Where do you come from and why did you decide to establish yourself in London?

I grew up in colonial Hong Kong and Australia and moved to London to be closer to the action.  Australia has a lot going for it but for someone with my interests the distance can be a little challenging. I love the easy access to different cultures and history that being based in London allows. A two hour flight later and one can be standing in front of The Colosseum eating a gelato!

Can you tell me a little bit about your professional background?

I am a graphic designer with a University degree in photography and these two first loves inform most of my work. I’ve worked in music, design and fashion and I’m equally passionate about all of them. I sold veggie burgers to cute skater boys in Bondi Beach, Sydney, for a few years too!

What made you decide to target the ‘sunglasses’ industry?

I just couldn’t find any new sunglasses that really excited me.  I seemed to be always buying vintage ones for their beautiful acetates. I wasn’t encountering any problems finding really desirable shoes, candles or perfume. Or anything else. But I couldn’t find a contemporary sunglasses brand that I really liked, that brought together product and creative direction in the way that, say, ACNE does. So I set out to create a fashion brand that makes eyewear rather than an optical brand making fashion – a sunglasses brand with a really modern ‘fashion’ sensibility. I’m about as interested in making corrective eyewear as I am making hearing aids!

Where does the brand name come from?

Malta. It’s a word with no English language equivalent that describes the thrill of turning on the style. I read about it in a book called The Way We Wore by Robert Elms. It was used by Maltese gangsters in 1960’s Soho apparently – the ones that liked to dress up for villainy!

You value craftsmanship. Do you think that our appetite for quality will continue to grow consistently?

I’m sure it will but it’s quite complicated if you’re talking about sunglasses. There are so few brands making a really high quality product that most people don’t seem to have any understanding of what is and isn’t well made anymore. If you go into Stella McCartney or Saint Laurent and spend a lot of money on a dress you expect a certain level of quality. And there are sunglasses for sale alongside it that you would imagine share certain brand characteristics and levels of craftsmanship. But they don’t always! Most brands license out their sunglasses and you can tell.

What do you think of the commercial mass market culture which seems to prevail today?

Not much. I tend to avoid shopping on the high-street but it is terribly seductive stepping into Zara and seeing Celine knock-offs for a quarter of the price. It’s a culture of immediacy and convenience. I like to really think before I make a purchase. I have always been a big vintage shopper and I enjoy that so much more because you have to work a little.  It feels like a treasure hunt and is deeply satisfying when you find something well made, inexpensive and unique! The markets in Paris have such a great atmosphere that it feels like one is sifting through the pages of history.

Would you ever consider entering into a relationship with a high street company/chain?

Absolutely. I’d actively pursue it. A fashion company is a thirsty muse and to realise Zanzan as the creative project I envisage – that will be expensive.  I don’t want Zanzan to be a ‘cult’ eyewear brand – I want it to be Halston or Prada! A fashion company needs scale to be important.

How do you preserve your authenticity?

By always being true to yourself.

How do you identify what your customer wants?

By making mistakes. It’s a process of editing out the stuff that seemed like a good idea at the time but just didn’t connect.

What is the essence of Zanzan?

It’s very personal and a combination of our tastes and interests. It still feels quite new and as we go along it will evolve into something perhaps quite unrecognizable to the ideas we set out with. I hope it is going to change and grow a lot. It wouldn’t be exciting if it didn’t!

If you look to the future, what are your next challenges? How do you see the coming years?

Behind-the-scenes stuff like manufacturing is always the greatest challenge. Ideas are aplenty but it’s always tough to find the right people with the right set of tools to actualise them for you. But I think we’re there now so hopefully Zanzan will really start to grow exponentially over the next few years. Zanzan really opens doors to some very interesting people and I’m hoping that continues – perhaps as interesting collaborations.

Do you have defined roles within the creative process or do you work in complete symbiosis? Do you bring different things to the professional relationship?

We try to have some definition whilst acknowledging that good ideas can come from anywhere.  It’s never that delineated though. If you look at any of the partnerships that are so common in successful fashion companies there is overlap.

Could you ever be interested in a different creative field?

Yes, I already am – in many! Interior design and the way one lives and works in a space is important to me and something I would like to pursue through Zanzan and the same goes for photography. I also love gardening and although it’s limited to my succulent collection right now, I think planning and nurturing a garden is one of the most fulfilling things one can do. You can choose the colour, texture and even the perfume of the space. Scent is very evocative and a Zanzan perfume is definitely on my must do list! My father has a huge bonsai collection and it’s very rewarding for him. And just a really lovely, meditative way to spend ones time. Maybe I can combine all these interests in a Zanzan boutique hotel in Palm Springs!!

What do you love most about what you do and are there any drawbacks?

