Susan Devaney Portfolio

1. S u s a n D e v a n e y
P o r t f o l i o

2. A r t i c l e s

3. 66
After you finished university, you seemed so
determined to follow your dream of becoming
a journalist and moving to Paris. Why?
I think my determination came not from the
fear of failure, but the fact that I was coming
out of a university that was still very driven, full
of high-powered kids, who in my perspective
seemed to know where they were going and
what they were going to do with the rest of
their lives. And, it was very much a part of the
programme at Princeton that you would get
through four years and find yourself and your
future. So, the prospect of not fulfilling that
promise terrified me. I was also competitive, so
I thought if everyone else knows what they’re
doing, I’ve got to know what I’m doing, too.
Why did you pick Paris and not New York City?
I did feel very passionate about Paris; I was
very passionate about the French. I loved
French history, French culture and the French
language. I knew I wanted to live in Paris, but
the whole career part of the equation was up
in the air. When you’re 20 or 22, you’re naive
enough to think that everything will work out –
and that’s the great thing about youth, I guess.
Would I do the same thing today at my age?
No, because I’ve been there and I know what
the stakes are, and I know what the potential
is, and it’s really, really tough.
Your book is a very open and honest account
of you coming of age in Paris. Did it scare
you to write it?
Well, that was one of the reasons I wanted to
write the book actually. The biggest reason
was that I’d saved all these journals and
memorabilia from that time: letters, articles,
notebooks, agendas and photos. So, that’s
why I knew I could ultimately transport the
reader and me back to that time. What was
really inside of me was that I wanted to
tell my story, and during the course of my
career, people had very much told my story
for me and projected onto me what they
thought I was or should be – that’s a very
uncomfortable feeling for a journalist. I just
felt like that wasn’t who I was and it wasn’t
so easy. People would say ‘oh, she went to
Princeton then Vogue then Harper’s Bazaar’,
like it was just leap frogging from one lily pad
to the next, and I wanted to tell my story for
young kids coming out of college or even high
school, that it’s not that easy. You have to
work really hard, and it doesn’t always work
out. And you learn the most actually from
those moments when it doesn’t work out,
because that’s when you really have to find
your resolve and your sense of self.
For many years, you worked with Anna
Wintour at Vogue. What do you think was
the greatest lesson you learned from her?
You know, I was lucky, because I had a lot
of freedom with her. And she basically let
me do whatever I wanted – that was a great
management lesson. If you have people working
for you, who you really trust and who meet all
of your expectations, then you just let them do
what they want to do – they did that.
You’re taught in school to have a career
plan... do you think that’s achievable?
I mean, people hold onto this idea that if I do this,
then I’ll get that, and no career is a perfect linear
trajectory. And if it is, then you’re not going to learn
much. If everything is handed to you, if you have
to follow someone else’s idea of the right path,
then you’re not really going to feel successful.
What did you learn about yourself in your
twenties?
Well, I think in the twenties that idea of getting
lost to find yourself is such an important
lesson, because there is this incredible
pressure to figure out who you are and set
your course, and make sure you’re on the
right track. I don’t think you necessarily have
the emotional or analytical capabilities in your
twenties, and certainly not the experience
to know that. I think it’s important and it’s
impossible to just let everything go and get
lost and so on and so forth. So, I think it’s a
really great lesson.
The other lesson I think is really important
in your twenties is that you really do have
to work hard for success. There are no
shortcuts and there’s no such thing as luck.
It’s hard work.
Kate Betts, award-winning magazine editor and author
of ‘My Paris Dream: An Education in Style, Slang, and
Seduction in the Great City on the Seine’, gives us an
honest account of what it takes to follow your dream.
By Susan Devaney
THE WOMAN
KATEBETTSAND
HER PARIS DREAM
Kate Betts with Karl Lagerfeld
Kate with her mother in Paris
KateBettsphotographedbyNoaGriffel.

4. 109
EXCLUSIVE
Mojeh
GIRL
Who’s that girl? With a debut role in Lars von Trier’s
experimental film Nymphomaniac with Shia LaBeouf, to
being chosen as the new face of Miu Miu’s AW14 campaign,
the future is shining bright for Stacy Martin. We speak to the
model-come-actress about fashion, film and much more.
NEW
Photographed by Steven Meisel for Miu Miu
EXCLUSIVE
Mojeh
W
ith her whip-like frame, long
chocolate-brown locks and silky
porcelain skin, it’s not hard to
see why this 23-year-old is finding fame at
her feet already. And her Franco-English
demeanour – an insouciant cool mixed with
an impeccable sense of style – has not failed
to go unnoticed either. From sitting front
row at Chanel, Rag & Bone and Miu Miu, the
fashion world has found its new rising star.
But Stacy openly admits this hasn’t always
come with ease. ‘To be honest I’m not sure
I had a sense of style when I was a kid. My
relationship to fashion was, let’s say, quite
‘non-existent’. I would mainly wear baggy
jeans and T-shirts,’ she remembers. ‘Over
the last few years I’ve found my own way
of having a relationship with fashion that’s
true to me and matches what I do day-to-
day. My favourite experiences and items are
those that allow me to still get along with
my day without having to think about what
I’m wearing.’
Born in France, Stacy moved to Tokyo with
her parents (her father is a hairstylist) at the
age of seven before returning to her home
country during her teenage years. At eighteen
she ventured to London to study media
and cultural studies at London College of
Communication. It was during this tenure
she signed with Premier Model Management.
Stacy openly admits she undertook modelling
to pay the bills and to become financially
independent, rather than through a burning
desire to strut the runway. Subsequently,
she has appeared in several fashion spreads
and publications. More recently, Stacy has
become the face of Miu Miu’s autumn/winter
15 campaign. Shot with famed photographer
Steven Meisel in NewYork City, she recalls an
intimate setting of a tailor-made alternative
universe. ‘It was a great experience, the way
Steven Meisel shoots is unlike any other
photographers I’ve worked with before. He
creates a very intimate atmosphere and has
such a sensibility in the way that he works.
We shot the autumn/winter campaign in
New York, but once we were in the studio it
was almost like we were in a different world,
almost like being in a Jean-Luc Godard film
in the Sixties,’ says Stacy. ‘Steven shoots so
quickly because he knows exactly what he
wants,’ Stacy continued. ‘Which made the
shoot so pleasant and easy for me.’ When
pressed for any interesting experiences on
set, ‘Anything interesting?Well, apart from a

5. 111
EXCLUSIVE
Mojeh
few surprise visits, I would say that the tarot
card reader was pretty cool,’ Stacy muses.
With a dark and sombre veil falling over the
final photographs, Stacy’s beauty shines
through, in focus. Presenting a new type of
Miu Miu girl: she’s utilitarian. The autumn/
winter collection allows normality to reign
and she has a few items on her wish list for
the season ahead. ‘I like the pure fun of Miu
Miu and how feminine the items are.Yet they
still have a boyish and cool touch to them. I
love the chunky knits, leather skirts and the
sheep coat from this collection,’ she says.
It’s not just the fashion experts who have
noticed her chameleon-like qualities but the
film industry wants her too. After her debut
film role in Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac,
starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stacy’s
film career is off to a flying start. With an
A-list cast in tow, Stacy plays the role of
Gainsbourg’s younger self. The similarities
between the two are uncanny, from a likeness
in appearance and fashion taste, to Stacy’s
resemblance to Seventies fashion icon, Jane
Birkin, Gainsbourg’s famous mother. With
several nude scenes with Shia LeBeouf and
tackling a role of many dimensions, it appears
that Stacy is a natural. By modelling whilst
studying at university, fortunately she earned
enough to be able to pay for acting lessons
at the Actors’ Temple where she still studies.
Unlike many other acting students before
her, she hasn’t had to slog it out by receiving
knock back after knock back after attending
auditions. She’s one of the lucky ones. Over
the past few months, Stacy has been working
on a new project in Italy. ‘I’ve recently been
shooting in Rome with Italian film director
Matteo Garrone on his new film The Tale of
Tales. The film is based on a collection of fairy
tales by 17th century author Giambattista
Basile,’ she says. The year ahead for her is set
to look like a busy one too. ‘I’m also due to
shoot with British film director BenWheatley
for his new film High-Rise. Later this year,
I have Nicolas Saada’s new film Taj Mahal.
So there’s lots going on and I feel extremely
privileged to be working with such talented
people,’ she says, humbly.
With her uncanny resemblance to Jane
Birkin, this ‘Girl with the Fringe’ (who is
more than a little mysterious), is only getting
started. It’s not luck, but her multiple talents
and cross-culture allure that are shining
through. Now that you know who she is,
you won’t forget her name.

6. 7878THE OPINION
Why is the word fashion still often associated
with negative stigmas?
It’s associated with women, therefore it tends to
be taken less seriously. You can sort of get through
to people (a little bit) when you point out that it’s a
multi-billion dollar industry and then they’ll admit it’s
a big economic force. When, on the whole, there’s
a lot of prejudice that thinks of it as being a very
negative and cultural force. I think the feminine
aspect is really one of the reasons for it not being
taken seriously. I mean sports are another form
of play like fashion, but those are taken seriously
because men do them – or do the majority of the
‘big money’ sports. But, if you look at statistics,
although the majority of fashion students are
women when you look at big name designers,
who are successful and have their own brands, a
little more than half the top ones are still men. A tiny
minority of men are disproportionately succeeding
and the majority of women, they may get jobs, but
they may not have their name on the label.
Can you tell us a bit about the hostility you
maybe encountered while studying for your
PhD at Yale?
Well, I think that it’s not just happened to me
personally. If you go back years, you’ll find
there’s a tremendous amount of hostility towards
fashion that permeates our culture, going back for
thousands of years. The idea that fashion is vain,
it’s mendacious, it’s a waste of time, it’s a waste
of money, it’s not serious and it’s licentious. Within
the context of academia, when I decided that I
wanted to work in fashion history at Yale, I think
most of my professors just thought it was (a kind
of) trivial topic – that it wasn’t important. Some
of them may also have worried accurately that I
wouldn’t get a real job in academia, because no
normal history department wants to hire someone
whose speciality is fashion history, because that
was seen as so frivolous.
Can you recall a moment when you’ve truly
felt the stigma attached to working in fashion?
One story that I’ve told repeatedly is when I was
at a cocktail party at Yale as a graduate student,
and one of the professors asked me what I was
working on and I told him ‘fashion’. He said, “Oh
that’s really interesting. Italian or German?” And I
kept thinking, what is he talking about? Lagerfeld?
I mean what does he mean by German fashion?
And then, finally, I twigged and I said: “No, no,
fashion – like Paris. Not Fascism.” He said: “Oh”
and he turned and walked away. There was nothing
more to say to me.
Why do you think people refuse to admit they
have a keen interest in fashion?
A lot of people are in denial about their involvement
in fashion at all. I mean they really despise fashion
and they’ll say: “I’m not interested in fashion”.
I usually try and say something flippant like, “Does
your mother still buy your clothes?” And then
they have to admit they are engaged in fashion.
I remember one young German man said to me:
“Fashion’s despicable, with all of its emphasis on
brands and conformity. And I said: “Really, who
made those blue jeans of yours? He said: “Levi”.
And I said: “Isn’t that a brand?” People are in denial.
They think they’re outside of fashion. They don’t
realise what fashion involves… I mean, it’s not just
clothes, hairstyles, music and food.
But have the stigmas lessened?
Oh, I think so, especially for men. I mean, there’s
more of a sense of acceptance of men going
into fashion. Educated parents tend to be more
accepting of difference and different career
ambitions. I think most women would encourage
their children to go into a field where they’re
most likely to succeed. Fashion is a very volatile
field, it’s a lot of work and it’s not necessarily
going to succeed for you. I know people, who
graduated recently from the Fashion Institute of
Technology and who are making big bucks in the
business now. But, I don’t know so many fashion
design students who’ve had such a rapid rise.
How do you respond when people say: “But
they’re just clothes”?
I think you try and point out to them that it’s a
multi-billion dollar industry. It’s an art form and
it’s a kind of form of personal expression that
everybody engages with. It’s an embodied practice
– everybody gets dressed in the morning. It’s rare
that you have something that affects absolutely
everybody. You could talk about fashion with a
3-year-old and with a 90-year-old.
Interview by Susan Devaney
VALERIE STEELE
The chief curator of the Museum at the Fashion Institute
of Technology in NewYork discusses fashion’s stigmas,
stereotypes and taking clothes seriously.
The F - Word with
PhotographedbyAaronCobbett

