You probably remember the name Matty Bovan from the last Central Saint Martins show that took place in February during the end of the first day of London Fashion Week. The young designer opened the show and, technically, he was one of the two who closed it by winning the L’Oréal Professional Creative Award along with Beth Postle. We catch up with the designer to see what he has to say about objects, fashion and the latest award he collected.
Matty, how are you today?
I’m great, thanks. I’ve just come back from Paris, where I was very lucky and won one of the LVMH graduate prizes. I am going to Louis Vuitton for one year this summer and I have some cash, so it’s amazing. Very exciting.
What went through your mind when you found out you’d won the L’Oréal Professional Creative Award?
Wow, I was pretty amazed and shocked and it was all a blur, almost an out-of-body experience! I was very tired and emotionally drained, but so grateful and happy.
How much of you is in your designs?
It’s all the same melting pot, the same DNA, there’s not a huge separation. It’s an aspirational version of me – like me, but an exploded version. It’s all the same family, just siblings.
What would you tell those who only get to see your photos online rather than in person?
It’s a very different experience and that’s not all bad. I think it looks great in photos and real life, but it’s hard to understand the components in photos. With the Internet, a whole new audience views fashion, and I feel in time it will evolve into a more immersive experience.
Looking back, what did the MA programme at Central Saint Martins teach you?
It teaches you to really understand your work, and completely believe in it and have your own point of view.
How do you think fashion is changing? Are you more excited or scared to enter this world?
It’s always scary and exciting, but surely they’re the best emotions; who wants it to be bland anyway? The whole point of fashion is that it is constantly changing.
Your garments are made up of a lot of things – do you have a special relationship with objects?
I guess I do, now I have made it and had some time to reflect. I have always loved jewellery, rings and plastic objects and all that came to a head in this collection, almost like charms, symbols throughout the story I was telling.
Any advice for young designers about to embark on a similar journey?
Make sure you believe in yourself and your work 100%. I make things I want to wear, but every person is different, but that relationship with clothes is very intrinsic to what I do. I enjoy trying things on, seeing how they move and feel, and imagining how things go together.
Interview: Nada Abdul Ghaffar
