Percival
By Roshannah Bagley
LONDON, United Kingdom:: Luke LeBaigue Stenzhorn and Chris Gove of Telegramme – the East London based design studio whose previous clients include the Arctic Monkeys and MTV – are expanding their creative empire. Their new venture is Percival, a menswear fashion label that aims to provide “lasting, honest fabrics in styles that capture a sense of boyish adventure with playful buttons and lining.” (percivalclo.com) Despite not having any formal training in fashion, the duo have managed to produce a FAULT-less and wearable debut collection:: the chunky patterned lambs wool pullover and mustard yellow and pinstripe mac being standout pieces.
By enlisting the help of friend and artist Alex Turvey, and minx Daisy Lowe, the pair also produced a short film to coincide with the house’s release:: cue a trio of cool-yet-pretty boys and Lowe frolicking through a mystical woodland. Luke and Chris settle down to speak with FAULT about their journey.
FAULT:: How are you finding the transition from illustration and graphic design to menswear?
Luke:: There are a lot of similarities. We still essentially take an idea, research and plan it, before designing and fine tuning it. It’s just been great working with a surfeit of new materials. We’ve both been illustrators and graphic designers for a while now and fashion has been a common interest also. One Sunday morning at the beginning of last summer we were talking ideas for a waxed fishing jacket based on similar ones we both happened to have as children. After a couple of hours we had filled a sketchbook with different ideas for clothes and we both suddenly thought that we probably knew enough people to make this happen and started to put the label and collection together.
FAULT:: Will you continue to be involved with your design company Telegramme now that you’re pursuing this new avenue?
Chris:: Yeah I will be but it’s hard trying to balance the time, lots of late nights and weekends. When we design the seasons I take a week or two specifically off Telegramme. It’s hard to balance running two companies, but it is doable.
FAULT:: What and who do you find inspiring?
Luke:: Getting out of town. Don’t get me wrong – London is one of the best places to get inspired, but there’s nothing quite like removing yourself from it all to get a bit of perspective.
I couldn’t begin to say who I find inspiring – I could go on for days. There are just so many abundantly talented people out there doing such exciting things at the moment – I just try to immerse myself in all of it as much as I possibly can.
In terms of fashion – there are lots of designers and brands doing really positive things at the moment. UK labels such as Folk, Albam & YMC. Margaret Howell, Band of Outsiders and Opening Ceremony are favourites too. bStore are putting together some great stuff as well.
FAULT:: The fantastic Alex Turvey created a short film to coincide with the brands debut. How did this collaboration come about?
Luke:: I’ve known Alex a long time. He’s a close friend. We studied together at Falmouth and even then it was evident he had something special. A collaboration was something we’d both been looking to do for a while, and the whole experience was fantastic. We actually all took over Chris’ family home for the weekend – cast, crew, the lot.
FAULT:: Which are your favourite items from the AW collection?
Luke:: We’re happy with the whole collection – the wax mac is a personal favourite but I keep changing my mind which colour and lining combination I prefer. One of the things we are most proud of is how all the pieces fit. We spent ages agonizing over the smallest details to ensure all the clothes would fit perfectly. We roped in tonnes of friends for fitting sessions, just to make sure we could get the sizing just as we wanted.
FAULT:: What are you working on at the moment?
Luke:: We’re designing Spring/Summer 2011 right now working closely with our pattern cutter and designer Olivia Hegarty. We’re up to our neck in sketches, fabric hangers, patterns and designs and trying to whittle down our ideas into a concise range that we’re happy with. I can’t wait to see the samples already.
FAULT:: What is your FAULT?
Luke:: I have a million showers a day. I don’t know who’s to blame for my OCD – but I’d quite like to kick them in the shin for it!
