‘People think I’m evil, but I’m just really hot’
Last night, on the seventh floor of Bergdorf Goodman in Manhattan, Emma Chopova and Laura Lowena celebrated the launch of their third book, Conversations With Angels, amongst friends, fashionistas, and a steady stream of pineapple-infused cocktails, prosecco, and popcorn. The book, which shares a name with their AW23 collection, is a resplendent exhibition of Chopova Lowena’s fantastical designs coupled with a romantic retelling of the 1844 Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, The Snow Queen. Written and revitalised by London-born, New York-based poet [and former Dazed 100er] Precious Okoyomon, her surrealist prose is paired with photography by Charlotte Wales, depicting undisputed fashion icon Chloë Sevigny as the titular character.
“Storytelling is a big part of the brand, and we love the format of a book and the collaboration that comes with it,” the designers explain, tucked away in a quiet corner of the party. “It feels a bit more special than a campaign.” The English-Bulgarian duo released their last book, Kür, in 2019 and were compelled to release another in 2022. “Eventually, our ideas led us to do a modern interpretation of a fairytale because we love folk tales; and The Snow Queen is one of Laura's childhood favourites,” Emma continues.
“We love printed projects, and we like having the element of something people can keep in addition to the show,” Lowena continues. She added that because the collection “was inspired by 1970 ski, the Georgian era and British dress, it felt right, especially with how wintery it is to pair with The Snow Queen.”
The ethos that has driven Chopova Lowena as a brand is steeped in its sustainable sensibilities and an allegiance to tradition imbued with punk irreverence. Straddling this grey area of jubilant contradictions is exactly what makes their designs so unique, and this book in and of itself is a nod to tradition, turned upside down with the pageantry of their designs and the experimental poetry of Okoyomon.
“It's so important to keep those things – books, magazines – alive, and I think that that's what a huge part of our brand is about, keeping tradition alive,” Emma says. “A book is special, something to keep and hold and treasure and not something you get rid of. Today it can feel like we’re constantly moving onto the next thing, and the slower pace of a book can feel so good.” The project, which took over a year to complete from inception to the fully-fledged physical creation propped up throughout the party space, was a dream come true for the designers, especially after Sevigny, one of their favourite actresses in the world, signed on to be a part of it.
“I love their work, so when they asked me, I said, ‘Oh hell yeah,’” Sevigny explains, beaming. “Then they told me there was no money, but I told them, ‘I don’t care I just want to work with you guys.’”
Throughout the glossy pages of the book, there are ten photographs of Sevigny. In some, she sports imposing black winged eyeliner while wearing the designer’s signature pleated skirt. On other pages, the foreground is glistening and blown out, bringing Sevigny into focus in a buttoned-up grunge vest, white knee-high socks, and long pointed acrylic nails as her cold gaze pierces beyond the page. There’s a campness to her embodiment of the queen, a result of her exaggerated, theatrical posing and Wales’ heavenly compositions.
“I gave myself over to whatever fantasy they wanted to create and enter into their world, and hopefully, I channelled whatever they wanted to present. Working with designers in that capacity is really stimulating and a great alternative to acting, and you know, I've done editorial stuff, but this felt more expansive since it was a whole book.”
Shot over two days, one in New York and the other in London, Sevigny admitted that the favourite part of the shoot and the book are the same: the cute photo that came out of it of her son. Draped in a bright, heavily-jewelled necklace, toddler Vanja’s messy mop of platinum blonde hair is backlit, resembling a halo. Her favourite fairytale, however, is Thumbelina.
The night of the launch culminated with a reading of Okoyomon’s words by Sevigny, who relented that the poet was over in Iceland, so she wasn’t prepared. But as she began, the room stood still, hypnotised by her dulcet tones and melodic performance of the story. “Steal some light! Feel more symmetrical! Run from the fear of self! Maybe you will learn what love is,” she spoke. “Everyone thinks I’m evil, but I’m just really hot.”