7. D e s i g n e r I n t e r v i e w s

8. 88
WOMAN
Mojeh
JOURNEY OF
A WOMAN
She’s world-renowned for dancing at Studio 54, living the
American dream and, of course, her iconic wrap dresses. As she
prepares for the release of her honestly detailed memoirs The
Woman I Wanted To Be, we speak to Diane von Furstenberg –
the designer, the brand, the philanthropist and the woman.
89
WOMAN
Mojeh
I
t’s in her wavy curls, those seductive
eyes, that figure-hugging dress and most
importantly, it’s in her words. Diane von
Furstenberg speaks to females in every way.
‘Women inspire me and I design to inspire
them’, she says. It’s been forty years since
the creation of the infamous wrap dress and
like Diane; the dress is still a hit with women
everywhere. ‘We have achieved so much
but so much is also the same: women are
strong. I encourage them to be the woman
they want to be.Those two things will never
change,’ proclaims Diane.
Decades later and von Furstenberg’s own
fashion fairytale is as much-loved as ever.
Arriving on the shores of New York City in
1969, she and her then husband (whom
she married at age 22), Prince Egon von
Furstenberg came to set up a new life,
baby in tow. But as a free spirited Belgium-
born daughter of Auschwitz survivor Lily
Nahmias, Diane wasn’t going to be content
playing the housewife and European
Princess. She even once famously told
Oprah: ‘I didn’t know what I wanted to do
but I knew the kind of woman I wanted to
be – an independent woman who drives
her own cars and pays her own bills.’
Having designed the wrap dress in 1972,
she began to pave the way for her career
as a designer. Fame and fortune quickly
followed and by the tender age of 28 she
was worth nearly $65 million. By 30 she
was gracing the cover of Newsweek.
A memoir aptly named after that
conversation with Oprah, The Woman
I Wanted To Be is due to be published at
the end of this year and having lived such
a varied and vast life, we can’t wait to
unravel the details within. ‘I am at an age
where I feel ready to look back at my full
life and share some of what I’ve learned
from that life,’ she says. At the age of 67,
she still looks fabulous. With her glistened
tanned skin and hollowed cheekbones
Diane is simply striking. ‘I also address my
business, living the American dream and
surviving lots of ups and downs. I hope
that by being honest, I can inspire other
women to look at their lives honestly as well.
Every woman that is honest in telling her
story is an inspiration to others’, she says.
Having endured lots of ups and downs
over her lifetime, von Furstenberg’s story
ImagecourtesyofThosRobinson/Stringer,Getty

9. 90
WOMAN
Mojeh
is as honest as she. Having lost her way in
business during the 1980s - she moved to
Paris to flee from bankruptcy - she divorced
and then remarried in 2001, this time to
media mogul Barry Diller. Here she set up
Salvy, a French-language publishing house
and for the next few years she turned her
back on design and began publishing books.
It wasn’t until she reached her 50s that she
embarked on one of the most successful
comebacks within the world of fashion
by starting over in 1997. ‘I have learned
my own weaknesses. I have never been a
great manager so I make sure that I have
people on my team who are,’ she admits.
Her positive mindset is one of her greatest
assets and it appears to be unfaltering.‘The
best thing about ageing is that you have
a past…you make mistakes and you have
successes but you learn so much from the
life you have lived’, she says.
In an industry with youth at the epicentre,
von Furstenberg looks to her past, age and
wisdom to define her future. In 2005, the
Council of Fashion Designers of America
presented her with a lifetime achievement
award and the following year she was
made president. When pressed about the
industry’s lust for youth and tendency to
shun ageing, she says: ‘I think we have
made some progress, but not enough.
In my role as president of the Council of
Fashion Designers of America I have helped
to establish age limits for runway models
and guidelines on how late the youngest
models are allowed to work. Diversity of
all kinds is important in fashion though
and there is still so much work to be done.’
Her resilience alone is utterly inspirational.
Working towards a better world for women
is at the top of von Furstenberg’s to-do list.
‘Investing in women is one of the most
powerful ways we can transform the world,’
she proclaims. This year she stood behind
Photographed by Peter Lindbergh
91
philanthropy, it is something I think about
every day’. Both von Furstenberg’s husband
and daughter, Tatiana, play active roles in
the foundation and it is evident in both her
words and actions that she is a woman’s
woman. Females are at the forefront of all
her endeavours, from philanthropy right
through to design.
At the helm of her business - that is more
successful now than ever with 85 stores
worldwide – von Furstenberg shows no
signs of slowing down anytime soon. The
DvF autumn winter 14 collection consists
of designs from another era. In light of the
40th anniversary of the signature wrap
dress, the collection plays homage to the
iconic creation while the start of the year
witnessed the launch of‘Journey of a Dress’
- the exhibition and retrospective of the
frock that made her fortune. It would of
course only seem appropriate to dedicate
her latest offering to it. ‘The collection
is called Bohemian Wrapsody and is
inspired by the Ballets Russes. I imagined
a glamorous vagabond dancing from place
to place and always looking very chic…she
is a free spirit and she is wearing the most
beautiful prints and colours: finely drawn
rose prints, poppy reds and cobalt blues,’
she says. British beauty Karen Elson opened
the show in a breath-taking dress covered
in a black and gold dart-design (similar to
the original, of course). It is these dresses
cut for the working woman that have
always been a synonymous part of DvF’s
oeuvre and will be for years to come. This
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s Ban Bossy
campaign which discourages calling girls
‘bossy’ and instead, tells them they have
leadership potential. Of course, having a
naturalbornleaderbehindsuchamovement
is a perfect fit. Von Furstenberg is giving
back: her time, her expertise and her voice.
‘I am very involved with an organisation
called Vital Voices that empowers women
leaders around the globe. These women
are fearless and they are working tirelessly
to better the lives of others’, she says. Vital
Voices is a non-governmental organisation
that trains and empowers women around
the world, giving them the opportunity
to be leaders with a voice. These women
‘have the passion and the courage. It’s
important that they are given the guidance
and resources to achieve their goals,’ she
enthuses. Since 1997, the organisation has
already mentored over 14,000 women from
Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean
and the Middle East. Keen to build on these
philanthropic attributes, the Diller-von
Furstenberg Family Foundation was set-up
in 1999, managed by von Furstenberg’s son,
Alexander (he is also a director and partner
for the DvF brand).The foundation provides
support to various NGOs and women with
Diane exclaiming with outright passion:
‘I am in a place where I can give back to
the communities who gave so much to me;
the fashion community, New York City…
but more than anything I want to empower
women in everything I do. Through
fashion, through mentoring and through
WOMAN
Mojeh
Diane von Furstenberg in Abu Dhabi at The Galleria, Al Maryah Island.

10. lots of gingham on chiffon and painterly
floral prints inspired by Picasso and
Matisse. Black and white is the base but
there are rich colours, too: yellow, green,
coral and Riviera blue’, she says. It’s fluid,
fun and (as always) includes pieces that are
ideal for the working woman.‘And of course,
lots of jersey and new wrap dresses!’ she
concludes.The inspiration behind each and
every collection will never falter. ‘The DvF
woman knows who she is - she is confident,
independent, bold, playful, humorous. She
wants clothes that are easy and effortless.
She is the woman she wants to be,’ she says.
Diane is the proof that confidence and
self-belief are the secret tools to success,
seduction and self-promotion.
‘If you’re trying to slip out without waking a
sleeping man, zips are a nightmare’, Diane
replied when asked by a French journalist
back in the 1980s how she came up with
her famous wrap dress. As ‘Journey of
a Dress’ celebrates 40 years of an iconic
design and a fabulous frock, the DvF empire
looks set to continue to inspire women.
With an impending release of her memoir
and recent collections that still capture
the modern day woman, the spirit of von
Furstenberg is unflappable. But what does
the future hold for the woman who has it
all? ‘My goal now is to leave my company
in a great place so that it will last beyond
me for my children and my grandchildren,’
she says with an essence of sentimentality.
It is evident that family is paramount to
her life and throughout her career she has
openly referenced her mother’s strong
influence on her upbringing: a woman
who survived the Holocaust and instilled
deeply rooted values within her daughter.
Now, von Furstenberg shares this wisdom,
her leadership skills and unwavering
fearlessness with women around the world.
When prompted for the greatest piece of
advice she’s ever received: ‘my mother
always told me that fear is not an option,’
she recalls. In true inspirational spirit, Diane
von Furstenberg looks to the future with
fearlessness. Oh, and a great dress, of course.
winter she gave us stars, clouds, rosebuds,
swirls and darts while hemlines of dresses
alternated from shirt to floor-sweeping
gowns in sheer fabric. The colour palette
equally moved from rich sombre shades to
in-your-face brights in an eye-catching
colour palette. Reflecting the demeanour
of a confident woman, these are clothes
that sit with ease and co-exist with the
body to streamlined perfection.
This level of confidence has transcended
over into 2015 where Diane found
inspiration from the French Riviera.. ‘Our
Riviera collection was inspired by the easy
glamour of the Côte d’Azur in the 1950s…
WOMAN
Mojeh
Karlie Kloss in DVF autumn/winter 14

