Paul Surridge started at Roberto Cavalli as creative director on July 1st 2017, after a turbulent period of change at the house, and just eight weeks before he presented the SS18 collection.
Somewhat unknown to many, Surridge however has an impressive fashion pedigree. A graduate from London’s Central Saint Martin’s, the English designer cut his teeth at Calvin Klein during the 90s before joining Christopher Bailey at Burberry from 2003 to 2007.
In 2007, he became design director for men at Jil Sander under Raf Simons, where he met Gian Giacomo Ferraris, then CEO of Jil Sander and now CEO of Roberto Cavalli. Next was an appointment as Creative Director at Z Zegna in 2011 before leaving in 2014 to become creative consultant of Acne Studios, overseeing all the menswear activity.
The appointment of Surridge to the Italian house famed for its dazzling eveningwear and Riviera-style glamour is adding a new, more relaxed, aesthetic. From long-line evening dresses with sheer panelling and draped knitted pieces, his debut collection still had Cavalli-isms with plenty of zebra stripes, but with a dose of masculine tailoring.
What inspired you from the Roberto Cavalli’s heritage for your SS18 collection?
When I walked into the museum for the first time, what overwhelmed me the most was the sheer size, as I was faced with 23,000 garments hanging infront of me, which made me realise that I was working with a legacy and a designer who had been active for a long time. As I was filtering through, I came across costumes that Roberto had designed for the Spice Girls, and the first collections with designs spanning from sand-blasted jeans to ornamental eveningwear. Stepping away and digesting these findings, I realised what Cavalli is to me, with his dedication to manufacturing, finishing, and the craft and technique becoming clear. Roberto Cavalli is a brand that really was the first to publicly pioneer and modernize techniques, being the first to print leather, the first to print on knit, and the first to decorate sand-blasted jeans. However, I felt that in the more recent collections there was a lack of functional daywear, and I wanted to make it more accessible, global, and practical for the day. This exploration led me to a collection which combined animalier, daywear, workmanship, and leather, with a colourway of terracotta, black, and white, reflecting the brand’s Florentine heritage.
Tell us about the prints?
For me, in the show it was about animalier, but I wanted it to be on one side bold, earthy, and graphic, and on the other in vaporised pastels, echoing the zebra print in a very feminine key, to show the importance of one print and how it can be represented in multiple ways. Moving on to the Pre-Fall collection, a floral print is introduced together with the continuation of the zebra. I deliberately stayed away from nostalgia as I felt that I was inheriting a brand that already had a lot of nostalgia and retro glamour, instead clearing the air with elegance, in the form of feminine florals.
How do you feel about the demand for numerous collections, when designing Pre-Fall and Cruise alongside the main collections?
If you think about buying something now and immediately, it is because you need it, and if you look at our existing customer, potential customer, and the future of consumerism we don’t need anything, the only thing we need is something that we love or are missing or are emotionally engaged to buy. The mature customer who have matured with the brand is fundamental to respect and maintain, as is the younger customer with a millennial mindset, and I think it is down to me create the need for something.
What are your thoughts on millennials?
Millennials are not loyal, and their nature is not to care so much about the story, instead just living in the minute. The key for me is not to abandon the core client, and I am doing that by just cleaning up what we have had in recent collections, which allows me to have the building blocks for where I want to take the brand next.
You only had 8 weeks to create your debut collection for SS18, tell us about this?
It wasn’t long at all, but I think that what myself and the team managed to do was a great job. The quality was also very good which was a triumph, as sometimes when you work too quickly the problem is that you don’t catch everything, making it impossible to have everything right, but we balanced that and everyone was very happy.
Which look did you sketch first when creating the collection?
It was a shirt jacket look with a swimsuit underneath it. It is interchangeable and has a utilitarian style.
Tell us about the accessories?
We have widened the offering of accessories, moving away from just the stiletto heel and evening sandal, launching the babouche, a house slipper, together with a boot version.
What are your feelings on a mono-look?
I like it because it shows courage. A woman head to toe in either one colour or one print, for me shows a lot of personality as it is not easy to pull off. It is a graphic statement.
Talking about power, what is your opinion on the use of empowering slogans used in fashion?
If a designer feels that approach is right for them, and they really use the slogans out of commitment to the cause then I think fantastic, whereas if it is just a lazy placement of a graphic then that is not so cool. I don’t think the use of slogans is appropriate for the Cavalli woman of today, I don’t think she needs words, as it is more of a mindset. For me, empowering a woman is letting her have her body on show, but nothing too vulgar.
