PIERRE GARROUDI
spring/summer 2010

What happens at the designer's gallery in the Crucifix Lane?

In December 2009, in Teheran (Iran) born and in Paris and New York educated Pierre Garroudi has sent Fashionoffice some news from his Gallery at the Crucifix Lane in London: on 10th December he invited to 'The Walnut Auctions'; later, by the end of December, the information about SS2010 and the announcement of the catwalk presentation FW2010/11 at the designer's gallery arrived.

'The Walnut Auctions' are described in the invitation as auction-similar events spiced with fun and accessible for everyone. For the event, the designer has handpicked one year long sculptural furniture, designer lights, paintings, photographs, and fashion from artists like Dorothea Schilling (painting), Patrik Prazmari (accessories), Charles Kingsnorth (furniture), etc. to name a few.

By the end of December, Fashionoffice has received the information that Pierre Garroudi is working on his new FW2010/11 collection - totally in red color - which will be shown at his gallery during the London Fashion Week in February 2010.

Question: The fabrics from the spring/summer 2010 collection have interesting structures. Are the fabrics pre-folded?

Pierre Garroudi, press office: "His designs have turned out to be witty and provocative, and very creative. About five seasons ago he started to use one new color per season; I mean from head to toes of only one color. Also it is extremely challenging and thats where he push the boundaries in fashion. All fabrics are manipulated by Pierre in his studio and it takes a lot of his time in doing it. Although he does have an open gallery/studio in London (London bridge) where you can see he is hard at work. He is using red color for his A/W 2010 which he will have at a catwalk show during London Fashion Week in February 2010."

fig.: Pierre Garroudi SS2010 on the catwalk during the London Fashion Week at the Pierre Garroudi Gallery on 19 September 2010. Photos: (C) Jonathan Foo. The video from the show is published by the channel of the UK hairdressers 'Toni&Guy' which have salons worldwide. The team of 'Toni&Guy' created the hair for the Pierre Garroudi SS2010 show youtube.com/watch?v=gNt8xkitBjo.

Question: Can you tell something about the person Pierre Garroudi?

Pierre Garroudi, press office: "Pierre Garroudi was born in Teheran, Iran. He studied in Paris, while working as a hairdresser in his spare time and moved to New York in 1986. There he joined the Fashion Institute of Technology. After working at various retail and design houses, Garroudi started his own label in 1993."

Fashionoffice has published the first article about Pierre Garroudi in 2001; it was a slideshow with short text about his spring/summer collection. In the same year, the second article about FW 2001/2 followed. In February 2004, Fashionoffice has asked Pierre Garroudi how he is drinking his coffee: cappuccino, hot, more milk, less sugar.

In March 2006, Fashionoffice has looked once again at the work of the London based designer Pierre Garroudi and now, approximately five years later, it becomes obvious that he was a forward thinker of an idea that is 2009/10 in fashion common sense.

"... For my A/W 2006 collection, the clothes are either vintage or a mixture of both old and new donated pieces, re-designed then transformed into something totally different," described Pierre Garroudi FW2006/7.

On the website pierregarroudi.com, Pierre Garroudi's work process is analyzed as a disruption of the codes of beauty::ugly, past::future, memory::modernity. His aim is to gain an ageless style. Therefore he experiments with timelessness such in the collection from FW2006/7 where Pierre Garroudi presented a concept of re-designed clothes that is 2009/10 fashion mainstream: he was one of the pioneers in couture by initiating a memory play for high-fashion to re-form existing material.


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