INTERVIEW: EDELINE LEE talks to FILEP MOTWARY
Dear iDEALS, today I am presenting Edeline, a girl for whom I strongly have the feeling that very soon from now, her name will be a headline in the most valid fashion magazines.
FilepMotwary: What happened after Nick Knight's SHOW STUDIO chose you for the "YOU SHALL GO TO THE BALL" competition? EdelineLee: I went to Nick's masked ball wearing my massive cape and a huge hairdo, danced all night, left alone in a diamond covered black cab, slung the cape into a suitcase, ran to the train station at six in the morning to arrive in Brussels, repaired the cape all day and put on a fashion show that evening for Fashion Weekend!
FilepMotwary:I know that you already work for a company. Do you dream of finally launching your own collection? EdelineLee: For the sake of integrity, I won't expand on that at the present moment, but yes, there are works in progress... FilepMotwary: How do you choose your materials? EdelineLee:My choice of materials always derive from an extensive research process. I begin with anything and everything that I find inspiring and beautiful and interesting, and end up with thinking about what I want to wear and what I would like to see my girlfriends wear. 
FilepMotwary:Your clothes have a macabre poetry, as I see them. Why so much drama? Do you feel that by designing less creative clothes, your collection would be less interesting? EdelineLee:I do love the romantic and the grotesque. I find the best work comes out of whatever you are passionate about. What is more dramatic then the entrance of an exquisitely-dressed woman? I see a fashion show as an opportunity to express an entire world, a sensual assault in a few minutes. There's colour, sculptural form, the human body, texture, movement, sound, energy, it's almost like making a little film. The difference though is that fashion is so ephemeral; it's a moment that happens once and can't be repeated. This is what appeals to me about working in fashion. At the same time, I am a woman myself. I work every day, I go out of an evening and go away on holidays. So there's the other challenge of creating things that I would like to wear and that I would like to see my girlfriends wear. Creating beautiful clothing that stands up to the contemporary lifestyle can be just as creative and demanding. I like to swing between the two extremes. One generates ideas for the other. If you look closely at my collection, there are things layered in that anybody could wear. 
FilepMotwary:How do you see the future of fashion? EdelineLee: In London, one of the most visible recent developments in fashion is the idea of the celebrity-endorsed collection. Kate Moss's collection for TopShop started riots. Fashion has become more and more democratic. The internet has helped the spread of ideas as well. I think women nowadays are better informed, better travelled, with more resources. They know the value of things more, and have the freedom to match a designer jacket with a Primark tank top and an antique embroidered Indian skirt. I think this is great, it means that everybody has a chance to be better dressed and have a unique style. In the past, only the very wealthy had this freedom. Quality though will never go out of style. So I think high-end design will always have a market. As women become more sophisticated in their tastes, they will appreciate even more the singular beauty of an immaculately-finished, hand-made object. 
FilepMotwary:Designers like Hussein Chalayan present collections based on future elements and technology, as prophets of the destroyed environment. Would you see yourself involved in such projects in the coming future? EdelineLee:Chalayan's work is brilliant and he always has intellectually demanding concepts. My work is similar to his only in that it is my particular response to the moment that we live in. Each designer has their own response and their own aesthetic. We share the human body as a template but the end result is always unique. 
FilepMotwary:What is the ideal ingredient for a successful collection? EdelineLee:The most important ingredient is having great people around you as a designer. It takes many, many people's skill and energy to create those few spectacular minutes of a fashion show. Every designer has masses of people behind them, without whom it would be impossible toproduce a successful collection. FilepMotwary:How do you think the interns help fashion these days? EdelineLee:Interns are an essential part of the fashion system. Before I started my career, I interned at Conock and Lockie, Alexander McQueen, John Galliano and Zac Posen. I learnt everything I know from those experiences. Interns contribute by bringing fresh energy, idealism and ideas to a designer, while they benefit from seeing first-hand how the system works. I would highly recommend internships to anybody interested in working in the fashion industry.FilepMotwary: Thank YOU Edeline.
