British GQ - 09.2019

M

atty Bovan is 2019’s answer

to Vivienne Westwood. A

Central Saint Martins grad-

uate, York-based Bovan, 29,

is making waves across the

fashion industry thanks to both his eclectic

aesthetic and his punky, politically charged

collections. His ascent has not only caught

the attention of international brands such as

Coach – with whom he is currently produc-

ing a collaborative collection – but Westwood

herself and her husband, Andreas Kronthaler,

53. The latter, the Tyrolean-born creative
    director of Westwood’s eponymous label, is
    among Bovan’s biggest fans and, in turn, his
    mentor-in-chief. “Emotional support is key,”
    Kronthaler says of his relationship with the
    designer. And although age might set them
    apart, any sense of seniority is soon forgot-
    ten, as Bovan’s influence on Kronthaler is
    equally impactful.

Andreas Kronthaler: We met at a dinner that

celebrated Edward Enninful’s arrival at British

Vogue around two years ago. I thought you

just looked great. We started to talk, you

gave me your card and from there it is – as

they say – written in the history books!

Matty Bovan: That sounds much more

professional than it was. I’ve not had a

business card since! I did have some nice

make-up on that night I remember, blue

around the eyes.

AK: I loved your card. I’ve got it on my

mood board with some other lucky stuff.

MB: We’ve done a lot of fun things since. I

walked in your show in March, we made a

campaign together.

AK: I wasn’t really aware when we met who

[you were]. I checked you out afterwards

and you were extremely inspiring. Looking

at your work now that I know you, it all

makes sense.

MB: The biggest compliment is when people

say they “get it”. It’s sincere. People are

reacting in a genuine way. You get me. I’m

often aware that I approach my shows in

quite a different way and if people hate

it they hate it. People say to me, “That

had great reviews,” and that’s nice, but

my job is to make something that I find

personally interesting.

AK: It’s a challenge. Not understanding

something, but continuing anyway is a

measurement of quality and skill. You

do that. Embracing the mysterious is

something I try to achieve.

MB: Yours and Vivienne’s legacy is so big.

What you are doing is spearheading the

industry. In your last show the silhouettes

were something that people had never

seen. The way you put things together

is exciting and it takes people a while

to catch up. You and Vivienne have

championed British manufacturing. That’s

quite normal now, but 20 years ago it was

amazing. A lot of designers just use the

most basic fabrics, but I think you always

do something super interesting and I can’t

even work out how you’ve done it. And

that, to me, as a designer, is inspiring.

AK: There’s a lot of things that you do that

inspire me. I react to the colours you use.

I always look at colours. Colours mean

something. Your colour palette, combined

with the way your products are cut, is very

stimulating. I’ve not seen anything like it

before. You are very brave in this sense.

It’s a very free-spirited experiment. Sure, it

is very shocking to some. It’s extravagant

and eccentric, but it isn’t forced. It has

come from somewhere very deep.

MB: It’s hard not to be gimmicky. I could

do something super crazy, but that’s not

desirable. My process starts with me making

quite normal items, which each season get

built up more and more to invoke a certain

emotion. You see people come out of art

school and they go crazy. There’s a fine line

between disgusting and gorgeous.

AK: We are inspired by each other’s work.

We both work in a profession that is very

visual. As you say, you look at horrible,

shocking things, as they’re more stimulating

than the beautiful.

MB: Maybe it’s a British thing, but what

you might think is horrible is still quite

gorgeous. I think you and Vivienne have

played with that and succeeded.

AK: I always add humour to my work. It

is something that has been overlooked,

The young inheritor of British

fashion’s politico-punk tradition

speaks to Vivienne Westwood’s

husband and creative director

about being helped to find the

line between base and beauty

Story by Zak Maoui

Photograph by Lucy Alex Mac

but the natural thing to do is to make

somebody smile.

MB: You have to have fun with design. In

fashion, people are very quick to say, “Next,

next, next.” But you and Vivienne care so

much about the process and I do too. When

you both came to my show I was so happy.

I needed that support. As fashion is a huge

industry it can get overwhelming and I find

it validating to talk to someone [about it].

People are obsessed with the next big thing.

Talking to someone who is also passionate

about the process is important for me. People

forget how much work goes into a collection.

AK: Everyone needs support, not only in

fashion but in life. Vivienne was and still

is a big mentor of mine. She invited me to

England to help her work on a collection.

She was my teacher and she liked what I did.

I think mentors are very important as they

are the people that mentally support you.

We naturally always question ourselves.

MB: I teach in Manchester and Leeds. I

support the students, but they support

me. It’s massively fulfilling and puts it all

into perspective for me. They say things

and present things in a different way to

me. You never stop learning. I find it really

rewarding. Working for myself, [teaching]

gives me somewhat of a break and when I

come back I’m filled with ideas.

AK: Something great about you is that

you work in York. You didn’t get tied

up in London. I didn’t know about your

teaching, but this is another aspect of

you that is so enriching and inspiring.

MB: The kids I teach ask if they can

make it in London and I say, “Yes, you

can, but it’s hard.” People think fashion

is all about the money and, yes, we need

that, but people have let it go to their

head. It’s not everything.

AK: This relationship is important. We meet

up every now and again and we look at

each other’s work. We give each other a

great feeling of support and mentorship.

MB: The older I get, the more I want to

preserve everything I have. I remember

you once telling me that what I am doing

is super different. At big houses they can

control so much of the design.

AK: You’re self-employed. You’re not

working for a group. You’re your own

master. That is amazing.

‘ My students present

things in a different

way. You never

stop learning’

Andreas

Kronthaler

Matty

&Bovan

Grooming

Marie Bruce

With thanks to The Wallace Collection

09-19FeatureFashionMentors.indd 180 26/06/2019 09:58

148 GQ.CO.UK SEPTEMBER 2019