There are many lines under the universe of Roberto Cavalli, can you tell us about them and how they work together?
The first step for me with the main line is to bring aspiration and luxury, it should represent the dream of Roberto Cavalli, underlining the importance of craftmanship. Cavalli Class represents a more conservative edge, it is for the woman who does not follow fashion and isn’t a fashionista, but wants a piece of Roberto Cavalli. Just Cavalli was Roberto’s playground, and I wanted to keep his personal approach whilst relating it to the millennials, so it is very much influenced by what is happening in fashion, with a raw and urban edge.
Can we expect couture in the future?
That I don’t know. There is currently a couture part of the collection, but that is not presented at couture fashion week. As a brand and company, we have all aligned that right now is the time to really focus all our energies on mainline and accessories, because this brand has to sell more than just clothing to survive.
What are your favourite fabrics to work with?
Now that I am designing womenswear, I’m discovering many more fabrics and am particularly understanding the power of silk, as it really transforms a creation. Whether it is from matte to shiny, the lightweight fabric can be layered up to make something sculptural, or can be fluid and sensual. I also love mohair as it is impeccable for never creasing and looking good no matter the circumstances.
How do you think your menswear background is serving you now in a woman’s world?
As a menswear designer the terrain is very narrow because a man’s needs and expectations are set in rules. Menswear is practical and has a function, with every element of the design being considered, from the placement of buttons to how the sleeves move, and the minute it does not fulfil these requirements the consumer isn’t interested, giving it a real authenticity. Womenswear however, is a much faster process with numerous collections, meaning a lot of womenswear designers don’t have the time to engage in the small details, leaving that to members of the product team later in the design journey. Due to my background in menswear, I have come in and questioned all of this, really considering how to make the product softer and more flexible to wear. A lot of womenswear pieces are over industrialised to keep them glamorous, and I have looked to change this to give more logic to the collections rather than just an explosion of ideas. There is an attention to detail in menswear which I am looking to apply to womenswear.
Tell us about your first meeting with Roberto Cavalli?
Obviously for both of us it was a big moment. I was about to meet a celebrity and a man who has dedicated his whole life to the brand, and he was about to meet an unknown, English, menswear designer who was about to take over his glamazonian powerhouse! But he was an inspirational and incredible gentleman, and we had an encouraging conversation with me taking away a real understanding of his passion.
How important is passion in what you do?
Fundamental. I can’t survive without passion.
How would you describe the brand in one word?
Unique.
In a time where everything has become accessible on social media, where do you think luxury is positioned?
Luxury is in the storytelling and the service. It is buying in store as opposed to online, when you can engage on a personal level.
What are your feelings on unisex collections and shows?
I think its relevant, although it manifests itself after a time when people have been talking about gender equality, so I see it more as a political stance. However, it is not something for Roberto Cavalli, as the woman is the core, and the man is a man, so we are a brand where the sexuality is not something which can be blurred. Roberto Cavalli is about celebrating the sensuality of an alpha woman.
Can you share with us a life lesson that you would like to pass on?
Never regret something you have done, only regret something you haven’t done.
When you wake up every morning, what do you tell yourself?
Be strong.
What are the three things that you hate?
Inconsistency, disloyalty, and cheapness.
What scares you?
Failure.
What is your perfect ‘me-time’?
A hot bath with lots of bubbles!
Do you listen to music?
I love Rihanna and put her on in the studio when we need some energy. I also like James Blake, so as you can tell, I have a mixed taste.
How do you describe your personal style?
Authentic and practical. I like things to be simple, and less is more, although I am not a minimalist.
If you weren’t a designer, what would you be?
I would have loved to be a dancer or choreographer, and I also love photography.
Do you have any regrets?
Maybe not believing in myself, and feeling unconfident as a young guy, and not taking as many risks as I should have done.
Can you share with us another brand which you respect?
Hermès, as they don’t follow fashion, living beyond the phase of trends, instead creating their own world.
What are your objectives for 2018, personal and professional?
Personally, I want to join a gym and get a trainer to get myself mentally and physically in the best shape. Professionally I would love to get the collection and the brand into a safe place to create some core successful products to permit us to start breathing again.
How would you like the world to remember you?
Passionate.
What would you like to tell our readers?
Live life by your own rules, with a respect for others as we all live together in a small universe.
By Lara Mansour Sawaya
