Growing up in Copenhagen, Danish designer Jesper Høvring was always attracted to clothes which made a statement. After being educated as a tailor, he went on to open his first boutique 15 years ago; since then, he has designed bespoke couture and bridal gowns for some of Scandinavia’s chicest women, including HRH Crown Princess Mary of Denmark. Now, his eye is turning to the Middle East region. After viewing his runway show presented during Copenhagen Fashion Week in January, Style.com/Arabia speaks to Høvring on everything from current bridal trends to how Arab women are now influencing his creativity.
ON HIS PROCESS
Most women have dreamed about their wedding dress since they were small girls and 90% of our time is dedicated to bespoke. Customers come in, and we talk and talk and they try on dresses. Most brides already know what they want and they know their bodies—for example, if they want to hide their shoulders or their backs—and it’s my job to enhance that. We also talk about color, the occasion, and then we do the measurements, and we do everything in calico first. Then we make the dresses. The process involves about four to six fittings. We also have some women from the Middle East who email us for bespoke dresses and while we can do a lot of things via post they are always welcome to come here or we will go to them.
ON BRIDAL TRENDS
Bridal dresses don’t change with each fashion season but the trends can still vary a bit. We used to do a lot of strapless gowns; now, we are showcasing more sleeves. We do a lot of lace—we love lace, and especially hand-beaded lace. I love this vintage feeling and overall the dresses are very light. We no longer do as many princess dresses with the built-in corset as most dresses’ silhouettes are now rather narrow, lined with silk or satin, and overlaid with lace. The backs are generally low and the hair is covered with a veil, which is then removed. It’s quite sexy, actually.
ON HIS INTRODUCTION TO THE MIDDLE EAST MARKET
We were thinking about how could we expand the company—if we should go abroad and where to go. I went to the Gulf for the first time a year and a half ago. In Dubai, I saw that the women seemed to attend a bit more parties (than Scandinavians) and they love to dress up—and I love that. Middle East women are not afraid to show off or stand out and so we decided to focus on your market.
ON ARAB WOMEN BEING A CREATIVE INSPIRATION
They are not afraid! Our last collection in Copenhagen had a lot of sparkle, a lot of rhinestones … maybe our Scandinavian clientele would want to remove some of the embellishments, but the Arab women—well, they don’t crawl along the walls. It’s a very exciting market and I like that my creativity can be a bit more bold and daring here. I hope to show Scandinavian women that you can wear a strapless dress but then cover it up a bit. That’s what the Middle Eastern women do. Actually, the first time I saw the abayas I was so surprised! They are so beautifully embroidered—very light and elegant. I am trying to incorporate this here. I like that things are see-through but you can’t see it all. You don’t give everything away from the start, and I like that.
ON THE FALL 2014 COLLECTION
These dresses are a combination of old school classic glamour—note the hand-beaded rhinestones—with a bit of Lawrence of Arabia. I worked with drapings, sculpting silk fabrics, and enhancing the female shape by playing with volume. This is a collection that I would like to present in the Middle East like in the old days—a salon show, for example, where we can actually discuss the clothes.
ON BREAKING DOWN STEREOTYPES
I think that when Scandinavians look at women in the Middle East, they sometimes wonder if Arab women are considered in the same light as men are. As in, are they always three steps behind, doing all the washing and cleaning, and all covered up?
But when I went to Dubai, I was completely amazed. First of all, I thought that everyone looked so chic! I didn’t feel that the women were dressed in the abaya because the men told them to. They choose to wear their traditional dress because they want to—just like the men dress in their dishdash. And they have the most amazing and beautiful eye makeup you can imagine. I am quite convinced that under every abaya is a beautiful woman who takes care of herself and who is dressed to perfection.
Available in Voglia Boutique, Dubai.
www.jesperhovring.com
As told to Caterina Minthe
