrobes while enhancing the individual character of her consumer.

Website noharaouf.com |  Location, Dallas, Texas  |  Graduation Year, 2017

All Images: Noha Raouf