32. Emma Wiklund, Supermodel, Entrepreneur | Stockholm
Back in the 90s, when Supermodels headed down the runways from Chanel to Versace to Mugler, Emma Wiklund (formerly Sjoberg) was always one of the chosen few.Emma was at the centre of what a lot of people now think of as a Golden Age of fashion, whether that day she was the embodiment of total luxury in a high collared Lanvin jacket cut by Claude Montana or the height of edgy cool in a metallic bikini by Mugler. Of course, we can't forget she danced in Mugler's motorcycle dress in the Too Funky video by George Michael and ?. She tells stories here about how that infamous shoot went!After modeling, Emma went on to become a busy film star in France - think the four Taxi movies. Now she is back in Sweden - an entrepreneur who has created an eponymous skincare line, Emma of Stockholm. She went back to school to learn how to build a company and she invested her modeling money (that was scary) to make it work. In recent years, Emma has beome one of Sweden's most successful skincare entrepreneurs!Emma is savvy, charming and refreshing - and I was thrilled to sit down and be able to interview her again after all of these years. She shares what it was like as Anna Wintour and Andre Leon Talley helped Karl Lagerfeld style her Chanel runway looks in the atelier. Humble, she laughs about how she never got the best dresses on all those runways she walked at Versace but Donatella told her she was cast because whatever she wore sold - in Germany. She recalls the atmosphere in the Dior atelier under Gianfranco Ferre: models had to “zip it”. Be seen and not heard. And Emma shares many touching remembrances of her work with Mugler and Montana. She expresses both delight and bemusement that people such as Beyonce and Lady Gaga relaunch iconic pieces that were originally designed for her to wear.We explore what it meant to be a model - the intricacy of the co-creative process.Find Emma @emmaofstockholm on Instragram or at https://emmas.com/about/about-emmaPlease subscribe wherever you may listen. I thank you for your support of my efforts to create an oral history archive!Check out my Instagram @cartondinvitation for a video version of this interview and to learn about my documentary project.Original music by Ashley Rivera, Chloe Hsu and Mlya Carlos.
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31. Onerva Luoma, Conceptual Artist, Costume Designer | Helsinki, Finland
Onerva Luoma is a young Finnish artist who has come up with a clever - and really fun project - that combines fashion and a library card to make a statement about consumption and so much else. In her own words, Onerva explains, "The conceptual artwork is called Lead Me out of here (even if I Do not Know if such a Place Exists) and it consists of 55 paintings made on old clothes. Anyone can borrow a painting with a library card, so the artworks will continue their journeys out of the library and into various private and public spaces and situations. The work explores what a meaningful relationship with clothing might look like in the age of climate catastrophe and how we might see clothes as something more than commodities, objects to be bought and sold."
The first time I heard about how destructive fashion was to the environment was back in the 80s in Paris when Katherine Hamnet started talking about green cotton during her fashion shows - so that’s a long time ago. Young designers today must be scratching their heads wondering why ethical production and for that matter consumption practices haven’t evolved all that much since then. As I work on the Carton d'invitation project, I encounter young designers who are trying in their way on a small scale, to address these issues. And that’s inspiring. When I came upon what Onerva Luoma is up to in Helsinki, I contacted her right away and asked if she would come on this podcast to share her brilliant project.
By the way, this is a very inspiring podcast for anyone involved in library work - and I want to thank Danielle Lum of the Toronto Public Library system who consulted with me in advance of talking to Onerva.
Find out more about Onerva: www.onervaluoma.com or go to Instagram @onervaluoma.
Please subscribe to this podcast wherever you might be listening!
To learn more about the Carton d'invitation project and my documentary, check out my Instagram @cartondinvitation
Thank you to Ashley Rivera, Chloe Hsu and Myla Carlos for the original music.
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30. Debra Shaw, Supermodel | Paris, New York
Ubiquitous on runways and in print for decades, Philadelphia-born Debra Shaw has changed the rule book on aging out of the modelling business. She is as busy - and as cool - as she has ever been, darting back and forth across the Atlantic for shows in New York and the European fashion capitals, always stopping when she can to spend time in Paris which is her adopted home. Back in the 90s, I would interview Debra in the midst of backstage excitement at shows by Galliano for Dior, McQueen for Givenchy, Chanel and Mugler. With her perfect line and attention to what designers were trying to communicate, Debra was given the job of wearing some of the most iconic designs in the history of fashion's Golden Age.