11. 68
He’s bypassed the signature Italian forte of mixing baroque with
commercial sex appeal. Instead Marco de Vincenzo, the rising
Sicilian designer, is doing things his way by creating fusion and
illusion. We speak to the man behind the magic about his latest
collection for autumn winter 14.
STYLE NOTE
‘Sparkling, visionary and dynamic’. One could easily
confuse these handpicked words to describe the
man in question, not just his recent collection. After
devoting ten working years beside Silvia Venturini
Fendi, the 36-year-old designer has now captured
the fashion elite’s attention all on his own accord.
Citing his greatest lesson learnt from the Italian
fashion house as having the confidence ‘to dare’,
his own-name designs only work to amplify this USP.
It’s the sway and swag that first capture your attention
as models strut the runway - the movement of de
Vincenzo’s designs are simply mesmerising. From
rainbow-lit colours to tailored one-off pieces, each
and every creation is glossed in illusion. ‘I wanted to
communicate the good energy that I was breathing
in around me – and what better than a glittered
rainbow to help express it?’ posed de Vincenzo.
And a glittered rainbow is what he delivered. Playing
with lurex fabrics, pleats and geometric shapes, his
autumn winter 14 collection was a mesh of textures.
Think fur lined jackets (a small nod to his former
mentor Fendi) to sombre knitwear – the collection
moved along with as much effortless style as the
creations. It appears that the creative process behind
the designs is a mirror image of his positive outlook,
too. ‘I allow my ideas to be free flowing in my mind.
Every one of them will find the right positioning,’ says
de Vincenzo of his outstanding collections.
Since his teenage years spent growing up in
Messina, de Vincenzo was drawn to the visionary
world and all of its freedoms. ‘I’ve been drawing
since I was a child,’ he says. ‘In any case [I knew]
my job would have been a creative job.’ At the age
of 18 he left his hometown for Sicily’s well-known
Istituto Europeo di Design to continue his studies.
Shortly after graduating he joined Fendi, designing
handbags while forging a working relationship with
Silvia Venturini Fendi. Now residing in Rome, he
finds his daily inspiration from ‘everywhere and in
every moment. Creativity is often unconscious.’
Reaching this unconscious state of mind has been
a cultivated process, having previously confessed:
‘it took me a long time to figure out who I am as a
designer.’ De Vincenzo ‘needed to experience and
learn in the field. In doing so, I could have a limitless
creative resource.’ This level of creativity is often an
exhaustive resource for fashion designers as they
churn out collection after collection, season after
season, yet for de Vincenzo, it is simply embedded
inside him. It is his Italian surroundings and heritage
that have stood him in good stead for this process.
‘I produce everything in Italy and I personally go
into every workshop which helps me to realise a
new dream, every season. Being Italian consists of
having no limits in experimentation and in quality. I
try to take advantage of this privilege’, he says. It
may have taken him many years to find his footing
as a designer, but de Vincenzo still values the weight
held by the starting point for a young professional
within the competitive world of fashion. ‘I’d suggest
they start by gaining experience in a big company,
because method and discipline will be a precious
help if you want to have an individual career. Then,
stay humble. We’re not rock stars, but designers.
It’s a different thing’, he says with affirmation.
This modest mind-set toward favouring designing
over reaching fashion stardom is wholly apparent.
The glossy and grooved waves of many of his
designs for autumn winter 14 are the pièce de
résistance of the collection. Marbled polka dots in
glittered circles and faded tartan in precisely pleated
skirts are equally exquisite. ‘My woman loves special
items. After some seasons she still has to feel happy
to have them: this is my goal’, says de Vincenzo.
With longevity in mind, such designs would be hard
to resist. Transcending seasons, they speak to the
woman now and forever more. History is also a
vital component to him, his designs and his life.
Nostalgically remembering his career highlight thus
far, de Vincenzo looks back to the beginning of 2009
in his own design timeline. ‘My first high fashion
runway show in Paris. There, an important sparkle lit
up’, recalls de Vincenzo. The sparkle has yet to dull.
FLYINGSOLO
ImagecourtesyofMarcodeVincenzo

12. 80
He’s known for his precision, punctuality and unwavering strive for
perfection. Giorgio Armani is deservedly the most successful Italian
designer of all time. In light of Armani Privé’s recent 10th couture
anniversary, we meet the man behind the billion-dollar empire.
‘Perfection is an abstract concept that is difficult to
achieve in reality’, Mr. Armani tells me. ‘The pursuit of
perfection is, however, the constant stimulus that drives
my work, with the aim to get closer to true beauty. And
I believe that this on-going search is an element that
is appreciated by my audience and clientele’, he says.
As his haute couture spring/summer 15 collection hit
the runway, the beauty was in his perfected pieces.
With a distinct sartorial nod to Japan, the fusion of the
strength and delicacy of bamboo acted as a tool of
inspiration. Bamboo shoots in natural green adorned
tops like shutters and sprouted from heavy – near
floor-skimming – cardigans. Kimono-style dressing was
prevalent as belts looped over waists and sleeves were
woman has a personal idea of seduction and style. She
is autonomous, independent and rather than turning
to the culture of excess, she prefers something more
sophisticated, authentic and personal. I cater to her needs
by offering uniquely elegant clothes that are authentic
and natural’, he says.
But Mr. Armani could have easily taken a different route.
Initially studying medicine at the university of Piacenza
he dropped out after three years. For a man of sheer
determination a college dropout doesn’t sit well within
his own descriptive story – but fate dealt him a very
good hand. After enrolling in two years’ compulsory
military service and serving his time for the army, he never
returned to complete his studies. All fuelled by his lack
of belief in his academic qualities and desire to move
out of his parents’ home and earn his own money. The
middle child of three, his father worked as an accountant
for a transport company. But it was his mother who was
the decisive force – like most Italian families. Embarking
upon his first fashion role as a window-dresser for La
Rinascente in Milan it acted as a catalyst for carving his
career. After a stint as a buyer’s assistant, he was then
spotted by Nina Cerruti and hired as a designer for new
menswear line, Hitman. And the rest is history.
Giorgio Armani has written itself into the history books.
A brand that over the course of 40 years has become
renowned for its clean and sharp tailoring. With the
success of his other lines behind him it would only
given a touch of corner elongation. The bamboo artistry
delicately painted across fabric was in complete contrast
to the robustly constructed bamboo-formed accessories.
From handbags to earrings, the plant was positioned as
the collection’s maker – some with a gleam of seventies’
Perspex. Light watercolours flowed from each design. The
culture and traditions of Asia have served Armani well as
fruitful inspiration over the years. ‘For this collection I was
inspired by bamboo, a plant with a solid stem, to which
seemingly fragile, thin and elegant leaves sprout. In this
element, I saw a metaphor of how a woman should be:
strong, but also not afraid to show her most fragile and
delicate side. The clothes are not constrictive, but soft,
and move well on the body’, he says.
It’s the fluidity of Mr. Armani’s work that has been the
gatekeeper to the decades of his sartorial success. He
changed the way men and women dress, or view day-
to-day dressing. ‘In the seventies and eighties women
decidedly faced certain areas of work for the first time,
showing themselves as equal or possibly superior to men.
They needed clothes that represented them adequately
in the competition with the stronger sex. This is where
the idea of the power suit came from’, he recalls. With
his master tailoring skills in tow, he deconstructed the
stiffness from suits and such: removed buttons, changed
lapels, unravelled proportions and softened shoulders.
He made way for wearable daily fashion. Launching
the Armani label in 1975, the face of seventies’ fashion
took a decidedly fluidly fun focus. Switching between
opposing forces, Mr. Armani brought gentleness to
men, and strength to women through clothes. ‘Today
… women have also agreed to show their softer, feminine
side, without making themselves dolls. The Armani
MR.
PERFECT
By Susan Devaney
DESIGNER INTERVIEW

13. 82
make for a savvy business decision to walk the line
of haute couture. In 2005, Mr. Armani sent his first
couture collection along the catwalk in Paris. With the
recent celebration (at the time) of his 70th birthday and
the 30-year-anniversary of his label, entering couture
moved the brand forward into the future – but it wasn’t a
straightforward decision. ‘I must confess that the idea to
get involved in high fashion was a thought that came and
went, because I was trying to figure out if it was the right
choice at the time’, he recalls with honesty. ‘In hindsight,
I can say that it was the right choice, an important step
in my career. Today my Privé collection has a solid and
real clientele of women who have a special lifestyle and
need clothes that fit the bill. It’s a result that perhaps I
More than anything else, I find that the change in recent
years has been the occasions in which such significant
clothes are worn. Today there are many more events for
which it is appropriate to wear haute couture clothing,
from the red carpet and cocktail parties to private gallery
openings and social events. It is the reason why I offer
exquisite garments that are also suitable for daywear in
my collection’, he concludes. For spring/summer 15,
daywear pieces were evident throughout his designs.
From softly tailored trousers to plissé jackets, it’s occasion
dressing at its finest.
‘These ten years of Armani Privé have passed quickly,
and saw me ride a wave of a great creative impulse’,
Mr. Armani recalls. ‘For me, each season represented
the acquisition and improvement of a new language that
offers versions of the sophisticated naturalness of my style
in a subtle and exquisite manner. Over time, my vision of
high fashion has taken on a new idea of seduction and
become open to the unexpected nature of eccentricity,
while maintaining a consistent base, namely the idea of
the naturalness of apparel that must never be a disguise,
but rather a completion of the person’, he concludes.
Looking back the Armani brand has achieved a wealth of
creativity. Most importantly, Mr. Armani has never waned
from his original aesthetic. Since their first show in 2005
the number of looks created has more than doubled: 31
back then, 68 now. A game of numbers has been central
to the building of the Armani Empire. This ‘great creative
impulse’ has extended to everything: from cosmetics
to cafes to hotels to nightclubs, the Armani touch has
crossed continents and every aspect of daily life.
But most days he wears navy blue. For a man with a
complex mind and a creative outlook his personal dress
would not have imagined 10 years ago, something that
today brings extreme satisfaction’, he says. With long-
line fishtail silhouettes and flowing skirts in champagne
duchess satin, elegance was evident throughout his
first couture collection 10 years ago. Necklines were
sculpted into off-the-shoulder or halterneck designs.
Bodices were beaded and jackets were embroidered
with aplomb. Year after year, Mr. Armani has unfailingly
catered to his couture clientele. Now, 10 years later and
Mr. Armani’s move into couture still remains fairy tale-
like: ‘Even today, haute couture remains a dream, the
ultimate expression of the best artisan craftsmanship, the
heritage of know-how linked to the purest of creativity
and imagination’, he says. ‘This aspect has not changed.
sense is in complete opposition of him: it’s simple. Day-
to-day it’s not unusual to see Mr. Armani wearing a simple
plain t-shirt paired with jeans – or a fine navy blue suit.
His style is modestly discreet – like him. Having previously
stated that he valued discretion above all things, his own
fashion evidently evokes this mind set, as too do his
multiple fashion lines. Elegance and simplicity are at the
heart of his work. ‘At the base of each collection, whether
it is haute couture or prêt-à-porter, there is always an
idea that needs to be materialised. The starting point
is thus always a two-dimensional sketch, from which
something three-dimensional can then be created. It
is after this stage you start to work with the shapes,
textures, finishes and volumes, always keeping in mind
the basic requirements of my style, or rather comfort,
function and beauty’, he says. From Emporio Armani to
Giorgio Armani Privé, he has a host of lines to creatively
consider. ‘Clearly there are differences between Giorgio
Armani Privé and the other lines. The ready-to-wear
collection is industrially produced at a very high level,
while for Privé each garment is custom made in an atelier.
Haute couture, being a laboratory for experimentation,
gives me the opportunity to fully liberate the imagination
and create exquisite clothes, those of dreams – for which
hours and hours of work are required – for just a handful
of customers’, he says.
Buying and selling ‘the dream’ lifestyle has been integral
to the Armani brand since it’s inception. Do you remember
Richard Gere and his fashionable attire in the cinematic
classic American Gigolo? Of course, you do. The 1980
film launched the Armani brand into another level of
success. The narcissistic character of Julian Kaye used
his sense of style to squash all of his social insecurities.