The access it gives me to really interesting people.  I also love making a product that people wear and becomes part of their identity. People are very passionate about eyewear. They get very excited because it is such a prominent accessory. I love to listen to everyone’s differing opinions of what they like and don’t like. The biggest drawback is the feeling of continual financial risk. But the rewards outweigh the risk so we won’t be giving up any time soon!

Who would you like to see wear your sunglasses?

It’s always the most fun to see our sunnies on friends and family as they tend to be vocal about their love for the product which makes all the hard work worth it. Of course it’s always a thrill to see them on someone in the public eye or in some well styled editorial but I couldn’t name any one in particular. If they ended up in a Tim Walker, Guy Aroch or Camila Akrans shoot or any of the other photographers I admire I’d be pretty excited!

http://www.zanzan.co.uk

Published in Flair Magazine on 06.03.2012

Charlotte Hall is part of London’s new fashion dynasty. She is one of the founding members and PR Director of LN-CC, one of the most dynamic retail platforms in London I’ve ever come across and a potent symbol of what high fashion shopping could be like. Charlotte is today part of an influential group of energetic personalities who ardently support a new response to buying clothes. They believe in connecting with the customer and actually providing a “really honest” experience. And it works… I first visited the store soon after they opened and I couldn’t have hoped for a warmer welcome. Charlotte herself offers plenty of reasons to believe in LN-CC’s mission. Her natural beauty and quiet confidence is enchanting and the way she mixes tailoring and a sporty silhouette reveals her love of designers like J.W. Anderson, Jil Sander by Raf Simons and Yang Li. She is elegant and genuinely makes you feel like a friend. When she says with a spellbinding smile that she would “encourage anyone to come to the store to see the interior (Gary Card), browse, hang out with no pressure to buy” you frankly believe her! When you meet Charlotte, you get a clear glimpse into the LN-CC world. She wears the brands extraordinarily well and shows a masculine inner sensibility: “It’s true that our womenswear selection and the way that we style is quite different to a lot of other retailers. It’s a lot less girly with more of a focus on tailoring. I naturally have more of a masculine style, I love tailoring and sportswear and in the past have worn a lot of menswear because it’s quite difficult to find a women’s selection bought in this way. John Skelton’s (creative director) buy for LN-CC works perfectly for me”. With a baby on the way, her choices of clothes won’t change much. She might possibly wear her boyfriend’s jeans more often but she won’t be rethinking her wardrobe that drastically. And as for shoes, she’s always favoured trainers to high heels.

Published in Flair Magazine on 01.08.2012

Nina Egli’s obsession with fashion runs in the family and style is an experience she has enjoyed from a very young age. Her mother, Kaya, played a crucial part in this unique background. Hardly surprising considering that she opened her first shop aged 20 in the hallway of an old cinema in Marseille selling a combination of her own designs and vintage. In 1967, aged only 22, she went on to become a London fashion figure commanding respect for her achievements within the world-famous Apple boutique, which was owned by the Beatles. She became the in-store designer and soon demonstrated her creative mastery making exclusive, beautiful and vibrant clothes for Jimi Hendrix, Brian Jones and Donovan among many others. 

Nina grew up surrounded by striking fashion and fashion props which kept her creative attention. A theme which quickly became a fundamental ingredient in her life despite provocatively declaring as a kid that she would become an actress, a tightrope walker, a dancer or a painter. Her fashion trajectory took her from the launch of the Toujours Toi jewellery line in 2002 to the Family Affairs clothing range in the fall of 2008. Both clearly define Nina’s identity: enchanting fragments of the sixties and seventies are combined with a focus on her heritage in prints and colours. A lot is derived from the past and girls in need of a nostalgic fix adore her pieces. They symbolize a strangely potent world where richly patterned blouses with discreet puffed sleeves, cool above the knee pleated dresses in wonderful shades of seagreens, sexy mini leather skirts that scream liberation of women and Moonrise Kingdom coats are all seamlessly interwoven.
 
Nina spends a lot of time in India where she spends several weeks a year focusing on the creative process. She draws on the country’s captivating mysteries and isolation to come up with refreshing ideas and new concepts. The remaining eleven months are divided between Zurich, where her mother lives, and New York where her heart belongs. Nina and her mother are interdependent and share the workload despite being in different locations most of the time. Nina will develop a theme, decide on a range of colours and materials, come up with designs and Kaya transcribes all this into patterns. Toujours Toi and Family Affairs pieces are sold in Opening Ceremony, Anthropologie, ModCloth, Cancan and online at “toujours toi family affairs“.

A truly modern story and an epic journey in the making.

