Emperor 1688’s catwalk show went down a storm on Friday. We spoke to Babak Golkar, one of the three brothers behind the label, before the curtain rose on their regal-themed collection.
Welcome back to FFWD Babak, tell me about this season’s collection.
Thank you. Well, we were looking at the dynamics between Prince Albert and Queen Victoria. And because we’re launching our womenswear now – we wanted to show how the dynamic between our menswear and womenswear. We’re physically comparing the two. Prince Albert and Queen Victoria were a fascinating source of inspiration. They had an amazingly passionate relationship. It was the ultimate love story. What we also found interesting was that when Albert first moved to England he didn’t speak much English. He had a thick German accent and Queen Victoria, being Hanovarian, had the same. But if you look at how they are perceived now, they are held up as the ultimate ‘British couple’. So, in the collection we also explored what it means to be British today. We (my brothers and I) are not ethnically British, we’re Iranian but we were raised in England and feel British. So there were lots of similar angles to explore – from the way they royal couple, and we, feel, dress, the way we show our clothes etc.
How does that translate to fabrics?
Lots and lots of tartan! We didn’t focus so much on the Victorian silhouette and billowing skirts. We focused on tiny details instead – one of them being tartan. Price Albert was determined to show everyone that he was more English than anyone else and he adorned Balmoral in tartan. That’s when Scotish tartan became really popular and there was huge demand for it. So we’ve used a lot of tartan and wools, woven in Scotland. Lots of Holland & Sherry (cloth maker of Saville Row, London) – who are synonymous with weaving too. But it’s all used in a very comntempoary way. It’s not at all obvious and we didn’t put models in crinoline, for example! Colour-wise, there are lots of forest greens and blues, mimicking the Scottish Highlands.
Where will your expanded range of womenswear be available?
We only had a handful of womensear available before and now, which is kind of a secret, we’re basically doing fifty percent menswear – fifty percent womenswear. We’re presenting a full ready-to-wear womenswear collection and it’s something we’ve wanted to do for a while. The image we have as a brand and our aspirations is not only to dress men but women and children too. We want to be a lifestyle brand. So Fashion Forward was the perfect time to show it.
We’ve also recently signed with associates in the US which is huge. We’re the first and only male brand from the Middle East to have been signed by them and they have Matthew Williamson on their books too, so it’s pretty big news for us. We signed this month and we’re going to open our showroom in New York next month.
