Tatler Lister and owner of shoe brand Sauvereign (formerly R. Sanderson) Bertrand Mak is looking to create the “Birkins of shoes.” The former watch specialist at Christie’s also spent time under the LVMH group and takes his experience to Sauvereign, where he’s infusing 24K gold leaf and other intricate forms of artistry onto “gems” or plaques on pumps to create jewellery for the feet. Here are his favourite styles and the inspirations behind them.
Aphrodite 168 Gold Poudre Maia with INK 4 Moon Gold Omoiyari G01 Gem
Having been exposed to the world of mechanical watches and classical music at a very young age (not exactly an orthodox pairing, I know), I have always had an eye for the devil in the details. I yearn to understand how art, in whatever form, can transcend time and be immortal.
Named for the typical trail-mix combo of good ol’ raisins and peanuts Gorpcore has come to be defined as fashion s latest obsession with utilitarian, outdoorsy staples transformed by luxury brands. From Birkenstock collaborations to Gucci x The North Face, here are the designer duds you can wear to tackle your next trail.
“Many people ask me why I’m showing during couture week, but for me, couture means experimentation and individuality,” he says. “I may not be doing 50,000 hours of embroidery with 60 metres of tulle, but I took the know-how of couture and I put it on a recycled yarn of polyester or a jogging suit. This is my way of saying this is also couture.”
And yet everything here marks a huge departure from Elbaz’s oeuvre at the seat of fashion’s highest perches. The generic-sounding name “AZ” references the first and last letters of his name, but also includes “Factory”, he says, because “fashion should be a factory of dreams”. Its logo is just a circle with two black eyes. And the sizes range from XXS to XXXL.
And we haven’t even mentioned the clothes. For their inaugural collection, the designers wanted to go beyond the traditional definition of couture to consider how “ancient civilisations and tribes from northern China to South Africa had their own way of body adornment, informed by their values and religion,” says Panszczyk.
Some pieces of the collection only 14 looks in total featured tubular forms reminiscent of Mayan drawings, or perhaps swirling exoskeletons, wrapped in thousands of Swarovski crystals in an ombré pattern. In person, they are surprisingly soft to the touch. “It was such a challenge to figure out how to make the padding soft, because usually dense embroidery becomes very solid, like stone,” says Panszczyk. As a solution, hand- moulded foam was wrapped with crystals, but that left the problem of the crystals fanning out and leaving gaps along the curves. Adds Fogg: “There was so much math involved. Sometimes you can’t even know how the end produc
My first job was designing the space and interiors of a small bar I opened.
When did you first realise your brand was getting a lot of buzz?
Two years ago, I was really wondering whether my work was being accepted by the public, but then we began having some of my favourite buyers around the world place orders for my pieces, and their recognition and validation really encouraged me to keep going.
Who’s the celebrity you most want to dress?
I don’t pay a lot of attention to celebrities, but if Zhou Xun wears my menswear, I would be incredibly happy.