MERUERT TOLEGEN - A WHITE FLOWER FIELD UNDER A DARK SKY

What was the inspiration for this collection?

The collection is often building from season to season onto itself. I love to follow curves and shapes and create cocoon-like pieces, while other ideas float through each collection. This season, I was inspired by light chiffons and wanted to create understandable prints and patterns while using them in atypical ways. They are more [noticeable] in some pieces while reading a little easier and lighter in others.

How would you describe your colour palette?

I would say it’s a wildflower field under a dark sky.

What materials did you particularly enjoy working with?

I loved working with chiffon this season. It’s fun to have transparency of this fabric with the dimensionality of the prints.

Your favourite destination for summer 2027?

I love going to the Hawaiian Islands. There are no dangerous animals and the land and the landscapes are beautiful.

A childhood memory that determined your career path?

Looking back, I think a lot of my memories that feel very intrinsically intertwined with my work today and my inner world – especially days I spent in the rose garden with my grandmother, or when I would often sit and draw or paint in this rounded room of my house overlooking what seemed like gigantic mountains (today covered in smog and look a little more distant than they used to). I find these memories show me what I was always interested in, and the creativity I looked for in the world that I missed as an adult.

A moment of fashion which has inspired your work?

I want to say the ’90s often inspires me in terms of wearable garments, with little beaded sweaters and tops and cute layered miniskirts, something like what Blumarine would have on the runway. I often refer to them when I try to understand wearable pieces outside of my interpretation or understanding of shapes.

What film or book continues to fascinate you?

I can name some very cinematic or artistic films, but I think it would be fun for me to share that I additionally like to rewatch certain films and TV shows over and over, and one of them is more of a pop genre called Uptown Girls starring Dakota Fanning and the late Brittany Murphy. I am a fan of both actresses and love Brittany from watching Clueless. I find the film both happy and beautiful, and melancholic in many ways. I also love a New York set movie. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is another film I have watched many times.

A personal memory related to fashion work today?

I remember a coat my grandmother used to wear quite a bit. It was a custom, gray-on-gray felted piece that had Kazakh ornaments integrated into them. The coat was brilliant; it was just the right two tones. The felting was likely made from dye camels’ wool, and the ornament was so subtle it gave just a little bit of the ethnic symbolism while being such a modern piece. This was something like 30 years ago and the coat likely aged beautifully with time and would still feel modern today. I tried to locate the coat to no avail but it exists somewhere in memory. 

Your playlist for the end of the year?

A selection of current tracks: 

- I will follow you into the Dark, Death Cab for Cu6e: 

- Beyond the Sea, Rod Stewart 

- The Trapeze Swinger, Iron & Wine 

- To Build a Home, The Cinematic Orchestra 

- Where Does the Good Go, Teagan & Sarah 

- Far Far, Yael Naim 

- Crazy (cover), Daniela Andrade Crazy 

- Wings, Birdy 

- Sergei Rachmaninov

- Electric Feel, MGMT 

- Fade into You, Mazzy Star 

- For Emma, Bon Iver… and so many more 

A new place you wish to discover in Paris? 

I would like to walk through the residential neighbourhoods along the Seine. I never really get to do this as my visits to Paris typically revolve around my work schedule. My husband is French, and he has talked about how he would sit with friends along the Seine and eat a jambon beurre, splitting a bottle of wine. This feels very authentic to Paris, and beautiful. It would be nice to experience.

And perhaps a historic spot?

I really enjoying the little streets of Montmartre and would like to discover them a bit more. Once, I Airbnb’d an apartment that is La Maison Rose. It was the most charming space in Paris I have ever stayed in.

A dream or project for 2027?

I would love to collaborate with other brands or create large store installations. It’s something I have yet to fully work on, and I think it would be fun to devise.

Your mantra? 

“Eventually everything solves itself” It isn’t necessarily a mantra, but something I must remind myself time to time.

This interview has been lightly edited. 

L.B