Hudson Moore (4:50)

So you finished your master's degree. You actually you have two master's degrees, is that correct?

Peter Copping (4:56)

Well, yes, St. Martin's it was a B.A. b.A. Honors. And then after that I went to the Royal College of Art to study for a master's degree degree. So I got my masters at the Royal College of Art.

Hudson Moore (5:07)

And then you really like sunk your teeth into fashion working with some big names in the industry. What do you think were some key lessons that you learned at the start?

Peter Copping (5:17)

Wow. I mean, so, so, so many. And the funny thing is, is I was thinking about that and it's still, still today. I think as a designer, I'm still, still learning. You know, obviously fashion is very different from when I, when I started out in it. It's evolved a great deal. And I think even from a young team that I can work with today, I learn a lot from those young people around me. But thinking right back to the beginning, my first job was with Christian Lacroix. I went directly from Paris to the haute couture studio there. And I think what I learned there was really about fabrics and embroideries. My eyes were opened up to so many amazing things. I can remember, remember when Monsieur Lesage used to come in himself to present Christian with the embroideries and the whole floor would be full of embroideries, which is for him to make his. His choice from. Or. Or I can remember for one, it was the most beautiful coat with a large gold embroidered panel down the front of it. And Lesage came in with the embroidery and showed, showed it to Lacroix. And there's small details that weren't, weren't right. So it was taken away to be re. Embroidered and reworked. And then it came back again and there were still things that wanted to lacquire, wanted to change or improve. So I think it really showed me the precision that's necessary and to keep on looking things and questioning them and seeing how the. How something can be improved or made better. I think those, those were some of the lessons that I learned in those, those, those very early days. I also worked for Sonia Rickyel, which was a great, great experience because it was in the studio with her, so on a daily basis along alongside her all the time. And I think this was back in the. The 1990s, but she had, she had a very modern take on how to make clothes. And she used the reverse side of the fabric, which is something in my work. I'll still use that trick these days. The way clothes were constructed as well, the seams were left raw and number of things that really, really were interesting ways. And questioning how do you make clothes? And it doesn't. You don't have to necessarily follow the conventional paths. So that was something that I took from, from working with her. And as I said, I still learn things today.

Hudson Moore (8:05)

I love that there seems to be an element of just playing and experimenting that I think breeds really creative outputs completely.

Peter Copping (8:16)

I think that's very, very important to experiment and remain playful with it, not take things too seriously in some ways and not be afraid of making mistakes.

Hudson Moore (8:27)

Absolutely. I also am always interested to hear designers talk about where their inspirations come from. And, you know, as we both know, like fashion and interiors and just a life well lived, it all kind of, you know, inspires each other. Do you find that you reference interiors in fashion and fashion interiors. Do you see that bridge?

Peter Copping (8:52)

There's definitely a crossover for me, I would say in past collections, I have looked towards interiors for taking inspir inspiration. One of the collections that I did at Oscar de la Renta was The starting point was looking at the photographs of Robert Poleadori who photographed a beautiful book of Versailles. So I was looking at that and then also Oscar had had, was part of what's referred to as the Battle of Versailles when American designers came on and took on the French designers in a kind of head to head fashion show that took place at Versailles. So that was the inspiration for that collection. So I did reference quite a lot of the interiors of Versailles for looking at the fabrics, the colors. I wanted to find the sumptuousness that you find in interiors and 18th century interiors and project that on, on clothing. So he developed some fabrics which were like damasks. But then at the same time I didn't want them to look like furnishing fabrics. So they did get, they did get twisted. They were brought into the kind of fashion arena if you want. And then I looked at toile de jouers and other patterns which formed the prints for that collection. But they were, they were printed on organzas. It was an organza that had a metal thread running through it. So again not, not like a furnishing fabric in any way. But all of the inspirations had had their starting point in interiors.

Dara Caponigro (10:39)

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Hudson Moore (11:12)

Let's talk a little bit about taste. You know, if you think that good taste is something that can be learned or if it's something innate to a.

Peter Copping (11:20)

Person, I think maybe an artisticness is something that's within you when you're born. You know, a certain sensitivity because it's quite funny, you know, I, I look around sometimes in design studios and people that I, I've worked with my, myself I'm one of those. There's so many left handers in, in this industry it seems. And that is all linked back to the side of the brain that sort of governs you. So I think that's something in some ways that does have resonance and a truth. I think though growing up you're very much formed by what's around you. But I know that, you know, from a very young age I was very sensitive to things, always notice things. Very, very visual person So I think, yes, that artisticness is, is kind of there already. Taste, I think, can be learned in a way just by looking at things and educating yourself.

Hudson Moore (12:32)

So looking back at your career so far, what have been some of the biggest highlights?

