February 24, 2025 |
As long as there are parties and premieres and galas and events there will be Erdem. The designer has honed his output, focusing on a distinctive, crafted, expressive and feminine look, which has clever, creative women at its heart.
A dedicated storyteller, every Erdem collection has an elegant narrative – often based on his extensive research on impressive historical women (from the Debo, Duchess of Devonshire to Maria Callas and Radclyff Hall). This time he changed it up, collaborating with the portrait artist Kaye Donachie, a contemporary of his at the RCA, whose painterly portraits are celebrated for her ability to capture the aura of a person, as opposed to their exact likeness.
The designer had previously commissioned the artist to make a portrait of his late mother as a young woman. That painting alongside other portraits and the artist’s watery florals, was applied to opera coats, wispy chiffon gowns and fitted sheath dresses. Other painterly Donachie images were scrunched into 3D textures for statement coats and gowns.
Several models carried the designer’s distinctive and appealing new rose-handled bag. It’s an apt symbol of Edem’s ambition to develop new product categories and grow his brand at his own pace. He opened a new flagship in Seoul in the summer with customers lapping up his richly embellished, textured take on femininity.
Photograph courtesy of Erdem.
