As anyone worth their sartorial salt will know, Mother of Pearl is not only a jewellery component favoured by the middle aged, it’s also the name of an ultra cool fashion brand renowned for its unique take on haute sport chic. Founded by Maia Norman (AKA Mrs Damien Hirst), Mother of Pearl boasts major style and art credentials thanks to it’s talent for combining high fashion with wearability and seasonal artist collaborations.

I caught up with MOP’s Head Designer, Amy Powney, to get the inside scoop on this one-of-a-kind label…

LPA: What was your first job in fashion? And how did you get from there to your current position?

Amy: My first full time job in the industry was for Mother of Pearl. I have been working here since I graduated and five seasons ago took over as head of design.

LPA: You’re now in your fifth season as Head Designer at Mother of Pearl. Do you feel the brands aesthetic has changed or developed at all since you came on board?

Amy: Having been with Mother of Pearl for a long while, I have seen the transformations of the brand and was able to understand Maia’s direction. When taking over as head of design I had a real grasp of where it should be which enabled me to move the design on to where it is now. I feel the brand has found its aesthetic and concept that is proving to be a success!

LPA: Each season MOP collaborates with an acclaimed artist to produce the prints for the collection. How do you choose which artist to work with?

Amy: Maia picks the initial artists and then we sit down, look at the options and decide whom we both feel would work for the coming season. It’s a great process as we both can look at the work from different viewpoints, Maia is submerged in the art world and has a great knowledge for the artists and their work and I will look at the translation of the work to print, fabrics and my inspiration for the collection which makes for a perfect combination in the initial design phase.

LPA: What do you think of the relationship between art and fashion? In your opinion can, or should, fashion be considered a form of art?

Amy: Having worked closely with both fashion art art, it always surprises me how little each industry knows of the other which instantly shows how different they are. However, of course the have common links, they are both visual, creative and in cases conceptual. They both derive from a set of first hand ideas and creative inspirations and both can be looked at from both a creative viewpoint and more commercial viewpoints. At Mother of Pearl we are creating a concept, an aesthetic but mostly when I am designing for the brand I am always thinking about the final piece and would therefore relate it very strongly to product design as well as an art form, but perhaps, not art!

LPA: Mother of Pearl has always been renowned for combining sportswear with high fashion. Now sports luxe is suddenly being feted as one of this seasons “biggest trends”! Do you think that the fact athletic style is everywhere from Victoria Beckham to Topshop will have any impact on MOP?

Amy: I am sure that the new trend of sports luxe hitting the season’s top trends will have an impact, and help with the brands growth in the public eye. What’s great about Mother of Pearl is that with our seasonal collaboration with artists we can reinvent what we do with each collection so even if the sports trend moves on, Mother of Pearl will continue creating something new and evolving each season.

Love Ella. X