14. 84
From his über cool sports jackets to seriously slick suits,
Gere played a man you wanted to know, wanted to
date, and really wanted to be. The message was clear:
the Armani brand was and is part of a lifestyle choice.
This choice has also witnessed the formation of the
Armani woman: she’s elegant, understated and oozes
sheer sophistication. The type of characteristics wholly
executed by Hollywood actresses Cate Blanchett and
Julianne Moore who’ve both been adorned in his designs.
Without regret Mr. Armani doesn’t speak English. He has
always adamantly refused to learn. Keeping his fluent
linguistic skills to Italian and French. That’s the thing
about him: he does what he wants to do. This includes
keeping the foundations of his vision the same since
day one. Describing the Armani style of today, he says:
‘…a style characterised by the continuous search for
harmonious lines, innovative materials, sophistication
and quality. I would say that my idea of style and tastes
are the same as when I started: they express a deep
appreciation for all that is simple and straightforward.
However since 1975, the times have certainly changed.
Men and women have gradually freed themselves from
protocols and rigidity, while finding different ways to
express their personality. I aim to always keep up with
the times, without altering the essential characteristics
of my philosophy and aesthetic’, he concludes. And
therein lies the backbone to the success of the Armani
label. Yes, Mr. Armani has moved with the times, but his
vision has remained the same.
As Mr. Armani ‘aims to get closer to true beauty’ he will
undoubtedly retain his crown as the most successful
Italian designer of all time. In the near future, Mr. Armani
will celebrate the 40th anniversary of his label: ‘…a
major event for which I will be involved in a series of
events, starting with the large fashion show to be held
at the opening of EXPO Milano 2015. In the meantime
I am working diligently, looking to the future.’ Having
previously said that he ‘hoped Armani can live without
me’ his perfected vision will be a hard act to follow – for
anyone. You can see it in his manner, his outlook, and his
work: the need for perfection is ingrained within him. Mr.
Armani’s perfected complexities are his own true beauty.
PhotographedbyPascalLeSegretain,Getty.

15. 72
glamour and Gurung’s sights are firmly
set on one thing: Nepal’s recovery.
‘There are so many displaced girls in
Nepal who need shelter and education
and I really am of the mindset that
educating the next generations to come
is imperative’, he says. ‘At this point,
the Nepal Earthquake Fund has become
an extension of my mission.’
Talk of his home country and childhood
turns Gurung into Nepal’s biggest
crusader. It’s clearly a place that holds
many defining moments and memories
for him. Growing up in Kathmandu – the
capital city with a population that is just
shy of one million people – it’s aglow
with medieval temples, workshops and
wonderfully artistic and cultural sights. It
may buzz with the sound of backpackers
and businesses, but it’s still listed as a
developing country. His upbringing in such
a place is something Gurung is eternally
thankful for. Attending an all-boys Catholic
boarding school, he was more fortunate
than others, but adhering to strict rules and
regulations may well have been the making
of him – for running your own label in
2015 is no easy feat, it requires more than
talent alone. ‘Grace under pressure’ has
been his applied motto since his school
days. Gurung may have been educated
with the boys, but his futuristic vision
lies with women. From experimenting
with new wave feminism for his autumn/
winter 13 collection to his latest pre-fall 15
As he continues to raise money for the victims of the
recent Nepal earthquake, MOJEH meets Prabal Gurung
the New York-based designer who may have the fashion
world at his fingertips, but hasn’t forgotten his roots.
By Susan Devaney
But Prabal Gurung has come from a road
less travelled. A somewhat global nomad,
the Singapore-born, Nepal-raised designer
doesn’t have a conventional fashionable
back-story. Coming from one of the
world’s poorest countries, to date he is
their greatest fashion export. The country
doesn’t exactly list the fashion industry as
an encouraged (or realistic) profession to
enter – but against all odds – Gurung has
reached the (very) top. In 2010, he was
named a runner-up for the CFDA Vogue
Fashion Fund. In the same year he became
the recipient of the Ecco Domani Fashion
Fund Award and received a nomination
for the CFDA Swarovski Womenswear
Awards. His level of recognition is
staggering considering he only launched
his first eponymous collection during New
York Fashion Week in 2009. Bypass all of
the awards, shows, the industry’s glitz and
Adorned in a brightly coloured draped
ruby red creation, America’s First Lady
Michelle Obama (against all others) chose
his dress. It was the 2010 White House
Correspondents’ Dinner and he was ‘the
chosen one’. It had a knock-on, rippling
effect that altered the designer’s status
on the fashion map. ‘To know that such
incredibly influential, intelligent women
want to wear my designs is so gratifying’,
he says. From Sarah Jessica Parker to Kate
Middleton, his creations have rested on the
backs of many an influential woman. ‘What
is so fantastic about getting the opportunity
to dress these women is that I’m able to
see my designs come to life on the women
I’m so inspired by. All of the women we
dress are extremely talented and beautiful
women of substance. Each and every time
it happens I cannot tell you how honoured
I feel. It really never gets old!’ he exclaims.
72DESIGNER INTERVIEW
OddsAll
Against
Prabal with his mother in Nepal.
Runway look from Autumn/winter 15.
Prabal backstage during autumn/winter 15 fashion week.

16. 74
Embroidered designs from spring/summer 15.
collection that has ‘femininity with bite’,
Gurung designs for strong, intelligent and
confident women (much like the women
from his kin). ‘My family has always been
supportive of my decision to pursue a
career in fashion, which in Nepal is a
very different path to take. Knowing that
I had their blessing meant the world and
gave me the confidence and courage to
make the move to New York to finish my
studies’, he recalls. To this day Gurung’s
family remains his stable backbone.
It was his mother who taught him about
women and the many hats they must wear.
From his childhood he vividly remembers
the women who surrounded him day-to-
day. Writing for the Huffington Post, he
recalled, ‘The quiet inner strength of my
mother – her unwavering belief in and quest
for integrity and justice, her unflinching
philosophy of grace under pressure –
has always had a profound influence
on me and the way I view women.’ This
conscientious effort is apparent in his
work. For spring/summer 15, the runway
was laden with designs that oozed an
easy appeal. Exposing slices of hipbones
or shoulders, it was sex appeal with an
understatement. With drawstring-waist
silk jackets and open-weave jumpers –
all in a mirage of soft pastel shades. It
was sport-meets-haute-couture-meets-
the-mountains. Taking us on trip through
the treacherous terrain during the spring,
his woman is an adventurer (much like
Gurung is an itinerant man on his own
journey (often taking time out to retreat
from the hustle and bustle of city life
– but for no longer than six days at a
time). After completing his studies at the
National Institute of Fashion Technology
in New Delhi, India (along with several
apprenticeships and a short spell of
designing with Manish Arora) he went
from country to country for seven years.
Having seen more of the world than most,
it is reflective in his visionary creations. In
1999, he moved to the City That Never
Sleeps with high hopes and a whole lot
of ambition. Taking up a place at the
prestigious Parsons School of Design,
he excelled with determination. In his
first year he was awarded Best Designer
Award at the annual Parsons/FIT design
competition. It was during this time that
he also learned at the helm of Donna
Karan, throughout an internship with
the esteemed designer. Upon leaving
Parsons, he spent two years working with
Cynthia Rowley’s team before becoming
the design director for Bill Blass. He left
during a tumultuous time of recession and
uncertainty – but with $10,000 in the bank,
no investor, a 350sft space in East Village
and two staff members he started his own
label. Calling it a fearlessly ambitious move
is an understatement.
Maybe his heart lies in Nepal, but New
York City has adopted the role of his
muse too. For autumn/winter 15, upstate
himself). ‘This time it’s more a visual diary
of her trek up the mountains’, he said.
Piles of feathers, lightly trailing chiffon
scarves and rolling ruffles all spoke of his
beloved Himalayas. But it’s the journey
of the woman he captures time and time
again. ‘We really have never wavered on
the women we design for’, he says. ‘I
create clothes for women who look for
an intelligent and artistic luxury. Above all
I want them to feel empowered, special,
and confident wearing my designs. I very
much look to the concept of the Prabal
Gurung woman throughout my creative
process. My muse is strong, astute,
eloquent and substantive – I always hope
to convey these ideals with my designs’,
he concludes.
Like the women he designs for, he is
extremely worldly. From exotic locations
in far-flung places to remote hideaways,
Pre-fall 15.
Brightly coloured shoes from autumn/winter 15.

