In the mood of Mehdi Soussane: 'Grace Kelly inspires me'
To celebrate Paris Fashion Week (February 28-March 7), Relaxnews presents a new feature, "In the mood of..." quizzing designers on their style secrets and sources of inspiration. Ahead of his February 29 Fall 2012 presentation, we enter into the world of designer Mehdi Soussane, creative director of the label JIKI, based in Monaco. Soussane got his start in fashion assisting at Christian Lacroix and has also worked in the design team at Givenchy.
Relaxnews: What in your opinion is the most essential accessory and why?
Mehdi Soussane: Derby shoes, because they are simple, chic and comfortable to wear. Shoes are an essential element of a look, they can reveal a lot about somebody.
R.: Which item of clothing would you never allow into your wardrobe?
MS: It's definitely a matter of taste, but black leather pants are a fashion statement that is difficult to carry off.
R: Which famous person, dead, alive or from fiction, would you most like to feature on your runway?
MS: I would have loved to see Grace Kelly on my runway. There's a quality of timelessness about her and she was actually a major source of inspiration for this JIKI collection.
R.: What career path would you have followed if you hadn't become a designer?
M.S.: I would have been an archeologist, without a doubt. I would have loved to be in the field, directly in touch with ancient civilizations, doing investigative work trhough the digs and bringing light to a number of mysteries.
R.: Which song do you most associate with your Fall/Winter 2012 collection?
M.S.: "In this Shirt" by The Irrepressibles.
R: Cast your mind back... what did you feel the very first time you set foot in Paris?
MS: A feeling of confidence. Paris has always been a place of refuge for me. There is a theatrical aspect to the city, with the stone facades, but beyond that there is also a much more intimate approach when you get lost in the heart of certain areas -- mainly on the rive droite in my case.
