On Friday, Rosa and I went to the V&A for a talk by Peter Jensen and Julie Verhoeven on Muses, particularly on their most recent collaboration together for his new Spring/Summer Diana Ross collection. From an illustrators point of view, it was really interesting to hear the thoughts of this kind of collaborative process. Of course the talk ended up being quite biased to Jensen (the interviewer talked more than necessary, in my opinion), but it was fascinating to hear how he worked, and how all of his collections are dedicated to the Muses of the brand. These women are obsessed over, and a chosen more because they trigger and inspire more than because they are friends of the office, ' I always see the women that we choose are very strong women.' -Peter Jensen.
Julie Verhoeven is most well known for her illustrations, but is currently doing 3D and more Fine Art based work. The pair have collaborated for a couple of collections, including Jodie Foster. They met while Verhoeven was teaching at Central St Martins. 'I love clothes, I love dressing up, I don't love everything that comes with the industry, but I love clothes.' - Julie Verhoeven. It was really good to hear that she has managed to what she wants in her career. It's comforting to know that you don't have to label yourself as anything to do projects that you want, and work with who you want.
What was most interesting was their opinion of the current fashion industry. Jensen stopped showing on catwalks in 2012, and both commented that they feel that catwalks are 'old-fashioned' practice now. It's fascinating to rethink the industry, and even a system as controlled as fashion needs reviving and reformatting. 'It's about friendship and real relationships. Not about celebrity.'
