The Figue designer on what inspired her new bohemian-chic collection
- What inspired Figue?
- I have always wanted to have my own line. I started sketching at a very early age and was always surrounded by music, the ballet and lots of color. My grandfather was choreographer and dancer Léonide Massine. He had a closet full of costumes from his collaborations with the Ballets Russes, and my dog and I spent hours in his closet playing dress-up.
- Describe Figue in five words?
- Global, artisanal, resort-spirited, colorful, bohemian.
- Who are your style icons?
- Anita Pallenberg, Louise Nevelson, Gabriella Crespi, Diana Vreeland, Frida Kahlo, Lauren Hutton.
- Favorite childhood memory of being on Isola dei Galli…
- One of my fondest memories was watching the dancers from my grandfather’s company rehearse ballet performances for the fall season. I remember the fragrance of the figs and the rosemary in the air.
- When did you fall in love with fashion?
- Both of my grandmothers were very elegant, chic and had eclectic taste, so I had a natural affinity for style and clothes. When I was 15, I interned at Victor Edelstein’s couture house in London — he made dresses for Princess Diana. It was also, ironically, the height of the punk era in London. I absolutely loved what was happening in fashion at that time. And after that summer, I was determined to forge a career in fashion.
- Best advice you received when launching Figue?
- “Follow your heart and follow your gut.”
- Favorite looks from the collection…
- The military jackets and embroidered tuxedo shirts because they’re timeless and reflect the ethos of Figue. The fringe bags and the flying elephant tote because they conjure the bohemian spirit.
- If you weren’t a designer, you’d be…
- A vet.
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Clockwise from top left: Costume Design for Bacchante; Courtesy of the Musee National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Stephan von Watzdorf photo by Slim Aarons, courtesy of Getty Images; Front cover of Costume de Chinois du Ballet Parade with costume design for a Chinese Conjurer by Pablo Picasso, 1917. Photo©-ADAGP-Paris-and-DACS-London-2010; Figue founder Stephanie von Watzdorf in India; Silver jewelry photo Courtesy of Spell & the Gypsy Collective; The Galli Islands, photo by Gianfranco Capodilupo.
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