FilepMotwary: What happened after Nick Knight's SHOW STUDIO chose you for the "YOU SHALL GO TO THE BALL" competition? EdelineLee: I went to Nick's masked ball wearing my massive cape and a huge hairdo, danced all night, left alone in a diamond covered black cab, slung the cape into a suitcase, ran to the train station at six in the morning to arrive in Brussels, repaired the cape all day and put on a fashion show that evening for Fashion Weekend! FilepMotwary:I know that you already work for a company. Do you dream of finally launching your own collection? EdelineLee: For the sake of integrity, I won't expand on that at the present moment, but yes, there are works in progress... FilepMotwary: How do you choose your materials? EdelineLee:My choice of materials always derive from an extensive research process. I begin with anything and everything that I find inspiring and beautiful and interesting, and end up with thinking about what I want to wear and what I would like to see my girlfriends wear. FilepMotwary:Your clothes have a macabre poetry, as I see them. Why so much drama? Do you feel that by designing less creative clothes, your collection would be less interesting? EdelineLee:I do love the romantic and the grotesque. I find the best work comes out of whatever you are passionate about. What is more dramatic then the entrance of an exquisitely-dressed woman? I see a fashion show as an opportunity to express an entire world, a sensual assault in a few minutes. There's colour, sculptural form, the human body, texture, movement, sound, energy, it's almost like making a little film. The difference though is that fashion is so ephemeral; it's a moment that happens once and can't be repeated. This is what appeals to me about working in fashion. At the same time, I am a woman myself. I work every day, I go out of an evening and go away on holidays. So there's the other challenge of creating things that I would like to wear and that I would like to see my girlfriends wear. Creating beautiful clothing that stands up to the contemporary lifestyle can be just as creative and demanding. I like to swing between the two extremes. One generates ideas for the other. If you look closely at my collection, there are things layered in that anybody could wear. FilepMotwary:How do you see the future of fashion? EdelineLee: In London, one of the most visible recent developments in fashion is the idea of the celebrity-endorsed collection. Kate Moss's collection for TopShop started riots. Fashion has become more and more democratic. The internet has helped the spread of ideas as well. I think women nowadays are better informed, better travelled, with more resources. They know the value of things more, and have the freedom to match a designer jacket with a Primark tank top and an antique embroidered Indian skirt. I think this is great, it means that everybody has a chance to be better dressed and have a unique style. In the past, only the very wealthy had this freedom. Quality though will never go out of style. So I think high-end design will always have a market. As women become more sophisticated in their tastes, they will appreciate even more the singular beauty of an immaculately-finished, hand-made object. FilepMotwary:Designers like Hussein Chalayan present collections based on future elements and technology, as prophets of the destroyed environment. Would you see yourself involved in such projects in the coming future? EdelineLee:Chalayan's work is brilliant and he always has intellectually demanding concepts. My work is similar to his only in that it is my particular response to the moment that we live in. Each designer has their own response and their own aesthetic. We share the human body as a template but the end result is always unique. FilepMotwary:What is the ideal ingredient for a successful collection? EdelineLee:The most important ingredient is having great people around you as a designer. It takes many, many people's skill and energy to create those few spectacular minutes of a fashion show. Every designer has masses of people behind them, without whom it would be impossible toproduce a successful collection. FilepMotwary:How do you think the interns help fashion these days? EdelineLee:Interns are an essential part of the fashion system. Before I started my career, I interned at Conock and Lockie, Alexander McQueen, John Galliano and Zac Posen. I learnt everything I know from those experiences. Interns contribute by bringing fresh energy, idealism and ideas to a designer, while they benefit from seeing first-hand how the system works. I would highly recommend internships to anybody interested in working in the fashion industry.FilepMotwary: Thank YOU Edeline.