Published in Flair Magazine on 21.11.2012

When Cochinechine opened in the small North London village of Hampstead on 22nd March 2004 it provoked delightful cheers from the local fashionable and celebrity residents. The brilliant boutique quickly established a formidable position in the area thanks to the ambition, dedication and knowledge of Eftychia Georgilis, George Govotsis and Melanie Chan. It is perhaps not surprising that Melanie ended up being such a powerful creative buyer. She clearly remembers being a child with youthful hopes and dreams of working in this industry. After graduating from the London College of Fashion, her career led her to Matthew Williamson and Jessica Ogden. Once she realised she was equipped with the experience necessary to bring diversity to the London fashion retail world, she became a partner in Cochinechine where she has proved to be an utterly energetic and impressive force of nature. Melanie could be hailed as the face of Cochinechine. She is gloriously charming with her customers and can frequently be found on the shop floor enthusiastically helping women select pieces, playing with clothes or discussing the merits of the designers she stocks. Talking to her, she offered a genuine insight into the Cochinechine spirit: “The Cochinechine girl has passion; she loves beautiful things but she doesn’t take herself too seriously. Fashion is for pleasure and should not dictate your life. We believe in clothes that can be lived in, clothes to laugh in and clothes to fall in love in. This, for me, is invaluable. Our approach to the shop floor is also crucial. We want the boutique to be a fun place where friends can hang out and enjoy shopping.” The shop exudes a mesmerizing mix of romance and intimate boudoir perfectly encapsulating the Cochinechine philosophy. The rails are filled with magical brands like Carven, Kenzo, Eddie Borgo, Opening Ceremony, Sonia Rykiel, Swash, Comme des Garcons, Peter Jensen, Acne, Sacai and Cedric Charlier to name but a few. There are also a few salient chapters in the history of Cochinechine. Melanie, acting as a talent prospector, was one of the first to sell Alexander Wang, Acne and 3.1 Phillip Lim in the UK. She is also solely responsible for the introduction of Maloles, Sea New York, Swash, Rachel Roy, Paula Bianco and Philippe Roucou on the London scene. Following the success of the boutique, the three partners sat down to talk about how they envisioned the future and realized that they wanted to engage with the virtual world and a wider market. The result? They are pursuing their vision on the web and have brought their playground online making everything sold in the boutique available across the world. The word is spreading!

Published in Flair Magazine on 20.12.2012

Violaine Bernard is the talented fashion director of Velour magazine and I wouldn’t be surprised if you told me you know what she looks like already! She emerges at frequent intervals online (Garance Doré, Scott Schuman, Tommy Ton, Vanessa Jackman, Turned Out etc) and furnishes fashion kids everywhere with style ideas. It’s easy talking about Violaine. The scintillating smile, laughs and sparkling personality captured on camera is exactly what you get in reality. She reminds me of Inès de la Fressange. She has the same engaging individuality and megawatt magnetism combined with a natural French beauty of grand proportion. And then there’s the Jean Seberg pixie haircut. How many girls do you know can get away with super short hair? Having lived in London for many years now, she has acquired the ability to dress inventively. She mixes designer and vintage pieces with ingenuity. I watched her put together several outfits for the photos I took and I can tell you that this is an exercise she carries out with conviction, wit, panache and almost scientific curiosity. She is a remarkable woman who proves that you can work in an industry dominated by bitchiness (and too complex for niceness at times) but still remain equally entertaining, kind and gracious!

Published in Flair Magazine on 25.09.2012

Laetitia Wajnapel is a rarity on the Internet. She is one of the most celebrated UK fashion bloggers but has remained true to her roots: a dash of ruthless feminism softened with her incredible doll-like beauty, an intriguing and quirky sense of style, an impactful way with words and most of all a vision and hard work. She is a fascinating subject. I met her for the first time in 2008 and immediately fell under her spell and unpredictable sense of humour! A few years on and she has now published her first book, given numerous lectures, worked with Chloé, MCM, Swarovski and Lacoste, written a style column for The Huffington Post and been featured in countless international publications.  She is a real talent and the driving force behind the blog “Mademoiselle Robot”.

Published in Flair Magazine on 13.11.2012

Lucile Troquet is like a rare exotic bird you will only find off the beaten tracks. Over a number of years, I saw her picture appearing online and heard about her print designs for APC and Kitsune, two of the most successful ready to wear French fashion labels. Despite having friends in common and the geographical reality (we both live in London) our paths only crossed a few weeks ago. Having always loved her wonderfully inspirational and playful outfits I was eager to see her home and was hoping that my appetite for the unusual and beautiful would be satisfied. Well, it turned out to be a particularly exhilarating adventure! From the moment I walked through the door of her flat, I wanted to touch and look at everything. I was enraptured. Treasures are dispersed around the entire place and I don’t think that Lucile even had to go to extraordinary lengths to achieve this look. Her decorative aesthetic preferences are simply a part of who she is. From the huge factice Chanel perfume bottles, the vintage furniture, the never-ending rails of gorgeous clothes, the collectable books, Pierrot lights, seventies lights and the mesmerising mix of patterns everywhere: I felt like I had entered the most enchanting circus. Lucile dazzled me with her sweetness and through her sheer gusto for fashion!

Published in Flair Magazine on 19.12.2012