Intelligence Online | DEVON
AOKI
Models-cum-entrepreneurs
Forget acting.
These models are turning cachet into cash with clothing and accessory lines
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...Devon Aoki, whose new label, Devon Jeans, features
both casual and heavily engineered denims;...
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Sure, they have million-dollar cosmetic campaigns, lingerie
contracts, a slew of magazine covers and the bootlicking admiration of every
photographer and designer from Vancouver to Cape Town. But, to an elite trio
of catwalkers, modelling is old hat. They're in business for themselves now.
Three of the world's top models -- Alek Wek, Anouck Lepère
and Devon Aoki -- are putting glambition into overdrive and shrewdly creating
fashion and accessory lines to capitalize on their sizzling-hot names.
This fall, Sudanese stunner Alek Wek introduces Wek1933, a
smart line of unisex leather bags and belts that proves the supermodel-cum-supermogul
has mixed good IQ with her DNA. Her approach is hands-on, literally: She
patterns the 23 styles with the lines of her palms and silk-screens the lining
of each piece herself.
"Bags carry people's identities," Wek explains,
"so I wanted the bags to be top quality and hold up, but also to be very
personal. That's how Briefcase came about. It was inspired by my father's
briefcase as I was growing up. The fabrics are waterproofed and trimmed with
calfskin, so it will last forever."
Other pieces in the collection also draw inspiration from
her childhood. Wek escaped to England with her sister from war-ravaged Sudan
when she was 14. "Wek is my dad's family name, and 1933 is the year he
was born. My parents were the first generation of Dinka to be educated and
they worked hard to make sure that all their kids, including their daughters,
received an education. Like my mum, my father was unsure about modelling, but
he would like to see this if he were alive today. It's a way of honouring
him."
Using the colours from her own paintings -- dark chocolate,
burnt red, ice blue -- Wek constructs weekenders, carryalls and belts from
rustic materials such as sturdy waxed canvas and antique-finished hardware.
"I use alligator, too," she says. "But it's American alligator,
which is not an endangered species. I couldn't make a bag from an endangered
animal just because it looked beautiful. Growing up with them, I could never
kill them."
Wek, who studied painting and product design at the London
Institute, has always been in a class of her own. Her deep black visage,
unstraightened hair, powerful runway gait and klieg-light smile make her stand
out among the standouts and -- along with her jovial personality -- have
helped her collect many accolades. She's been named MTV's Model of the Year
and Model of the Decade by i-D magazine, and racked up an appearance on the
Oprah show and, in a major coup, on the cover of American Elle.
Another model making the looks-to-smarts leap is Belgium's
Anouck Lepère. At 20, Lèpere has appeared in every major fashion magazine,
from American Vogue and Harper's Bazaar to British alternative titles i-D and
Pop, as well as in ad campaigns for Prada, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss
and Calvin Klein. Now, she's fashioning herself as a sculptor/designer. After
finding there was a dearth of earrings for the non-pierced such as herself
(her mother disapproves of the practice), the former architecture student
sculpted a limited collection of earrings that can be moulded at different
points around the ear.
"The starting idea was to make a bendable earring using
the natural form of the ear instead of piercing through it," says Lepère,
a member of the new school of models that includes compatriots Hannelore Knuts
and Roos Van Bosstraeten. "That way, you end up decorating your ear in a
very different way from what you're used to. Now it's a full collection of
earrings, necklaces and bracelets made of classic materials, like gold, silver
and precious stones, but made in completely new ways."
After only months, the line boasts Alicia Keys, Janet
Jackson and Christina Ricci among its devotees. But ear sculpture is only one
of Lepère's accomplishments. She's also using her architectural prowess to
renovate a dilapidated old house in her hometown of Antwerp, which she plans
to divide and rent out.
Then there's Devon Aoki. Her soon-to-be launched Devon Jeans
was inspired by a serious habit of tinkering with her jeans. "I have
always customized my jeans to extremes, so creating a jeans line of my own was
a natural step," says Aoki, a pixie-like all-American of Japanese,
English and German descent. "I'm actually designing two different denim
collections. One is a casual line focusing on fit, comfort and wash, and the
other is a high-end line that will be more tailored, with crazy embroidery and
different kinds of embellishments in leather, silk, lace and velvet."
A long-time favourite of directional designers Jeremy Scott,
Issey Miyake and Patricia Field, as well as major European names like Fendi
and Chanel, the 20-year-old Aoki has, most recently, attained the Holy Grail
of the beauty industry by becoming the face of Lancôme. But clearly, she's
not content to leave things there: "Being a model is not about being mute
or being a coat hanger. It's about being someone with a voice and having a
passion. There's got to be great passion for a person to want to engage in the
creation of a line. I believe the creative process has to do with conviction,
dedication and a strong idea of what style means to you."
- Lee Carter Saturday
Post
28 Sept 2002