17. 76
New York was his main inspiration. With
a minimalistic touch, lines were sharp
and cuts were clean. Focusing on Native
American designs as a motif, it runs like
a current through his entire collection. ‘A
lot of my friends are having babies. Their
bodies change. I’ve realised a dress can
still be sexy without being skintight’, he
said backstage before the show – hence
the change of silhouette. Slip dresses
and sheaths made way for a more fluid
and easy move away from the body. For
Gurung, fusing women, power and fashion
has always been an integral part of his
vision. ‘The women I like dressing always
have to have a strength of mind and real
character’, he told British Vogue in 2011.
‘It’s about the content of their heart and
mind. Kate Middleton, like the First Lady,
is representative of that ideal. She is very
democratic in the way she dresses. She
never behaves badly and we live in a world
where people become famous for falling
out of a taxi drunk. And then there’s Kate –
poised, looking like she’s enjoying herself
and holding onto her integrity.’
But on Saturday, April 25th 2015 Gurung’s
ambitions permanently changed; a date
that will forever be ingrained in his mind. ‘I
will be looking to help rebuild Nepal for the
rest of my life’, he says without hesitation.
With a magnitude of 7.9, the quake left a
rising death toll in its wake. As the country
tries to rebuild its communities, lives and
future, Gurung has reached out to the
terrain, the lush countryside and the raw
nature of Nepal, it’s only a-given that
he’d want to restore it to its people.
‘We’re working with a number of relief
organisations on the ground to disperse
the funds but the country will need much
more than just that’, he urges. ‘Anything
I can do to bring attention to what still
needs to be done there, I will do. Society
tends to turn to the next disaster quite
quickly so it’s even more important that
these efforts are continued.’
He tries to go home as often as possible.
Bringing him a sense of clarity and retreat,
the rolling hills of Nepal are his refuge from
the glamorous life of the rich and famous.
When he speaks of his homeland, he is
full of admiration and sentimentality. It
clearly keeps his spirit humble. His ability
to see passed the world of fashion and
fuse his love for design with a greater
need is the vital component to his singular
success. With many people upholding
Gurung for his unusual back-story into
this world, he hopes it will allow for others
to dream bigger – especially those from
improvised backgrounds. ‘I do believe that
people often relate to a unique story or a
different upbringing and at times may feel
a personal connection because of that’,
he says reflectively. It is obvious he cares
deeply for the future of our planet and
its people. In his visions, creative spirit
and championing campaign, Gurung will
always tread the path that leads to home.
fashion world to donate to the country’s
people through his foundation, Shikshya
Foundation Nepal. ‘When the earthquake
hit, I felt even more connected to my
home’, he says. ‘I have been lucky enough
to build a following on social media and
within the industry that has given me
access to tools that spread awareness
and raised close to $1 million. The Nepal
Earthquake Fund’s team has started to
build over 1,500 homes for those affected
by the earthquake. It has truly now become
an integral part of my business and lifelong
commitment to continue to rebuild and
help those displaced.’ He believes it’s his
charity work that helps him to stay humble
and keep two feet firmly on the ground.
His grateful manner and ability to see the
bigger picture is hard not to notice when
he speaks. With a childhood of growing up
surrounded by the beautiful mountainous
Moodboard preparations backstage before the spring/summer 15 show.
Prabal during a model fitting backstage during autumn/winter 15.
Autumn/winter 15.

18. 136136DESIGNER INTERVIEW
ABeautifulT RA N S F O R M AT I O N
By Susan Devaney
Known worldwide as London’s ‘Kings of Print’,
we talk to the design duo at Peter Pilotto who have
turned their talents toward the old, the new, and all
things beautifully transformative for autumn/winter 15.
AllimagescourtesyofPeterPilotto
Backstage before the autumn/winter 15 show

19. 138
season to the next. That dialogue is constant and
we research accordingly to initialise those ideas
and push them further. It’s very important for us to
discover things during the progress – rather than
having one idea and then executing it,” he says.
From Connect 4 to Snakes and Ladders, Pilotto
and de Vos have executed a playfully visual game
of textures and beauty this season. Fusing sleek
shapes from the Sixties and Seventies with circuits
and checkerboards, they’ve written themselves a
new set of rules. With success already following
their collection and plans to launch an e-commerce
site this autumn, they’re appreciative of their current
clientele, accepting their newly found vision. “It’s
great to see that they embraced the newness we
want to bring with these collections,” Peter says.
“I feel like it’s so exciting: as you get older, beauty
almost becomes something you can control. You
don’t have to put in effort to kind of gain it, or have
it, or achieve it,” he says. Like metamorphosis,
they’ve transformed the Peter Pilotto aesthetic from
prints to texture, with beautiful effect.
“[It’s like] you can almost choose to be one thing on
one day, and something else on the other. Therefore,
you can explore and have fun. I think that’s quite
important – rather than having one particular style
that is dictated and everybody follows and so on. It’s
nice how there is something quite liberating about
it,” one half of of the design duo Peter Pilotto says
thoughtfully. This idea of adopting one thing one
day, and something else on another is a significant
element behind the label’s new collection. Peter
Pilotto and Christopher de Vos have had one goal
in mind: transformation.
After gaining a cult following for their vibrant, digital
prints, the pair felt it was time for change. “It was
always important for us not to be just a print brand,”
says Peter. For many people (both avid print lovers
and fashion press alike), this would seem like playing
a wild card – if you have an aesthetic that is working,
why alter it? If it’s not broken, don’t fix it, right?
They’re currently sold in over 49 countries and
stocked by a multitude of luxury retailers. But that’s
the beauty of fashion: we’re always searching for the
Mittal had taken a minority stake in their company
(previously it had been self-funded). Not only that,
they have a dedicated following – from local TV
personality Diala Makki to Princess Deena Al-
Juhani Abdulaziz – Middle Eastern women love their
statement-making ensembles, hence their trip to the
shores of Dubai earlier this year. This success can
be attributed to the design duo’s very fluid creative
process, that plays to each other’s strengths. “In
the beginning, how we started was often explained
and defined by our choices of studying: Christopher
was choosing between architecture and fashion,
while I was choosing between graphic design and
fashion, and somehow that explains a little our point
of view to begin with. That he would focus more on
the silhouette, and I would focus more on colour
and graphics. As we grew and progressed it really
got very mixed and it became a constant dialogue
on all the different topics that we were working on,”
Peter explains. Pushing the brand forward appears
to be integral to their success. “It’s really about the
dialogue between us, and our reaction from one
next big thing by lusting after change. This sense of
journey and movement is playfully illustrated in their
autumn/winter offerings. “For colourful elements
we were looking at board games. We found them
to be such a fascinating topic that everyone knew
as a kid, but then you kind of never really looked
at them again – or at least never really analysed
the art that goes into them,” he explained. So
this season the duo has gone back to the most
transformative period of all of our lives: childhood.
“We found it really fascinating and inspiring to look
at board games throughout the different centuries
and decades, and the different kind of movements
we could find in them,” he said.
From snaking patchwork to pinball-style motifs,
each piece is comprised of a gaming discovery.
Prints played second fiddle, as textures came up
trumps. “The idea of the textiles in general were the
same concept as SS15: pushing the craft beyond
the print,” says Peter. “SS15 didn’t actually have
any print in the collection. It was a very different
development, so we thought it would be kind
of fascinating to explore textures in the winter
collection. We, for the first time, very consciously
found fabrics that had great texture,” he says. A
multitude of fun fabrics spawn piece after piece
– from woven fur to rich velvet to raw calf hair
– all set against wintery tundra. They’re playing
their own game with their own set of rules, fabrics
and technique. The prints may have been pushed
aside for now but the brightly hued colour palette
is still lit. Neon brights – think pink, yellow, green
and blue – are juxtaposed against snowy alpaca
knits and creamy furs. Like the hair and make-
up of models that stormed the runway, they’ve
kept the silhouette clean and simple. Pencil skirts
reign as they’re streamlined against an abundance
of textures. The cut, tailoring and finishings are
elegantly executed. “It’s so exciting now to be able
to work with prestigious Italian mills where we have
access to very traditional techniques. It’s great to
combine that, combining technology and things
that are very advanced, next to tradition. It’s always
important to benefit from incredible craftsmanship,”
explains Peter. Fusing the old with the new is at the
heart of their work. “That’s what is so great about
fashion; those things live side-by-side constantly.
Even if you take a digitally printed piece, it’s tailored
in the same way it would have been years ago. It’s
a constant dialogue between history and the future.
It’s exciting for us,” he says.
Entering the fashion scene in 2007, they’ve scooped
many notable awards. From being named 2014
Vogue Fashion Fund winners and breaking existing
sales records for their collaboration with Target to
becoming recipients of the first Swarovski Collective
Award, they’ve achieved a lot for a tender seven-
year label. And to top it all off, at the end of last
year they announced that MH Luxe and Megha
Backstage before the autumn/winter 15 show

