Wallpaper* fashion editor Jack Moss picks out the best fashion interviews of 2022 – a closer look at the personalities who have defined a year in style. From the most recognized names in the industry – Rick Owens, Manolo Blahnik, Giorgio Armani and Gabriela Hearst among them – to an emerging generation of designers blazing new trails, these insightful and eye-opening conversations recap 12 definitive months in fashion.
TOP 10 FASHION INTERVIEWS OF 2022
01. Pieter Mulier on “modern beauty” and his vision of Alaïa
Alaïa by Pieter Mulier in September 2022 Wallpaper Style Number*
(Image credit: photography by Spela Kasal, fashion by Jason Hughes)
In the September issue of Wallpaper, Belgian designer Pieter Mulier unveiled his vision for Alaïa, a year after taking the reins. The pursuit of “modern beauty” is at the heart of her approach, blending the sensuality of ancestor Azzedine Alaïa with her contemporary vision of femininity. ‘Beauty, body, sex – [Alaïa] is the only place where you can use the word sex without being vulgar,” he said. “It’s the sex that comes from the heart, from within, where beauty belongs and can be found.”
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02. Satoshi Kondo talks about the legacy of Issey Miyake
(Image credit: Courtesy of Issey Miyake)
Speaking after his Spring/Summer 2023 show for Issey Miyake – the first collection presented after the death of its eponymous founder in August 2022 – Satoshi Kondo paid tribute to his ancestor’s legacy of innovation and optimism. ‘Each collection i [have] created with my team is a reflection of what we learned from Miyake,” said Kondo, who became chief designer in 2019. “Going forward, as we have always done in the past, we will challenge ourselves to create original and unprecedented garments that bring a sense of joy and wonder.
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03. Rick Owens speaks from his “concrete palace”
(Image credit: Courtesy of Rick Owens)
As part of our “At Home With” series, iconoclastic designer Rick Owens spoke about his working process, his search for inspiration, and the “concrete palace” he calls home as the season approaches. presentation of its S/S 2023 menswear collection in Paris (the typically dystopian setting saw giant metal fireballs falling from cranes into fountains in front of the Palais de Tokyo). “I’m on my patio overlooking the MoD Gardens – the roses are just starting to bloom and the wisteria that always looks a bit distressed looks lush and confident this season,” he began.
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04. Ester Manas: the brand that makes clothes for all body types
Ester Manas adjusts a garment on a mannequin, taken from Wallpaper* August 2022
(Image credit: photography by Pauline Caranton)
“It’s for a woman who really wants to be seen,” Ester Manas says of her eponymous label, which she designs with partner Balthazar Delepierre. Speaking from their Belgium studio, Manas and Delepierre talk about their size-inclusive approach, where a garment can cover sizes S-3XL in a singular garment using clever design tricks. “I wanted to do something for myself, because I’m tall,” Manas says. “When we started, in 2016, it wasn’t so cool to be big. It was a problem. We thought we had to fix that problem.
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05. Gabriela Hearst on sustainability and style at Chloé
Chloé A/W 2022 in March 2022 Style Issue of Wallpaper*
(Image credit: photography by Tino Chiwariro)
Featured in the March 2022 issue of Style, we caught up with Gabriela Hearst, creative director of Parisian house Chloé, about her sustainable approach to luxury — a process she likened to creating an Italian Caprese salad. “You have to work with the best ingredients, good tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella,” she told Laura Hawkins. “Before joining Chloé, there was an oversight in the ingredients used to create her final product.”
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06. Manolo Blahnik: “The only thing you need is passion”
Manolo Blahnik at home in the Canary Islands
(Image credit: Courtesy of Manolo Blahnik)
Speaking from his home in the Canary Islands, the legendary Spanish shoe designer sat down with Wallpaper* in an extensive interview – from his current playlist to his all-time favorite meal (bread and cheese pudding). butter from the Wiltons restaurant on Jermyn Street in London). He also shared his advice for a new generation of creatives: “The only thing you need is passion – total passion for what you’re doing or trying to do,” he said.
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07. In conversation: when Giorgio Armani meets Paul Smith
Paul Smith and Giorgio Armani at Armani in Milan
(Image credit: Taken from Wallpaper* October 2022)
As part of the October 2022 issue of Wallpaper, Giorgio Armani offered a conversation with fellow designer Paul Smith as part of his guest edit. In the extensive interview, Armani and Smith talked boutique, discussing everything from models and career highs to their strong Italian and British roots. “Sometimes I think I would have liked to be on the other side and be the one asking questions – it’s a much easier position in a way,” Armani said. — That’s what made this dialogue with you so pleasant.
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08. The New York Generation
Diotama, one of our emerging New York brands
(Image credit: Photography by Annie Powers)
Seven distinct designers made up our selection of New York’s next generation of fashion talent, all of whom energize the city’s fashion week with their individual take on style. From Rachel Scott’s Diotama – who draws inspiration from the dancehall traditions of Jamaica, Kingston, where she was born – to Carly Mark and Ayla Argentina’s “goofy and chic” Puppets and Puppets, everyone talks to Wallpaper* about what it means to be a young designer in New York, and even in America today.
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09. Christophe Lemaire on his long-standing collaboration with Uniqlo U
(Image credit: Courtesy of Uniqlo)
Christophe Lemaire’s collaboration with Uniqlo is one of fashion’s most successful partnerships; in October, he told Wallpaper* the story of his latest Uniqlo U collection for the Japanese brand, a modular wardrobe of archetypes redesigned and built to last. “As a designer, I’m more into deep trends than seasonal trends,” he said from Paris. “It’s about having, or trying to have, an understanding of how people behave, their lifestyles, their needs. That’s what interests me.
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10. Edward Buchanan: “For me, the creative process is both beautiful and painful”
Fabiana Filippi Highline capsule collection, designed by Edward Buchanan
(Image credit: Courtesy of Fabiana Filippi)
Edward Buchanan – who runs his own label Sansovino 6, as well as consultancy for Off-White and Agnona – was inspired by the biodiversity of New York’s High Line for his collaboration with Italian label Fabiana Filippi. Scarlett Conlon spoke to Buchanan when the collection was released, which confirmed his reputation as the busiest man in fashion. ‘The creative process for me is as beautiful as it is painful, because part of my process is now, do we have to do the same?’ he says. “I like longevity…I like to build something strong and tough and so you have it for a long time.”
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