Beazley Designs of the Year
Q&A with Erdem Moralıoğlu
To mark this year’s Beazley Designs of the Year, the Design Museum speaks to celebrated fashion designer, Erdem Moralıoğlu, about his ethereal ballet costumes, which were reduced to pure romance for Christopher Wheeldon’s production of Corybantic Games.
Q: Congratulations on being nominated for this year’s Beazley Designs of the Year, what does it mean to you to be put up for this award?
I am thrilled, it was a project that was so special to me. I have been a fan for such a long time of the Royal Ballet – it was really an honour to work with Christopher on such a wonderful production.
Q: What’s the difference between designing for the stage and for your own collections?
I loved how it pushed me to approach my work differently; I really had to think about how the costumes would look at the back of the theatre. And of course freedom of movement was essential, I worked closely with the in-house team at the Royal Opera House to ensure that the costumes would really work for the dancers. They had to translate graphically, they had to work collectively, not individually — it was a totally different exercise than designing ready-to-wear.
Q: How did you meet Christopher Wheeldon and how did this partnership for the Royal Opera House come about?
It was actually through my good friend Lauren Cuthbertson who is a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet. Lauren really made this collaboration happen.
Q: As a child, you were taken to see The Nutcracker. Did this inspire your collection?
It definitely spurred my love for ballet. I was 5 years old and I remember coming home and making paper dolls of all the cast, complete with costumes!
Q: The dancing in Corybantic Games was performed in the spirit of the first Olympics. How do your costumes reflect the ancient Greek take on athletica? Is it true some of the pieces are inspired by Trojan tales and Grecian goddesses?
I wanted the ribbons to look like Armor — a contrast to this idea of undressing that I was exploring. It’s about flesh, and youth, and life.
Q: What is a typical working day for you, or is there no such thing?
No two days are ever really the same. I try to get in some exercise before work when I can. Most days will start with meetings at my studio catching up with my various teams and I try as much as possible to reserve my afternoons for sketching if I am not in fittings.
Q: You’ve dressed women from the world of music, fashion, royalty to politics. Who did you enjoy dressing the most and why?
Kristin Scott Thomas for the Met this year. She is a really remarkable woman and the final dress was so stunning on her. It was an honour walking up the carpet with her.
Q: What’s the one thing you’d like people to remember about your designs when they leave the Beazley Designs of the Year exhibition?
That the costumes may not have been what they were expecting from an Erdem X Royal Ballet collaboration.
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