Erdem:
Inspiration Is Everything.
Written and illustrated by Sophie Speyer.
When I began thinking about this piece, Queen Elizabeth was still alive. I had chosen to illustrate some of Erdem’s recent designs. I knew Erdem when I was at Royal College, his desk was behind mine during my first year at RCA. Erdem is now famous for his romantic dresses and artistic floral prints. He moved to London in 2000 to study Womenswear at RCA and when I met him Erdem was already a star. He was adored by Wendy Dagworthy and the other tutors, Erdem’s talent was palpable. I remember his design focus was pretty intense, but he was likeable, always the cheeky Canadian in the studio. He closed the 2003 Graduation Show and got offered a design job at DVF straight away. We all kind-of-knew that Erdem was going to make it.
Through some kind of solemn serendipity, Erdem’s Resort and Menswear collections for Spring 2023, connect nicely to the Queen. His inspiration for both of these collections was a Floral Designer called Constance Spry. Constance was a successful taste-maker in her day and her projects for the Royal Family made her famous. In 1937 she designed the flowers for the wedding of Edward, Duke of Windsor, to Wallis Simpson. In 1952 she was commissioned to design the flowers for the Queen’s Coronation. By happiest of coincidences for Erdem, Spry’s Floral studio was at No. 64 South Audley Street. Erdem’s store now occupies No. 70. Not knowing much about Constance, I did a bit of research, and the artwork for this entry is inspired as much by Constance Spry as by Erdem.
I can recommend listening to ‘Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Constance Spry with Shane Connolly’ on YouTube. (It’s quite long, but worth it) The information about Constance and her sculptural displays is just as interesting as Connolly’s own approach to creativity and design. Spry was a trailblazer, she saw herself primarily as a Gardener, and was the first person to bring garden flowers and vegetables into flower arranging; rather than cut-flowers grown specially for decoration. Spry’s inspiration was always her garden, which meant that her arrangements were often asymmetric and surprising in scale. In the early 20th Century she was unusual in her intuitive approach and commercial eye. According to Connolly, Constance pushed boundaries, she was surprising, and she knew what she liked. Constance had no formal training, so her inspirations informed her creativity completely. Connolly notes ‘Technique is nothing, inspiration is everything’ in the context of making visual impact in your field (which I love). This statement brings me back to Erdem.
Erdem began his own business in London in 2005. At that time, his concept of elevating floral print to near-couture level felt new. It’s important to note Erdem’s own royal success, he was appointed MBE by the Queen for his services to fashion in 2020. Like Spry, Erdem has a lot of celebrity clients. Since around 2010 Erdem has been dressing the red carpet gang in Hollywood, and some British favourites too, including the Duchess of Cambridge (now Princess of Wales). It’s probably not too much of a stretch to say that Erdem was a key influence at the start of the millennium, in making vintage florals feel modern again. In his 2 latest collections, you can see the Spry influence in terms of proportion - asymmetric shoulders, huge bows with long dramatic trains and surprising punches of Orange and Fushia in the otherwise creamy colour palette. The Womenswear Resort collection feels wearable in a wealthy, net-a-porter way. The menswear (a new departure for Erdem in 2021) feels really exciting! If you have time, watch the short video showcasing 2 men running around in fabulous knits and flower-like bow ties. Erdem’s menswear has some of his original cheekiness, while I think the Womenswear has got a bit grown-up. But his success suits him, and he’s designing clothes that people aspire to wear for their best life, which makes Erdem fashion royalty.
The Artwork: Photopolymer Etching: Erdem Resort 2023 Womenswear
Silkscreen: Erdem Resort 2023 Printed Shirt Dress
Painting: Acrylic onto Canvas: Erdem Menswear Spring 2023
