Interview

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It’s hard to think of a woman in fashion who is more cult-worshipped than AnnDemeulemeester. The Belgian designer started her own label in 1987 and introduced her menswear line in 1996. The longevity of these lines alone should confirm her as a battle-tested bellwether on the sartorial landscape. That she is, but the 49-year-old Demeulemeester still remains something of a rebel, and it just might be because her clothes always feel as if they exist in their own time—they don’t jump trends, and they don’t pander to flash or Top 40 tastes. They seem to survive on the strength of their cuts and shapes. Particularly in her menswear, Demeulemeester has carved out her own idiosyncratic urban-poet architecture: lots of layering, heavy on blacks and whites with an occasional breakout pop of color, and a sort of moody romanticism, all of which explains why so many musicians fill their closets with her clothes. One such musician is30-year-old New York–based guitarist, keyboardist, and a whole lot else, Jamie Del Moon. On the outside, Del Moon is something of a model-turned-musician, but each season, for Demeulemeester, he flies to Paris to become a musician-turned-model. Del Moon first walked for the designer in her Spring/Summer 1998 show—it was, in fact, his first big show ever, as he was straight off the plane from his hometown of San Francisco. “Within a week of my arrival in Paris, I had the good fortune of meeting Ann,” Del Moon remembers. “The encounter would mark the beginning of a long and mutually inspiring relationship that continues to this day, with no end in sight.” Almost every season Del Moon has returned to work for his favorite designer and to be a part of her army of rockers and artists. The shots of his runway walks (seen here) record not only a teenager growing into a man (with obvious hairstyle changes along the way), but also the progression of Demeulemeester’s meticulous look, with one guy in particular in mind.

ANN DEMEULEMEESTER: You’re in New York now?

JAMIE DEL MOON: Yeah. I’m at my new house in Brooklyn. I’m staring out into my backyard, which is completely covered in snow. But you have gardens in Antwerp. I loved those prints you made a few seasons back, when you scanned flowers that you and Patrick [Robyn, Demeulemeester’s husband] grew in your garden. That was such a personal touch.

DEMEULEMEESTER: Well, I was frustrated that I couldn’t find fabrics with colors as beautiful as the ones you find in nature. So I just thought, Okay, let’s take a photo of nature and try to print it. And that’s what I did.

DEL MOON: You’ve always had a very closerelationship with music. It’s prevalent during your shows, where you manage to create your own universe of clothing and sounds, all floating together. Your music selection is impeccable—Patti Smith, Television, and, most recently, Warren Ellis. Why is music so important to you in your work?

DEMEULEMEESTER: It’s important for many reasons. Creating is a lonely thing, in a lot of ways. I also always try to capture something and explain it through my work. When you see or hear something beautiful, it’s like that thing is transmitting a kind of energy, and if that energy helped create the work, the only thing I can do is play it when I finally show the work. It’s almost like I own the music, because the music brought me somewhere. It’s based on a feeling, and I always follow my feelings.

DEL MOON: So the music ultimately becomes part of the collection?

DEMEULEMEESTER: I don’t know if it’s part of the collection, but it’s a beautiful way of bringing different emotions together. I don’t know how to explain . . . And maybe that’s what music does, you don’t need words. You must understand because you are a musician yourself.

DEL MOON: I think I get what you’re saying. One thing I’ve always noticed about your shows that’s different from other designers is that there isn’t this hysteria and chaos going on behind the scenes right before it starts. There is an actual sense of calm and order, like a family affair. And it is a family affair, because you have Patrick there, and your parents come, too.

DEMEULEMEESTER: Yeah . . . [laughs] My father hasn’t missed a single show yet. I don’t see why one should make all that fuss, you know? I just try to do my work and do it well. I hate stress. If you create that kind of calm environment, people will say, “Okay, we know where we stand, and this is the maximum I can give, and let’s see what happens.” If they like it, great. If they don’t, at least I’m happy with what I did. I just don’t like to play games.

DEL MOON: You have the new line out now that’s sort of a reissue label, where you’re reintroducing pieces from the past.

DEMEULEMEESTER: Yes, it’s called Collection Blanche, or White Collection. It’s white because it’s blank, without any identifying dates. I did it because people kept saying things like, “Oh, I loved those trousers. Can’t you make ones like them again?” Or, “I love my jacket, but it’s falling apart. I want the same one.” It’s because certain pieces of clothing become like friends. They become a part of your life. You can’t stand it if, all of a sudden, they are gone. I wanted to do this collection because it was like going back and finding old friends for me, too. It was great to go through the archives and say, “Wow, why don’t we make this again?”