Wednesday, February 04, 2015

Time: 10:00 PM

Al Serkal Venue

The cARTel

 

May Barber ( born 04 November 1984) Award Winning Architect, Designer, Art and Fashion Entrepreneur and Consultant, May Barber brings all-rounded expertise and knowledge in art, fashion buying and exhibition planning to showcase the cARTel’s forte as Dubai’s unique concept store, wearable art gallery and dynamic exhibitions platform.

Our friendship born 01 January 2002 from a mutual passion of architecture, art and fashion. And this is a strong foundation for a true friendship. The following interview highlights the true values of this unique woman.

 

MJ: What was it that made you get into fashion?

MB: I have always loved fashion. Coming from an architectural background, I had passion for creating whether it is buildings, art or even clothes. All of these mediums enjoy the same creative process and I thought it was about time for me to explore fashion in its various areas.

MJ: Having a bachelor degree of architecture, what skills helped you to take on a successful career in fashion? And where there other skills you needed to adopt?

MB: Definitely architecture helped a lot as fashion and architecture are both creative envelopes. My approach to fashion is very architectural in that sense and the clothes we have are very ‘spatial’. One difference between architecture and fashion is perhaps the scale and I do see that some of the accessories we have, for instance, have the potential of becoming great objects or architectural pieces when enlarged.

MJ: Generally, how do you feel fashion and art sit together? Indistinguishable or very different?

MB: Yes in our case. I know fashion has many layers. For instance fast fashion is not art at all and does not employ any of its processes. Creative experimental fashion is essentially wearable art. The thought, conceptual process and the physical attributes and thoughts of form, texture and relation to the body are definitely decisions you find in art and architecture.

MJ: With your experience with green materials and technologies for the products and designs you’ve been exposed to, how active is the Middle East market demand – DXB – for sustainable design?

MB: It has increased a lot recently in terms of awareness. I know the demand is tricky as people have for so long got used to a certain lifestyle be it in food, or living as well as clothes. The ‘green’ offerings were limited but the past decade has witnessed a dramatic increase in terms of supply as well as awareness. I am optimistic about it but it might take some time for fashion to be green as there are many challenges of production, sourcing and certain limitations too.

MJ: How do you go about finding & contacting designers, do you have a specific research process when you start getting a new collection?

MB: I am keen on attending fashion weeks internationally from London, Paris, Copenhagen and even places like Tokyo, Seoul and Slovenia which have amazing emerging designers doing fantastic work. I am also keen on reading reviews and finding the latest on the radar of key fashion publications and reviewers. Trends are not necessarily essential; the criteria is most importantly the talent, uniqueness, techniques and quality.

MJ: Is there any place in the world you haven’t been to yet but would like to visit from a professional perspective?

MB: I would love to explore South America. There are some amazing avant-garde designers in Brazil doing very exciting things. The architecture in that part of the world is beautiful; would be great to explore the ancient architecture of Peru for instance someday.

MJ: You invite global brands to the cARTel – how do you accommodate the needs of women based in the Middle East who might have different fashion sensibilities?

MB: We try to push boundaries. Middle eastern women themselves are very global; they are educated, well traveled and versatile. Fashion is very universal and I think Middle Eastern women are more open to discovering new names and taking risks. We try to have a collective portfolio of exciting names and talents, some more established than others, but focused on a consistent aesthetics of the edgy and unique.

MJ: What was it like to collaborate last year with 3D technology fashion icon, Iris Van Herpen?

MB: It was like a dream come true. The exhibition was a true manifestation of the blending of architecture, fashion and technology. We have had Iris Van Herpen on our radar for a long time especially in the light of her architectural processes and technology-endorsed creations. I was the only buyer from the Middle East in her shows so to bring her art to the Middle East exclusively and for the very first time was an honor and something I am very proud of.

MJ: Who inspires you when you are creating your designs for an outing in Dubai?

MB: I am always inspired by the effortless fashion lovers who take risks whether on the runways or on the streets. Inspiration comes from good energy and I love to be exposed to the good vibes of people, the lifetsyles they lead, international offerings, art and artists. Dubai is almost too glamorous so we can enjoy an extra dose of elegance and effort in our outfits as opposed to other parts of the world that have a cultural code of very modest clothing. It is quite liberating in that sense.

MJ: And finally, what’s next? What do you see the future holding for the cARTel?

MB: We are growing and we currently have in our portfolio the store, the magazine, and of course our exhibitions, which we are keen on introducing twice a year alongside art season in the UAE. We have some exciting plans for 2015 including launching our e-commerce, designing site specific installations for dubai Design District community events, and starting a new retail store. I believe the concept is very global and we do have international ambitions of taking the cARTel forward in the near future.