Inspired by LBTY: Ianthe Oud by Freddy Coomes and Matt Empringham
The British designers worn by Emma Corrin and Sienna Miller bring Ianthe Oud to life in one of their signature sculptural dresses
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Inspired by LBTY: Ianthe Oud by Freddy Coomes and Matt Empringham
The British designers worn by Emma Corrin and Sienna Miller bring Ianthe Oud to life in one of their signature sculptural dresses
A deep-rooted passion for artistic expression lies at the heart of Liberty, from the Tudor foundations of our store upwards and outwards. The exquisite world of Liberty’s LBTY. Fragrance is no exception, guided by a passion for creativity and collaboration, celebrating history and heritage with an eye to the future.
And what better way to explore the intricacies of the Liberty LBTY. Fragrance collection than by continuing our close collaboration with the creative world? This year, we’re tasking a series of contemporary creatives with reimagining each Liberty LBTY. Fragrance through their unique artistic media as part of our Inspired by LBTY. series.
There’s a saying that comes from a book by the same name - “The medium is the message”. This is especially true for designers and recent Central Saint Martins graduates Freddy Coomes and Matt Empringham. For them, the medium - or rather the material - is the message. One example of this: a mini dress made for Sienna Miller out of alcantara imitation suede, a fabric usually found in car interiors. Other creations include a look made of black neoprene tubes, which stylist Harry Lambert commissioned for his client, actor Emma Corrin.
Their work has a tactile, surrealist quality, reminiscent of British designer Jonathan Anderson, who they both worked under at JW Anderson and Loewe respectively. “At first, there's always this focus on how the material can work for us and what we can do with the material,” says Freddy. “That feels like the driving force. What can we do with it to twist it, to turn it - to make it something that feels more (or less) approachable, or interesting.”
Here, the pair tell us more about their practice, and the artwork they created in response to Liberty LBTY Fragrance’s Ianthe Oud.
Tell us about your work.
Freddy: Our style is about playing with your understanding of what garments should look and feel like. So you have a recognisable thing, but at the same time it feels like something completely bizarre, or the material is something that doesn’t make sense. I think we’re also really interested in exploring British clothes.
How did you first meet?
Matt: We met on our first project, when we started uni at Central Saint Martins around five years ago. We were put together by our tutors, not knowing who the other was.
Freddy: We worked on a few projects at uni, and then we worked together during the summer breaks. We ended up doing our BA collection together, and now we're still going.
"We deconstructed the elements of the Ianthe print, abstracted them somewhat, cut them out and then applied them using pushpins. It has this quite naive, crafty approach that feels quite fun."
Can you tell us about creating this piece in response to Liberty LBTY.’s Ianthe Oud fragrance?
Matt: The technique we used involved using this craft-like, papery fabric that we found. It looks like those fragrance testers that we were given when walking around Liberty’s Fragrance Lounge. And then we used to some colour to give it some lightness. We deconstructed the elements of the Ianthe print, abstracted them somewhat, cut them out and then applied them using pushpins. It has this quite naive, crafty approach that feels quite fun. Colour-wise we used the purples and the greens from the print. Layering them all together and giving it some depth and energy.
Freddy: I suppose it’s almost like a 3D version of the print, with fabric and paper.
When you're working together, what skills do you each contribute and how do you divide up responsibilities?
Matt: I tend to handle the craft element and the making, and Freddy’s really good at textiles and developing them. I’m a bit more behind the scenes, and quite hands-on.
Freddy: What’s great is that you can look at something and try and make something for two days, three days, a week. You just need someone to come in and say one thing, and it completely changes what you're doing. So what works really well about our duo, is that we’re both capable of this.
Matt: That conversation is ongoing, all day every day. That back and forth is equally important as the work we’re making.
Freddy: Also you end up making, like, four or five different mistakes, and then you think, “Okay, this isn't working. Try something else.” You think you've wasted time and money doing something that hasn't worked, but it’s actually informed the thing in a completely brand new way. Quite often, the simplest way is usually the best. But it takes a long time to get to something that's simple.
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Where else do you find inspiration?
Matt: We’re very inspired by people around us. I don’t think what we do could exist anywhere else. It's a product of the conversations we have with other artists and other creatives, even people who aren’t creatives. It always comes back to that conversation element which I think is so key. A lot of our research and our references aren’t found in a library by ourselves - it’s off the back of an interesting conversation. It feels very specific to where we are geographically, but also to our journey, having recently graduated from uni and being around some really amazing creatives.
