profile
Edun S/S 2011
into the light
Sharon Wauchob haS long avoided the public eye, quietly crafting covetable, Wearable, eSSential pieceS that Women love. noW at the helm of edun, She iS Sure to gain recognition, but Won’t loSe an ounce of herSelf
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Sharon Wauchob S/S 2011
Sharon Wauchob S/S 2011
experience at both poles of the fashion spectrum has proved jump late last year when she made her New York fashion week invaluable. “The product is the most important thing,” she says. debut as the creative director of socially conscious brand Edun. “Fashion can give [the customer] a little lift and make them feel The breezy poplin shirt dresses, slouchy, well-worn knits, and special—it means much more to me than when people buy some- easy-fit, raw-edged jackets were something of a departure from thing based just on the marketing.” her namesake label. “As a designer, I’m sure my touch will be Wauchob has parlayed that mindset into work on her own there,” she says, “but my goal is for Edun to have its own set of label. The items that pass the test of her scrutiny are uncompro- identifiable markers.” misingly modern and all about form with benefits. Her feminine When asked about stepping into the spotlight with a new clothing is both strikingly tactile and delicate. “My customers are brand after not getting noticed by much of the fashion world turned-on by details,” she explains. “They often get more out of for so many years, Wauchob expresses a surprising gratitude. details than I ever imagined.” Simply put, Wauchob’s wares are “Staying under the radar helped my work,” she explains. “It didn’t wearable—irresistibly so. “I work hard not to intimidate my cus- start out as a conscious decision, but my tendency is to focus tomer. I want people to feel comfortable picking up my clothes.” on the job at hand. I naturally shy away from the rest of the indusWauchob has been content keeping a low profile, noting that try, but that allows me to develop my products even further and the attention of a few discerning buyers is ultimately more impor- express more of my own voice.” If the quiet legacy she’s already tant to her than widespread recognition. But her ability to turn built is any indication, it’s this kind of rigor that assures continuout well-made, desireable pieces hasn’t gone unnoticed by cru- ing success. Robert Cordero cial tastemakers and stores like Lane Crawford in Hong Kong and L’Eclaireur in Paris (both of which have carried her collec- Top left: Sharon Wauchob in New York, September 2010 tions practically since the beginning). Her stock saw its biggest Photography Martien Mulder
Makeup and hair Yuko Mizuno using NARS Cosmetics (Rona Represents) Special thanks Tribeca Grand Hotel, New York
“Move around as much as you can,” photographer Martien Mulder tells his subject, Sharon Wauchob, during their shoot in a sundrenched Soho penthouse. “Can you maybe get up? Stand up? Go sit over there?” The erratic, rapid-fire commands continue, $"13*$03/ but Wauchob remains coolly cooperative, showing no signs of diva-like resistance—a testament to the Paris-based designer’s even-keeled temperament, and, more importantly, to the deliberate, no-shortcuts approach she has applied to her eponymous clothing brand over the past twelve years. In a world increasingly inhabited by fastrising young upstarts, this industry veteran has always seemed comfortably out of place. Originally from Ireland, Wauchob graduated from London’s Central Saint Martins in 1993 and cut her teeth developing textiles with independent designer Koji Tatsuno. Later she designed accessories for Louis Vuitton, just as Marc Jacobs was transforming the French megabrand with those covetable bags that have since become the stuff of retail legend. For Wauchob,
Edun S/S 2011