20. 88
Each season, he lines up the most intriguing women
and as something Tisci knows all too well, the
casting of a collection can set a precedent for our
current perception of beauty. From Natasha Poly to
Joan Smalls, he’s launched the careers of many a
household during his 10 year tenure at Givenchy but
he’s not just looking for a clotheshorse or another
pretty face; Tisci needs unique inspiration. He wants
the women he chooses to grace his runway and
their campaigns to breathe life into his work: “The
Givenchy woman is strong and confident. She has
a real personality. She knows what she wants,”
and express it with light. I still have my dark side,
but that won’t stop me from stepping away from
black for a minute,” he says. From velvet dévoré
dresses to waist-clinching corseted jackets, the
mysterious Victorian era reigns supreme for A/W
15. Fusing chiffon, beading, lace and velvet with
sheer craftsmanship, it is a reminder of his talents
as a couturier.
But Tisci hasn’t always had an easy path towards
showcase his worth as a credible designer. He grew
up in Northern Italy surrounded by eight sisters –
something he credits to how well he understands
women. “You know, I am the only son of a family
of eight…you can imagine what it was like for me
growing up!,” he proclaims. “I was always cared for
by women. I had nine mothers in a way, and that is
an exceptional way to bring yourself into adulthood.
Today, we are still so close. I call them everyday.
I love women so much, especially because of my
relationship to my close family. I want them to feel
special and beautiful all the time,” he says. After
losing his father at the age of four, Tisci’s family
never had a lot of money (he famously took the job
at Givenchy to financially provide for them). The
riches bestowed upon him were provided by for his
family through love and support. By the age of 11,
he left formal academia and enrolled in art school in
Milan. However fashion never really entered his radar
until he moved to London in the early Nineties. He’s
spoken previously of his sisters’ belief that he would
return home within months due to his lack of spoken
English and money but incredibly he secured a place
at London’s Central Saint Martins which paved the
way to his career in design. After working jobs such
as a club bouncer, branch manager for a high street
chain and a buyer for a Japanese retailer, his talents
were finally recognised in 2004 when he debuted his
first A/W 05 Riccardo Tisci Collection during Milan
Fashion Week to considerable applaud. Shortly
he says. These women have to match that ideal.
His latest project, a creative collaboration with
photographer Danko Steiner (showcased across our
pages), exudes individualism and taste – much like
the man in question. Having styled it himself, Tisci
captures his muses channelling a sombre hybrid of
Victoriana-meets-Chola. It’s centred around face
bijoux: from sleek kiss curls and braids to septum
rings and a face full of glued-on gems, it pushes
youthful subculture to the forefront. “Jewellery makes
a collection accessible to every woman regardless
of her shape, age or budget and can transform the
simplest of outfits into a strong statement. For me,
jewellery is the finishing touch to a look.” All praise
‘Chola Victorian – she’s the boss of the gang’. With
the visionary expertise of world-renowned make-
up artist Pat McGrath (she’s worked with a host
of notable designers and famously collaborated
with John Galliano during the height of his term at
Christian Dior), the palette itself is a juxtaposition of
a natural base with tribal-esque face jewellery. It’s
very dark, very Tisci.
It didn’t just start here, though – Tisci has always
waded into the dark side. When he arrived at the
Givenchy doors in 2005, the LVMH-owned label
was adrift. His predecessors, Alexander McQueen
and John Galliano, had moved onto bigger and
better things. Eradicating the Parisian elegance that
had been synonymous with the brand since Hubert
de Givenchy founded it in 1952, he pushed forth
his goth-infused edge and added street credibility.
Thanks to his vision, Givenchy’s parlous state
is firmly behind them and now, they’re in profit.
But this season the underground allure was more
intense than ever. “I used to consider myself dark
and gothic because everyone kept saying it, and I
assumed it came from my collections being mostly
black. Then I opened myself to colours, print, light
fabrics and fluidity and I realised you can still be dark
DESIGNER INSIGHT
Riccardo Tisci is a man of many muses. From model Joan Smalls
to the Chola girl gangs of America, for autumn/winter 2015,
Givenchy’s Creative Director explains why finding unconventional
beauty and keeping his Tisci tribe close are paramount to his success.
By Susan Devaney
T O M O R R O W ’ S
T R I B E
Styled by Riccardo Tisci, Photographed by Danko Steiner

21. 90
afterwards, he was offered the job with Givenchy.
These days his values are still set on creating a sense
of family everywhere he goes. “For me, models
mean a lot because they’re not just presenting my
collection; they’re really giving it life. I’m deeply
bound to that idea. I’m always doing castings
and I’m constantly looking for new girls. It is not
that I want to find a girl , have her become the
girl of the season and then drop her. I’m building
relationships for years and years. I have my family
and gang, whom we carry on season after season,”
he says. Models Magdalena Jasek (a flame-haired
Russian beauty) and 19-year-old new girl Sophia
Ahrens (tipped to be his freshly appointed muse)
have entered his fold, being photographed for
his collaboration with Steiner. They’re strikingly
beautiful, but unconventional – just the way he
likes it. Both adopt a play-off between hard versus
soft as they grace our pages. Moving from the
styling of soft textures in blushed pink fur to more
masculine tailoring in its fitted form, gender role
blurring is prominent. “I have many muses, but I’d
say my Audrey, the one who defines what my style
is and fits my universe in every way, is Mariacarla
Boscono,” he says with admiralty. The 34-year-old
Italian model has graced his runway time and time
again and, as seen through the eyes of Tisci, is a
modern day Madonna. That’s the thing about the
designer; he sees beauty where others might only
see difference. “It was during the moment when all
the top models were very tall with athletic bodies.
But Mariacarla, she’s quite different. As she’s gotten
older, she’s become more and more beautiful, but
when she was very young, she had a very specific
look, very particular.”
It’s this idea of a gang that has acted as a catalyst
for A/W 15. “I’m obsessed with America and Latin
America; it’s all about the American dream,” he says.
“When I was young, America represented for me a
mix of different people. Multi-culture is very important
for me. New York is my obsession. For a country
like Italy, there are so many restrictions on society,
religion, of everything. America was always my
dream. America is very powerful and is everywhere.”
Finding inspiration from the Chola girls makes perfect
sense. In the USA, the Chola-style is very popular
and traditionally relates to a specific subculture of
first and second-generation Mexican American girls
influenced by hip-hop, and sometimes associated
with gangs. Their desired look is all about hair and
beauty: from dark lip liner to skyscraper bangs,
less is not more. For Tisci, beauty doesn’t have a
religion or colour. Conventional modes of beauty just
don’t entice him. “Fashion and society in general
shouldn’t have barriers on sexuality, skin colour,
ethnicity and age. One should be free to express
ideas; one shouldn’t be scared to experiment. Lea
T embodies all of this, and reflects completely my
universe,” he says. Tisci has long championed the
career of transgender model Lea T. Before Lea’s
transition they were friends, and still are now. At first,
some people were against a couture house using a
transgender woman in a campaign but Tisci didn’t
listen. When he changed the format from fashion
show to a portrait at the Place Vendôme in Paris
he used Lea T, along with nine other models – his
10 women, all exclusively contract-bound to him.
Today, she’s a full-time model with campaigns and
contracts. 40-year-old Tisci trusts his gut. Against
others advice, he took a gamble and dressed Kim
Kardashian’s curves for the Met Ball, opting for
a full-length floral (maternity) gown. He was also
her designer of choice for her gown for her highly
anticipated wedding to Kanye West. For him, it’s
simple: beauty is beauty, and friends are true friends.
Gender-blurring and racial diversity are paramount to
Tisci’s vision. More importantly, they’re prerequisites
to be part of his pack. His first couture collection in
2005 set the benchmark of gothic girls – girls with a
different edge. And it’s his modern day muses who
evoke his vision. “Some people probably find the
idea of a muse outdated, but I think it’s so beautiful.
Being a man designing for a woman, I think it’s
so great to get an opinion from a real woman. It’s
my only dream and it’s beautiful to make a dream
become reality,” he says. “But you know, it’s not
only me. Looking at the past: Gianni Versace with
Naomi Campbell, Alexander McQueen with Kate
Moss, Audrey Hepburn with Monsieur Hubert de
Givenchy, Monsieur Saint Laurent with Betty Catroux
– everybody had their muse. I think a designer needs
a woman who really inspires him, someone who
really has a style and gives him an opinion about it.”
Tisci has created a different silhouette and a different
way of dressing by discovering beauty in those
inspirational women who are different. It’s fair to say
his constellation of muses always orbits his world.

22. B e a u t y & H e a l t h

23. 286MOJEH JOURNEY
R I S I N G
A F R I C A
A continent full of undiscovered treasures – from its rich oils to its
highly nutritious fruit – Africa’s natural wonders are helping it rise
as a burgeoning beauty hub.
By Susan Devaney
and pharmaceutical market. The potential
for Africa is huge compared with say, the
rainforests of the Amazon (we’ve recorded 50
thousand plant species) or Borneo, where I
lived with indigenous tribes and studied their
traditional use of plants.” Naturally found across
Malawi, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe,
baobab seed oil boosts skin elasticity and cell
regeneration due to its richness in antioxidants
like vitamin A.
But he isn’t the only one to tap into this new
market. African Botanics, owned by Julia Noik
and her husband, has invested more than just
time and money into its business that was set
up in 2012. Primarily sourcing oils such as
marula, baobab and Kalahari melon seed from
“The baobab fruit contains more calcium
than two pints of milk, more vitamin C than 6
oranges, and more iron than red meat,” says Dr
Simon Jackson, backing the next big breakout
beauty superstar. A doctor of pharmacognosy,
or the study of medicines derived from natural
sources, Dr Jackson is captivated by Africa.
Women across the continent have known of the
secret healing properties of the baobab fruit for
centuries – using the seed oil to protect their
skin and hair from the harsh environments. “The
current number of households employed by
this industry on the continent is around half a
million, but it has the trade potential to be more
than triple that number,” he says. “Now even
the kids who were cutting down the baobab to
make room for the foreign crops like tobacco
are learning how and why they should nurture
the plant they call the tree of life.”
The British-born scientist has travelled to far-
flung places around the globe – from scouring
the floor of the Amazon Rainforest to living
with indigenous tribes in Borneo – but it’s
Africa that’s inspired his own skincare line,
Dr Jackson’s. “There are over two million
plant species in Africa and very few of them
are currently commercialised. This is probably
because there has been very little research to
any degree,” he explains. “If we only managed
to commercialise a fraction of this then we
could introduce thousands of new natural
ingredients into the food, drink, cosmetic
South Africa, they cater to the importance of
natural ingredients and giving back to their
communities. “Being South African born, it was
important to us to work with communities in
Africa, as we feel very passionate about the
continent, people, culture, and tradition – also
we wanted to bring the heritage of Africa’s
floral wealth to life,” she explains. “By using
the local ingredients and supporting so many
local landowners and small enterprises, we
are, in essence, protecting Africa’s biodiversity,
preserving the cultural knowledge for future
generations and empowering many women
in underdeveloped communities to create
employment for themselves and many others
in South Africa. This is very important to us.
We buy our ingredients directly from these
communities and regularly visit these remote
places to better connect our products with
the places where each ingredient comes from
and the people who mastered their growth
and harvesting.”
As part of an industry-wide shift from chemical
formulations to those based on botanical
ingredients, many well-known beauty companies
are too turning to Africa. Big brands like
L’Oréal, Philosophy and L’Occitane have also
harvested its resources. The beauty industry in
the Middle East and Africa was estimated at
$20.4 billion in 2011, according to the market
research company Euromonitor International.
Nigeria and Kenya are second and third among
sub-Saharan countries, with Kenya’s market
totalling more than $260 million – but South
Africa alone represents $3.9 billion. Free from
parabens, phthalates and petrochemicals,
consumers want a guarantee of pure ingredients
being slathered onto their skin. “We don’t use
these plants as sole ingredients. For us, they
are a specific way to create tailored skincare
solutions for any modern individual looking for
safe, non-toxic and effective products,” says
Julia Noik. And it’s argan oil and shea butter
that have gone from tribal ingredients to the
most prized products. Luxury French brand
L’Occitane has utilised the nuts of karité trees
in the Sahel region to produce shea butter.
From West to East Africa, from Guinea and
Senegal to Uganda and southern Sudan, the
locally known ‘women’s gold’ undoubtedly
plays a strong role in providing employment
and income to millions of women across the
continent. Shea butter is known for its hydrating
and soothing properties. From hand, foot and
face creams, this butter is a core component
and sourcing it in Burkina Faso has been a 30-
DR. JACKSON’S, Skin Cream @net-a-porter.com
KAHINA GIVING BEAUTY, Argan Oil
L’OCCITANE, Dry Skin Hand Cream
PhotographedbyW.Wisniewski,Corbis.

