Mother of Pearl is a fashion house brimming with next-level thinking and action, with its creative director, Amy Powney, freshly crowned as the winner of the 2017 BFC/Vogue Fashion Fund prize. Vogue Arabia speaks to the designer about her plans for one of the Middle East’s favorite British labels. The brand’s Fall 2017 collection is a natural evolution from the frills, urbane quilts, and retro supreme dashes of florals befitting the aristo geek chic developed in the Spring 2017 line-up. Think easy-to-wear long-sleeved dresses, trouser/top combos perfect for off-duty weekending, and cover-ups that will hold their own in a Fashion Week crowd. “Our brand motto is that we are serious fashion that’s not to be worn too seriously,” Powney says.
Amy Powney, the creative director of Mother of Pearl in the brand’s East London studio. Courtesy of Mother of Pearl
Powney joined Mother of Pearl in 2006 and have since added to her trophy cupboard with the Walpole British Luxury Award for Emerging Talent and the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund, while shifting the brand into the e-commerce era with a see-now-buy-now model and affordable price points. “I’ve had to move with the digital times. You can’t just be a creative director who makes nice products. Now, we speak to the customer direct,” says the designer, who is from the north of England but remarks how being in London diluted her accent. “When I started in the industry, I was the last generation to not use a computer. It was all about craftsmanship. Today, it’s about digital and technology.”
Mother of Pearl Spring 2017. Courtesy of Mother of Pearl
The Middle East holds a special place in the brand’s history, being the first region to invest in stocking the brand and consistently providing streams of bold pattern-loving clientele who experiments with premium streetwear silhouettes. “We have a big following in the Middle East because of our use of color and the prints. I think that’s what Middle Eastern women are on board with. It’s an amazing part of the fashion culture in the Arab world.”
Mother of Pearl Spring 2017. Courtesy of Mother of Pearl
The brand is stocked in Harvey Nichols Riyadh, Le 66 and Mayass in Saudi Arabia, and Symphony Style in The Dubai Mall, and has been on Net-a-Porter.com since 2014. No wonder Mother of Pearl has a far-reaching global style – its eclectic sequence of separates transition well between cultures, and unifies the fashion tribes with an outlandish, fuss-free aesthetic.
“The sexiness of a woman comes from character rather than an idea of revealing herself.”
Powney has a theory on why luxe sportswear has cultivated such a following from women in Mumbai, Dubai, and East London alike: “When Phoebe Philo went to Céline, she brought a masculine look to tailoring and made it so empowering for women to wear. The oversized look and sportswear is the next step. It’s an easy thing to wear. For working women, it’s liberating that we can throw on flat shoes and a luxury tracksuits. It’s practical and fashionable.”
Mother of Pearl Spring 2017. Courtesy of Mother of Pearl
“Midi has always been my favorite hemline. That’s why boyish dresses are often in the collections,” Powney says when asked about the phenomena of modest dressing capturing the imaginations of East and West.
Mother of Pearl Spring 2017. Courtesy of Mother of Pearl
From their East London studio the team of creatives play Prince and Fleetwood Mac on repeat amid samples in process. Powney’s team has refocused the brand’s approach to the marketplace. “We are moving to two collections a year rather than four – I wanted to slow things down. They will drop into stores at different times and keep fresh so we can focus and design my product without rushing.” While Burberry and Tommy Hilfiger have been leading the pack as early adopters to this business model, we are seeing more brands consider instant availability of showcased stocks, including Arwa Al Banawi, who announced this before Fashion Forward Fall 2017. “If the customer can see our product and it’s not available for six months, it’s not good enough. We are moving with the times now. The product DNA isn’t going to change but the way we put it out there will.” Patience is out. It’s all about see-now-buy-now and being supremely cool.
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