It was a very big honour to be able to interview her again so many years later for the Carton d'invitation Podcast.
Please subscribe to this podcast and if you also have cherished memories of Debra's work, feel free to leave a comment. Your support for the Carton d'invitation project is much appreciated.
Learn more about my documentary and research - plus see videos of Debra, back then and today, by visiting my Instagram feed @cartondinvitation.
Original music: Ashley Rivera, Chloe Hsu, Myla Carlos
Photo credit: Pierre Tremblay
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29. Frederic Tremblay, Creative and Design Director | New York
Via a childhood in Quebec City, fashion studies at LaSalle in Montreal, followed by tutelage under Louise Wilson at Central Saint Martins, Frederic Tremblay has carved a unique place for himself in fashion. He's worked in design leadership roles with everyone from Marc Jacobs, Tory Burch, Reed Krakoff, Draper James (Reese Witherspoon), Michael Kors, Puppets and Puppets and currently Belle and Bloom.
And lucky fashion students at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) benefit from his mentorship as well.
A "humble" Canadian, Frederic puts the focus on all of the great designers he has worked with, building brands from the ground up - but the more you listen to this podcast, you will understand that he is a visionary albiet discreet powerhouse!
His job title changes depending on the assignment: Creative Director/ VP, Design / Senior Design Director / Design Director/ Head of Design / Design Consultant!
Frederic has wonderful stories about his 80's clothing choices (a lot of London-inspired polka dots); sneaking into Paris shows as a CSM student even if it meant setting fire to fake Galliano "treasure map" cartons d'invitation just outside the tents; the thrill of working as a new graduate in the studio of Martine Sitbon (even if his main job was holding pins)!
He speaks fondly about the process of intuiting what his many high profile clients want to communicate through their brands and he speaks appreciatively of the "village" it takes to launch a collection.
Check Frederic's Linked In for more background. Or visit @tremfred on Instagram.
To learn more about the Carton d'invitation podcast and documentary project, visit Instagram @cartondinvitation
You can find a short video version of this podcast on Instagram and Youtube.
Original music: Ashley Rivera, Chloe Hsu and Myla Carlos.
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28. Fred Howard, Publicist, Writer | New York
Publicist, model agent, playwright, erstwhile stylist, Fred Howard was the publicity manager for Linda Evangelista’s comeback tour last year. Fred has spent a life in the so-called fashion trenches. Among his skills is preparing models for the red carpet, (avoiding the fries that can bloat and turning up the music and the AC on the way to the venue)! Fred’s worked at Elite Models and DNA, scouted countless models, served as media coach to still more, He even chaperoned models’ apartments years ago, perfecting his knack for helping people be philosophical about failure to launch in the way they expected. He has managed PR and philanthropic initiatives for various celebrities and he continues to write - he and his cousin, acclaimed director, Raelle Myrick-Hodges created the play “He Has The Prettiest Handwriting” which sold out at the Public Theatre in New York in 2022. Fred is now working on a piece of first person creative non-fiction--sharing tales of growing up in a military family, coming of age as a Black gay man in conservative North Carolina of the 80s, and his youth in the fashion trenches from the late 90s and 00. He’s also serving as a consultant for a scripted series currently in development, set in the fashion industry. Fred is the kind of a person who has always been there but one didn’t always know what he was doing. He is a connector - and someone people can count on to craft - and even protect - their public images. He is an insider who has many stories - and he tells them in this episode of Carton d’invitation!
Find Fred on Instagram @bushwickfreddy
Original music @leonthesinger
Please subscribe here for more fashion conversations! Your support for my project means a lot.
A video trailer for this podcast is available on the Carton d'invitation Youtube channel.
To discover more about my documentary and this oral history project, find me on Instagram: @cartondinvitation
Carton d’invitation celebrates the fashion journeys of Supermodels, designers, journalists, stylists, creative directors, illustrators etc. Stars of 90s Paris as well as emerging creatives in conversation about "life before the internet" and making fashion now.
I was a TV reporter in the Golden Age of fashion in Paris in the 80s and 90s, back when it was a new thing to bring video cameras into that elite world. Now I am a documentary maker and writer thinking about embodiment, glamour and sartorial disruption. These podcasts honour legacies. Touching and fun - a fashion history archive.
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