24. 288
PHILOSOPHY, Full of Promise Dual Eye Cream
DR. JACKSON’S, Face and Eye Essence
@net-a-porter.com
AFRICAN BOTANICS, Pure Marula Cleansing Oil
yes, you guessed it, I am starting this with
some specifically chosen African species.”
With funding from the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organisation for his pioneering work,
he’s working with rural communities on a tree-
planting programme to help promote indigenous
species like the baobab, with a percentage of
profits supporting conservation and education.
It’s this same philosophy and outlook that retains
the backbone of Katharine L’Heureux’s product
range, Kahina Giving Beauty. “When I discovered
argan oil on a trip through Morocco in 2007, I
knew I had found the superstar ingredient that
I was searching for. When I learned how the oil
was helping women in need in rural Morocco to
earn a living, I decided to build a brand that would
pay more for products from socially responsible
companies jumped from 36 percent in 2011 to
44 percent in 2013 – proving, once again, that
it’s now something in which consumers actively
look for before purchasing. “Our oil is certified
Fair Trade, meaning that women are being paid
a fair wage for the work they do of extracting the
oil. In addition, we donate funds to assist these
women and their communities beyond wages,
through education and community development
programs.” This is something that will evidently
continue to grow as many discoveries lay
waiting to be found, something that excites
Dr Jackson: “if you look at the number of
plant species in the Amazon and compare
to Africa, there are a lot, lot more in Africa.”
make a difference in their lives,” says L’Heureux.
From cleansers to night creams, argan oil is an
essential component – along with other harvested
ingredients. “[It] only grows in the Southwest of
Morocco, although there have been efforts to
grow it elsewhere. Shea butter grows on the other
side of the Sahara in West Africa. Blue tansy,
which we use in our Facial Cleanser and Lip &
Face Balm is also known as Moroccan chamomile
(ours is produced by a women’s cooperative
in Morocco). Some ingredients sourced from
Morocco, while found elsewhere, such as our
Prickly Pear Seed Oil and our Rose Damascena,
are superior in quality to varieties grown in
other regions.” According to a Nielsen study,
the number of American consumers willing to
year process for the brand. In 2013, L’Occitane
was recognised as an exemplary business by
the United Nations Development Programme for
its collaboration with the shea butter industry.
By 2016, it ‘plans to achieve 100% organic
production of shea butter and establish a soap
factory that allows women to develop their
own processed products through a system of
participatory management, providing added
value and additional income generating
opportunities.’ Another French brand L’Oréal
has set up a sourcing programme in Morocco
with its supplier BASF to foster corporate
social responsibility in the argan supply chain.
The programme works with an umbrella body
involving six women’s co-operatives producing
the oil. There are, however, problems with this
burgeoning industry. The Berber women (the
indigenous people of North Africa) are ill-
equipped to conduct business with international
organisations, leaving plenty of scope for
exploitation - the main hurdle being the very
low literary rates.
The beauty industry is, of course, notoriously
fickle as it lusts after the latest trend, so
there is a danger that the fad for oils will pass
like so many others before it. However the
harvesting of in-demand oils such as Kigelia
and Marula stretches further than only obtaining
ingredients; communities are being given
purpose through development. “It was around
20 years ago that I started research on African
medicinal plants – I was doing my Masters and
PhD at King’s College, London on the anti-skin
cancer properties of Kigelia pinnata (known as
the sausage tree) which is indigenous to Sub–
Saharan Africa and have been hooked on Africa
and its flora and fauna ever since,” he says.
Used within his product range, the compounds
found in the Kigelia tree help to restore elasticity
and firmness to the skin, and its hormones
improve collagen and elastin production of the
skin’s dermis. For many years, tribal women
have used extracts from the tree to ensure a
smooth, blemish-free complexion. Oil extracted
from the kernels (nuts) of the Marula tree have
long too been used by women in Swaziland to
reduce stretch marks and keep their skin and hair
hydrated. The number of undiscovered species
is endless, a fact Dr Jackson is all too aware
of: “As you can see, these numbers mean that
I will not in my life time research all that Africa
has to offer so I decided to set up a foundation
called the ‘Natural Products Community’ that
allows for sharing the research and successful
commercialisation of indigenous species. And
PhotographedbyRiccardoDolivorni/RoomtheAgency,Corbis.

25. 256MOJEH HEALTH
WHAT’S IN
A DREAM?
How many times have you woken up in a hot sweat
or scratched your head as you recount an extremely
vivid dream, and wondered what it meant? It may
be your subconscious trying to tell you something…
By Susan Devaney
Last night, I dreamt I went to Manderley
again. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
has one of the most memorable and highly
acclaimed opening lines of any fictional novel.
Immediately, we enter her dreamy world and
we’re captivated. It’s this prospect of the
unknown that draws us in, because we all
still don’t understand our own dreams.
Ever since Sigmund Freud published his
controversial theories about the meaning
of dreams in 1900, we’ve been tossing and
turning about what our dreams are trying to
tell us, if anything at all. Freud was convinced
that they represented some of our unfulfilled
desires or hopeful wishes, but is that really
the case and are we any further forward in
reaching an answer today? “Nobody knows
the answer to that question,” says Patrick
McNamara, a neurologist at Boston University
School of Medicine and the graduate school
of Northcentral University in Prescott Valley
in Arizona. “Dream content has some clear
regularities. We know, for example, that
whenever male strangers occur in a dream,
physical aggression against the dreamer will
occur. So, dreams appear to have a kind of
code, but we are only beginning to unlock
that dream code.”
It’s this concept of trying to decipher some
kind of code that keeps pushing us to interpret
our dreams. The famous Swiss psychiatrist
and psychotherapist, Carl Jung, analysed
over 20,000 dreams during his lifetime,
and theorised that dreams were the key to
understanding the psyche. He famously said:
“Until you make the unconscious conscious,
it will direct your life, and you will call it
fate.” Could our dreams be a combination
of signs and symbols with meaning? “Some
people say that they never dream, but the
reality is that they just don’t remember their
dreams,” says Ian Wallace, a psychologist,
who specialises in dreams and is the author
of ‘The Top 100 Dreams’. “Even though it
may seem a challenge to remember your
dreams, all you have to do is remember
three words: Will, still and fill. When you
lay your head on your pillow to go to sleep,
say to yourself, ’Tonight, I will remember my
dreams.’ When you wake up, lay completely
still for a minute. Don’t move, don’t look at
the time and don’t even wiggle your toes.
By staying still, images and emotions that
you have created in your dreams will emerge
for you. Then, all you have to do is fill in the
gaps between the images from the dreams
that you have created and your dream story
will begin to appear.”
Putting together the pieces and trying to
build a story or pattern from our dreams
has resulted in two major developments
in dream research – big data and brain
imaging. Detailed snapshots of our brains
and researchers using sleep labs to gather
information have led to the discovery that
there is a more significant link between
dreams and meanings. Scientists have
learned a lot about the physiological process
of dreaming, which occurs during our REM
sleep. “A form of sleep where we have vivid
dreams – l last for about a half hour to 45
minutes, so the longest dream can last up
that much. REM sleep occurs up to 4-5 times
per night,” explains Patrick. The kinds of
cognitions we tend to experience whilst we
dream are usually highly emotional, visually
vivid and probably illogical. “Our dreams
are one of the fundamental neurological
processes that we use to make sense of
the world,” says Ian. “Although your dreams
Free Love, photographed by Olivier Rose, MOJEH Issue 27.

26. 258
A recurring dream is like someone repeatedly shouting
your own name until it gets your attention and you
attend to something important in your waking life.
dream is like someone repeatedly shouting
your own name until it gets your attention and
you attend to something important in your
waking life.” Some scientists believe dreams
serve to help our brains process emotional
memories and integrate them into our long-
term memories. “It is important to figure out
the meaning of a recurring theme dream,”
says Layne Dalfen, a dream analyst. “… the
mere fact that it repeats is the indication
that your subconscious is trying to call your
attention to solving the problem!” In our
dreams, we may try out various scenarios to
deal with what’s coming up in our life – for
example, an important work meeting, giving
birth, etc. “Understanding the meaning of a
particular dream theme enables you to apply
that awareness to a specific situation in your
waking life,” says Ian.
There’s no doubt that our conscious and
our subconscious play major roles in our
dream patterns (something that shrinks and
psychologists have long proclaimed). What’s
been discovered thus far suggests that current
scientific research reveals an enormous amount
about what role dreams play in our lives, and
how vitally important they are for biological,
psychological or social reasons. As scientists
continue to research the processes, meanings
and biological reasoning behind our dreams,
we know that reflecting on our dreams is useful
and can give us a great insight into ourselves.
may seem like a stream of random imagery
that makes absolutely no sense, you are just
expressing yourself in a different and far more
creative way. To understand why you are
dreaming a particular dream, all you have to
do is work with the imagery and emotion that
you have experienced in the dream.”
Every night, around the world, people will
experience a similar dream to someone
else. From our teeth falling out and being
pregnant to being chased by a stranger,
we’ve all shared a common dream – but
why? “Nobody knows the answer to this
question,” says Patrick. “There may be a
dream code wherein certain images express
certain universal meanings. The dream code
would be rooted in human biological realities;
for example, REM sleep is associated with
atonia (muscular weakness) or paralysis in
multiple muscle groups. This paralysis gives
rise to sensations throughout the body that
is interpreted by the dreaming mind as
experiences like flying/floating, teeth falling
out, etc.” Up until recently, researchers have
been working on relatively small samples
of dream accounts. But, new websites
and mobile apps (such as DreamBoard or
Dreamscloud) are encouraging people to
share their dreams, in turn allowing scientists
to analyse dreams and move a step closer
to concluding research.
Reccurring dreams are also an element of
dreaming that we’ve all experienced. Trying
to figure out why something or someone
keeps appearing in your dream night after
night can be exhausting, but should we pay
any attention to our reccurring dreams? “Our
dreams are the language of our unconscious
selves and when we create a dream, we use
it as a way of expressing a vital part of our
awareness that we may have difficulty in
articulating in waking life,” explains Ian. “If
you do not resolve a waking life tension by
working with the imagery from the dream
that you use to express it, then you will keep
sending yourself that message again and
again in your dreams until you take action to
resolve it positively and healthily. A recurring

