One could assume Nicholas Kirkwood is a true shoe fetishist. Who else would be able to come up with 150 (!) pairs of shoes for a single collection without neglecting his numerous collaborations with other designers like, most recently, with Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi and the creative duo of Peter Pilotto. Sleek met the German-born designer in his Parisian showroom for a quick yet revealing chat on his profession of passion: audacious and beautiful shoe design.
Sleek: You’ve created 150 pieces for your new Spring/Summer 2013 collection, despite the recent collaboration with Fendi. We’re wondering, how long does it take to work on one model?
Nicholas Kirkwood It’s really hard to say, as it depends on the design of each piece – some are easier to make and others are more challenging. But in general, I need approximately one day to think and draw one particular shape, then maybe one more day to work on the patterns and finally, as soon as we’ve got all the leathers together in the atelier, it can take two or three more days to sew the sample. I’d say that we need less than one week for each sample, and the production needs much more time of course. It seems to take forever! Quality takes time I guess.
Your newest collection reflects a lot of different aesthetics. What can you tell us about the different style universes of S/S 2013?
My main starting point was the shape of the wave, exploring different ways of how to use it. I tried to reinterpret its shape throughout the whole collection. Sometimes the wave forms the leather patterns of my shoes, and other time it suggests a bolder version of a high heel. I also used curvy shapes for the cut-outs on some shoes and worked a lot on the geometrical shapes of the heels. Fabric-wise, my favourite choice for this collection was printed suede, it’s basically a foil embossing on the suede fabric, that I combined with leather. I enjoy playing with textures! Then, my collections are always somehow about the interaction of masculine and feminine elements – I therefore also decided to add more cheeky detailing, like frills, animal-prints or eye-catching colours. When I say “masculine elements”, I’m not referring to masculine shoe shapes, I rather think of clear lines and geometries. This said, my biggest wish at the moment would be to start a men’s line. I just started to work on it, so we’ll see. In any case, they’re going to be for the boyfriend of the girl who wears my shoes.
From your numerous collaborations, is there one that you feel particularly related to?
It is not necessarily always easy to work with other creative minds, as everybody has his own particular vision of what the collaboration should look like. Just as in many other situations, good communication is necessary in order to guarantee that everybody is happy with the end result. At the end of the day, it is all about fusing the visual identities of both brands. Realising the S/S 2013 shoes collection for Fendi was a good experience, as Karl always has a very precise idea in mind and at the same time, he gave me enough space to experiment and bring in my ideas to the table. There is no one collaboration that I liked more than another; they are all special to me. Plus, I’m a perfectionist – designers all tend to be – so it’s always a challenge to work with like-minded people!
http://www.nicholaskirkwood.com/