Erdem Moralioglu Talks Influences, From Wolfgang Tillmans to Twin Peaks

On the one hand, Erdem Moralioglu makes some of the most exquisitely refined and plainly (and often not so plainly) gorgeous clothes coming out of London—or anywhere else, for that matter. And on the other, he resides in gritty-cool East London, epicenter of all that’s hip and happening in the British capital, is well-versed in contemporary art and culture, and has the kind of address book—from Beth Ditto to Keira Knightley—that shows he’s as plugged in as the place he lives.

The charming Moralioglu is a study in contrasts. He’s someone who knows his way around fil coupe and guipure lace, conjuring them up into dramatically proportioned, romantically inclined looks, but also able to ground them in a way that feels effortless and real; his shows also involve checking out the shoes the models are wearing, whether it’s lug-soled boots or substantial oxfords. (Perhaps it was always thus: Back in 2007, he told Sarah Mower, “I rebel with lace and tulle” and things haven’t changed much since.)

The imaginative, sly storytelling inherent in his clothes has also started to flower in his shows; a charmingly dilapidated space tucked behind the Selfridges department store being dressed to resemble after-hours film sets, whether it’s a fin de siècle drawing room or a mid-century Danish fantasia. Yet the biggest twist in the tale is that Moralioglu has flourished, despite being entirely independent, while facing the likes of a global economic downturn and the vacillating uncertainty engineered by a U.K. contemplating Brexit.

All of this will no doubt come up when he meets Joseph Altuzarra and Simon Porte Jacquemus in conversation at Vogue’s Forces of Fashion conference on October 12 in New York. They will be joining plenty of other mega-talents—the “forces”—that day, but we thought it would be fun to ask him (and his fellow speakers) about the people, places, and pop culture moments that have helped shape his outlook on fashion. Watch this space for more, and visit www.vogueforcesoffashion.com to purchase tickets.