Peter Copping (12:39)

I would say when I got the job with Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton and that was to be part of, part of the team to start the Ready to Wear, because Ready to Wear didn't exist in the house at that time. So to be chosen to join him and part of this initial team and it was very, very small team, there was just like three, three of us that were taken on to work on, work on this. So it was a great opportunity. It was fantastic to feel that I contributed to the, that great story house, you know, evolving in some ways. And I think you see the Ready to Wear now at Louis Vuitton, it's not questions, it's almost like it's always existed, but you know, it didn't. And we were part of setting, setting that pathway for it. And what was nice about working with Mark is that he's again, you know, I spoke about learning from people and I really did learn a great, a great deal from Mark. But I think it was very much a two way, two way street. He's like, he was like very, very open and he definitely chose people that he thought could bring him him something as well. So it was, yeah, it really was a great, great experience. So I think, I think that's one of the experiences that has marked me the most. And then saying that when I was able to move on and become a creative director myself, you know, from Viton, I moved to Nina Ricci. So that was, that was exciting as well for me. That was a great, great, great moment. Then there's things like I designed when I was at Oscar de la Renta, a dress for Lynn Wyatt's 80th birthday party. And it was based on the Truman Capote black and white ball. So he made this beautiful lace dress and went down to her party in Texas and that was fantastic. I mean, she's such an amazing, amazing woman. You know, we were talking about taste, so she has it in bucket loads, I think. And I had tea at her house and she showed me all around. So that was just, that was just amazing. And then the next, the next day after the party, there was just a few of us. There was, I can't remember exactly who was there, but Nikki Haslam was there. So it was really nice to, to, to meet him. I'd never met him before. And he was like a lot of, lot of fun and a great character. And we were whisked off on her private jet to her ranch and we the middle of the, the desert in, in Texas. So just be part of that and see how, you know, some of those people do live. So that was a, that was a real pinch me moment.

Hudson Moore (15:37)

I think that's amazing. So when you finally made the decision to step down as a creative director in the fashion industry, you turned to interiors and started your own homeware line. Was that a natural next move for you? What, what really inspired that move?

Peter Copping (15:57)

I guess so in some ways. But I think probably what happened is that I, I was in New York and I found that I wasn't enjoying it so much. Living in New York, I really missed Europe. Romba, my husband and I, we have this house, lecalier in the countryside in Normandy. And when we were living in New York, I think the most we got there was for two weeks in a year. So, you know, I just questioned myself and I thought, you know, am I really happy happy here? So I decided just to step down, head back to Europe with not really any plan of what I was going to do. So there's a number of things, projects I started on that when I came back from New York. I came to Normandy, I didn't go back to Paris. And then just being in the house, both Ronbo and I are very inspired by it. And then you just thought, well, why don't we start to, to make products that are inspired by LeCalier and start something around the house. So moving from fashion and then putting a foot in into interiors is seemed natural to do something that was fabric, fabric based. So we started by making cushions and from antique and vintage fabric. So mo. Most of things were upcycled and started that and we got some suppliers in the UK and I started photographing them and putting them on Instagram. And quite instantly people started reaching out to me and wanting to buy them. And the shop in, in the uk, Cutter Brooks, the shop that's owned and run by Amanda Brooks, was having a great, great success with them. So it just kind of grew from there and snowballed and from the cushions. Then we, last summer we did a trip to India to find some suppliers and people that we could work with. So we wanted to start doing some block print products. So table linen that is, we're just getting there now and going to be, be bringing that out soon. So just four different designs, quite, quite graphic and simple. But for the, for those first pieces that we're developing. We really had in mind sort of a range that was right for eating, garden of the kitchen. So they're quite. They're quite casual. But then we have other ideas for things that feel a little bit more dressed up, a little bit formal. And we're also working on quilts and other embroidered cushions and things like that. I mean, the. The thing that was the most amazing when we were out in India was the level of craftsmanship there. It was really quite exceptional. And the way that they work and the block printing, which is obviously very traditional method of printing, one that we can't do any longer in, in Europe, really. So it's. It's so nice to go be. Experiment with those different. In those different fields. And I think. I think just as a designer and someone who's. Who's creative, it opens up a whole. Whole different world because in fashion, I never encountered block print. Really. It's not really something which one would typically. Typically use for fashion design. So it's been a real inspiration to be able to work with these different artisans who are specialists in a different field.

Hudson Moore (19:58)

Yeah, that's. That's amazing. There is such beautiful craft in India and so excited to see these new things.

Peter Copping (20:06)

Sorry. And I have to say, you know, it's just. We're looking at it in a very organic way, so we just want to see how. How it evolves. And it's kind of a little bit on a back burner at the moment, so. Because I had some consultations and that I do in Paris for fashion companies, so we can't at the moment dedicate ourselves fully to it, but it's definitely something in the future that we want to explore and go much, much further. You know, designing more. More products for the house fabrics and, you know, why not in interior design as well? So basically, we'll just see. See where it leads. But it's definitely a world where I feel. I feel very comfortable within it. I think it just comes from the. The personal interest that I have with interiors that makes it feel quite natural.

Hudson Moore (21:05)

Wow. Well, thank you so much, Peter. This has been so great to hear from you. And you've had such an incredible mark on the fashion industry and excited to see all that's to come and to see. To see all that you'll do next.

Peter Copping (21:22)

I think I'm just someone that, like, is full of ideas and basically I have, like, so many. I mean, but, you know, one has to pick and choose. I don't think you can do anything. You can't do everything. All at once. So that's why we just want to do it quite carefully, step by step, and just see, see where it all, it all leads. But to be able to spend time in Normandy and be out here, because that's, that's kind of the important thing, I think, to get the inspiration, it's, it's very necessary to be here in, in the house, in the garden. And I'm very excited about it.

Hudson Moore (22:06)

That's amazing. Well, thank you so much for your time today. It was so great to get to chat.

Peter Copping (22:11)

You're very welcome. It was nice to chat with you, Hudson.

Dara Caponigro (22:16)

Thanks for joining us today. Stay tuned for next week's episode of Deep Dive.