Inside the Studio with Harrods & Antonio Berardi
When it comes to fashion designer studios, the general mood is that of a fickle thing – usually determined by a studio manager at the end of one international call or another or the designer him/herself – bolstering studio-wide optimism with a silent, grave smile; and sometimes an intern, if a box of assorted beads happens on the ground. I don’t even have to explain what fashion week does this equation.
I arrived at the Harrod’s shoot for Inside the Studio with Antonio Berardi only days before their show in London, bracing myself as I was dropped into what should have been a red alert flurry of model fitting and castings, pinnings, deliveries and last minute everythings. But the mood was eerily calm. Perhaps it was that I arrived with the rackety elevator when the crew were still interviewing (cue a chorus of ‘SHhhh’) and the floor was on audio-lockdown, but I am certain there wasn’t a single panicked face or tip-toe racing to the steam iron in the background; not to mention a ‘SOS’ signal made of beads and scrap fabric.
Rails and rails of jewel-coloured pieces formed narrow corridors in the centre-stage, ethereal silks in deft tailoring and glittery beads, jostled alongside precision embroidery. The collection hung complete, with a spare change or two. This was in true Antonio Berardi style, the confidence of design and the well-oiled machine that is his decade-long collaboration with Sophia Neophitou-Apostolou, muse of Berardi and Creative Director of the brand. A small army of veteran tailors holding their ranks in the far side of the studio completing the picture.
It’s all about the woman on a pedestal, sensual but strong, with a wink of quirky urban lifestyle – you’ll see in the video. That afternoon I found new hope for kooky creatives with weakness in discipline – a structured, efficient, inspired workplace does exist afterall! We can now turn the engines over in our careers. And turns out, not all deadlines are met in the busride to school..
A big thanks to Harrod’s for allowing me to be a part of the Inside the Studio campaign. Make sure to click through to see my own edit of AW14 at Harrod’s and more peeks Inside the Studio of Antonio Berardi.
All photography & edit by Park & Cube