27. 164
PhotographedbyAdriannaWilliams,Corbis.
MOJEH HEALTH
From Facebook to
Apple, more companies
are offering the option
of covering the cost of
egg freezing for their
employees. But is it just
a hope with an empty
promise? Or is it a solution
to gender equality in the
workplace?
a boom in the number of women who choose to
freeze their eggs. The number of patients we have
treated for egg freezing has doubled every two years
since we started freezing oocytes back in 2006’, Dr.
Copperman. ‘I do not see this trend slowing down,
and I think it’s great that Apple and Facebook have
embraced this technology and are empowering their
female employees with reproductive options’, he
says. Last year, Facebook started ‘… offering egg
freezing for medical and non-medical reasons to all US
employees who are covered by our insurance plans.
This benefit is covered 100 per cent up to 20,000
dollars.’ Following suit, Apple starting competing with
a similar package this year.
But are these companies empowering women by
providing them with innovative fertility options for
the future? Or is it a savvy business strategy? At
the peak of our careers (estimated at age 35) falls
around the same time a lot of women want to start a
family. This collision makes for the surfacing of very
difficult questions: Should I take time out now and
have children? Once I step off the career ladder how
will I get back on? Or should I abandon the industry
altogether and become a full-time mother? A series
of questions that men do not have to answer – they
can have children at 30, 40 and so on as there’s no
evidence to prove they have a ‘biological clock’. ‘It is
no secret that the quality and quantity of women’s eggs
diminish as you age. We start to see a slow decline
at age 35, then a more rapid drop after 40. Women
are their most fertile in their 20’s and early 30’s, so
the ‘ideal’ age would be in that range to yield the best
result’, explains Dr. Copperman. Since 1970 there has
been a 900 per cent increase in women over the age
of 35 having their first child, and a 35 percent increase
among women aged between 40 and 44 – statistics
It’s a technology in which mature eggs undergo
a flash-freeze process called vitrification. This
protects the egg by covering it in ice – limiting
damage and increasing its chances of survival.
It’s of no secret that women are choosing to marry
and have children later in life today than they were 50
years ago. The days of having children before you’ve
reached a quarter milestone are long gone, for some.
Now, women want it all: a successful career, but with
marriage and children afterwards. ‘It is impossible
for women to have children and remain ambitious
and dedicated to a career they worked so hard to
earn before having children,’ Hollywood actress Katie
Holmes recently suggested. And why shouldn’t
we have it all? As high profile companies such as
Apple and Facebook add egg freezing to their health
care benefits packages for employees it looks like
a trend set to rise.
But what exactly is it? Egg freezing – or oocyte
cryopreservation – is now available around the world.
In simple terms, it’s a technology in which mature eggs
undergo a flash-freeze process called vitrification. This
protects the egg by covering it in ice – limiting damage
and increasing it’s chances of survival. Therefore,
you can use the eggs when you’re ready to start a
family. The process of egg freezing is very similar to In
Vitro Fertilization’, explains Alan B. Copperman, MD,
Director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology
and Infertility at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York
City. With an estimated 2,000 babies born globally
from this procedure already it’s a number that looks
set to rise in the coming years. In the UAE the process
differs slightly as there’s tougher laws surrounding the
procedure. ‘The federal laws for fertility in the UAE
prohibit the import and export of gametes (eggs and
sperm), and the own eggs of a woman are not an
exception. This translated means that any eggs frozen
in the UAE, have to be used in the UAE and cannot
be transported to be used in another country – an
important piece of information for expatriate ladies
considering egg freezing. Further down the line, the
law today also prohibits the freezing and storage of
embryos, so we have to thaw and use a limited amount
of eggs each time’, explains Dr. Sana Khan at Bourn
Hall Clinic in Dubai.
Being hailed as the most important and innovative
advancement in women’s reproductive freedom since
the oral contraceptive pill it’s definitely something
worth thinking about. ‘In recent years, we have seen
By Susan Devaney

28. 166
PhotographedbyKröger/Gross,Corbis.
average 14 days – but there’s no guarantee of success.
‘The success rate of egg freezing is now comparable to
that of IVF success’, explains Dr. Copperman. ‘Recent
technological advances and improved lab conditions
have improved the chance of conception dramatically.
If the eggs are retrieved before a woman turns 35,
fresh IVF success rates approach 50 percent. Since
90 per cent of the eggs that are frozen ultimately
survive, success rates with frozen eggs should not be
significantly lower. Ultimately, the success rate depends
on the quality of the eggs when they were frozen and
the number of eggs. Those candidates with a younger
age and high egg yield will of course have the best
possible outcome when attempting to conceive with
their frozen eggs.’ So – even when you’re at the peak
of your fertility in your 20s it’s a procedure to consider,
and as with any medically invasive procedure there’s
health risks involved.
Is it an attempt at a quick fix for a more complex social,
political and cultural issue? Maybe what women really
want is for companies to allow them to blend a balance
between work and life. It’s a constant battle for many
working mothers, so why not listen to them? Today
many jobs demand long hours and constant availability
from their employees. Anne-Marie Slaughter a high
profile political scientist and international lawyer has
proposed aligning the work day with the school day
– maybe that’s a plausible break through? Whether
it’s due to a lack of partner, professional reasons or
financial issues, a lot of women are delaying child-
bearing until they reach their 30s. Having the option to
freeze our eggs is incredible in terms of recognising the
evolution of innovative scientific developments – but
it’s not a guarantee for having children later in life. The
promises and pitfalls of putting your eggs on ice are
only a small (possible) solution to a much bigger issue.
these companies are all too well aware of. Women step
off the career ladder around this age to have children.
It’s a no-brainer that this recent introduction of egg
freezing for female employees might well safe guard
businesses from this drop-off. If women can secure
their future by ensuring they’ll have children (whilst
remaining on the career ladder) why wouldn’t they
take hold of this opportunity? Surely it’s the answer
to all our prayers?
Women remain sceptical – and divided. Are these
companies putting even more pressure on women
to keep working and put their family life on the back
burner? Or is it an attempt to level the playing field
for women in the office? According to the University
of Denver today women hold less than 20 percent
of leadership roles in corporate America. With only
5 per cent holding down a CEO position at Fortune
500 companies. These findings amplify that not all
women can reach the top of their industry if they
chose to raise a family too. In the US women now
account for half of the workforce. The United States
Department of Labour has projected that women will
account for 46.9 per cent of the workforce in 2018.
More importantly they will account for the ‘51.8 per
cent in total labour force growth between 2008-2018’.
According to a study carried out by Ernst & Young in
2009, ‘Groundbreakers: Using Women to Rebuild the
Strength of the Economy’ in the UK women make up
for 47 per cent of the workforce. They also noted that
the US Department of Education has reported that
‘women have been earning more bachelor degrees
than men since 1982, and more master’s degrees than
men since 1981’. In the UAE Emirati women entering
the workplace is still a slow process: 31.6 per cent of
the Emirati labour force in 2011 consisted of women
between 15 and 24 (according to the International
Labour Organisation). Our place within the workplace is
vitally important for the future of the world’s economy.
According to the Women’s Business Council in the UK,
‘£7,750 is the estimated cost of replacing a job-leaver’.
That’s a high price to pay for any company.
But is it a hope with an empty promise? We know the
biological clock waits for no one. Women are at the
peak of their fertility in their 20s. As we age, so too do
our eggs. The actual egg freezing cycle itself takes on
Women remain sceptical – and divided. Are these
companies putting even more pressure on women
to keep working and put their family life on the
back burner?

29. 148
LAYER
BEAUTY FOCUS
BY LAYER
Raw Canvas, photographed by Julia Noni, MOJEH Issue 6
Which one comes first: the serum or the moisturiser…
or is it the sunscreen? Adopting the correct steps in
our skincare regime can be as confusing as picking
the right product for your skin type. But we all know
that keeping your skin looking healthy and glowing
requires day-to-day attention. It’s striking a balance
of just enough layering that’s the beauty issue of great
concern. ‘Overuse of products is the biggest mistake
people make in their skincare regimes’, explains Dr.
Fazeela a cosmetic dermatologist from the Dermacare
Group in Dubai. ‘Some patients come in with a grocery
bag full of products and wonder why their skin does
not look or feel great. Bombarding your skin with
a host of different ingredients can be irritating.’
Applying more than three or four formulas at a
time can be exhausting for your skin. ‘The take
home message is: do not overdose your skin with
multiple products at one time. The simpler your
skin regime, the more likely you are to stick with
it and enjoy the benefits,’ she concludes.
Adopting a simple skincare regime is at the heart of the
problem, especially as the beauty industry continues
to market the newest must-have products towards us.
Last year, the US beauty market was worth $11.2bn
and the UK’s was estimated at £2.3bn. With an array of
products targeted at us, it’s difficult to decipher which
is best, especially with high fashion brands launching
their own skincare lines such as Dolce & Gabbana and
Chanel. ‘The best skin products are those which are
created in a laboratory as cosmeceuticals - formulated
with nanotechnology’, says Dr. Mona from Biolite
Aesthetic Clinic in Dubai. ‘Basically, this means that the
molecule is so small that it absorbs immediately into
the skin and begins working on contact like a topical
drug, so to speak. Most OTC or branded cosmetic/
skincare lines are not formulated in the same way
which means its takes weeks before one actually
begins to see a result. I’m not convinced that the
designer branded products [are] packed with the
‘good stuff’ for which one really ought to be paying
for,’ she explains. The cosmetic and toiletries market
in the Middle East is considered to be one of the most
profitable and largest in the world – growing at a
rate of 12 per cent per year. As the region continues
to compete with the global market, beauty sales
are expected to increase by more than AED20
billion by 2020.
It’s a minimalist skincare regime that appears to be the
winning cocktail. ‘The right sequence of products is
key to beautiful healthy skin’, says Dr. Fazeela. ‘When
used in the wrong combination some ingredients
will cancel out each others’ benefits. For example,
the acid in glycolic or salicylic acid breaks down
ingredients like retinol, vitamin C or hydroquinone.
Use one ingredient product at a time’, she says. With
a cabinet full of multiple elixirs such as brightening fluid
to dark spot correctors, slathering products across
your face can cause a pile up of hydration rather than
absorption. Some combinations of ingredients
should best be avoided. You thought it was okay
to apply your anti-ageing moisturiser on top of
your acne breakout treatment? Think again. Retinol
(stimulates cell renewal) in anti-ageing products
and benzoyl peroxide (dries up blemishes) prove
for a red and flaky skin concern.
From peels to exfoliators, to serums,
navigating the map of skincare can be
confusing. With an abundance of beauty
products to pick from, looking after our skin
has never been easier – but as we apply from
morning until night, are we layering too many
products onto our faces?
By Susan Devaney