NYLON - March 2009 - (Page 88) fashionista: CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Camille Lorigo gets down to business; the designers den; a view of the shop; Che Camille digs. glasgow-based designer camille lorigo nurtures local talent with her avant-garde studio-store, che camille. by charlotte philby. photographed by jaygo bloom gallery of dreams CAMILLE LORIGO GAZES through wide skylights at a gray Glasgow cityscape. “I’m quite excited about this whole creditcrunch thing,” she muses from her studio/design store on the sixth floor of the Argyll Arcade, Buchanan Street’s shopping mecca. “In a way, it’s a gift,” she continues, “a chance for small businesses to gain some ground against massive corporations. Producing the quickest and the cheapest now becomes irrelevant because people want to invest in key pieces, not fritter away cash on disposables.” Born in New York, Lorigo has reason to set her business outside the realms of standard retail. She is the founder of Che Camille, Scotland’s much-celebrated independent fashion outlet and gallery, and her philosophy is unlike any other. “This was never about making a million dollars,” insists Lorigo. “This is about providing a space for independent, local designers to nurture their talent. Here, we emphasize attention to detail in design and the use of locally sourced materials.” Che Camille opened its doors late last year, but the seeds of Lorigo’s idea were planted decades earlier. “I grew up in New York in the ’80s,” she explains. “My father worked on Wall Street but had a real love of the arts. He would take me to galleries and events and really opened my mind to the scene.” Lorigo studied French and multimedia communication at the progressive Hobart and William Smith College in upstate New York before moving to France at the age of 18. When she returned to the States, she felt her “world had shrunk,” and soon moved to Belgium to escape what she says was, at the time, a “rather insular America.” Taking a job at a dotcom in Brussels, Lorigo met her husband, with whom she relocated to the U.K.’s rural Lake District in 2002. The marriage didn’t last, so she moved to Glasgow. “There was something about the city that captured my imagination,” says Lorigo. Scotland’s largest city, Glasgow is well known for being an offbeat antidote to the more conventional Edinburgh. With a wealth of art schools in the area, and a tradition of producing fine tartan, wools, and cashmere, the locale is a veritable breeding ground for unique design. “I knew there was a mass of talent right here, but I looked around and thought, Where are they all? I realized it would take some business sense to help them promote themselves, so that’s where I started.” Using the Internet and word-of-mouth buzz, Lorigo soon found a creative network based in a modest warehouse where photographers, furniture makers, and artists—most of whom still kept “crappy day jobs” to fund their passion—convened to share ideas. Here, she established a base from which to start her project. With no outside investment, Che Camille was painstakingly constructed with the help of small personal overdrafts and 20-hour-a-week day jobs. “In some ways,” she notes, “having no money saved me. Part-time work keeps you at a distance from your project. It gives you the time and space to do it right.” Following a short stint in a smaller studio, Lorigo found a rundown loft in Argyll Arcade—the oldest of its kind in Europe. The spot was transformed into an avant-garde emporium with silkscreened, organic-cotton curtains and “pimped vintage furniture.” This airy, 3,500-square-foot space is divided into two parts: a creative hub and a retail area. Beyond the shop floor—a cool blue area filled with clothing rails hanging from a white chain—lies the workshop: an open area of giant pattern tables and machinery. Visitors are encouraged to watch the designers in action, and customers to collaborate with them on bespoke items. This idea leads neatly to another element of the proprietor’s unique formula. “I am introducing the concept of the Glasgow 10,” Lorigo explains. “Of the 20 designers employed here, I’m hand-selecting a team of 10 permanent designers who, under this title, will mentor the guest designers.” Only four of the Glasgow 10 have been named. They include: Robert Watson of Rabii Denim, a collection of hand-tailored, customized denim-wear; Florence To, a former Alexander McQueen intern producing luxury textiles; the award-winning milliner William Chambers; and Rose Fleck, a tailor with 35 years of experience in daywear, bridal, and couture. Six more designers will be chosen according to their attention to customer relations and their individual collections. While the focus of the Che Camille project is to develop and showcase local talent, Lorigo is keen to bring on board a diverse range of designers. “I’m still looking,” she confirms. “Nothing here is ever done and dusted. While I have a fantastic team in place, it’s important to leave space for growth.” 088
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