Every time I make a collection it's an exercise - sometimes I feel like I'm writing a book,' says Paris-based designer Haider Ackermann. 'Every season you have a new chapter and you have to inspire the reader to start exploring it.
'I saw this when I was interning with John Galliano. At that time he would build a story with his collection. Once he was successful in telling one, he had people's attention. It's such a luxury to be able to capture people by means of a story. It's beautiful.'
At his makeshift studio in Paris the day after his autumn/winter 2007 show, Ackermann is still buzzing from the rave reviews. Since launching his own line in 2002, the designer, who will be in Lane Crawford tomorrow to show his spring/summer collection, has been hailed as the next big thing, thanks to modern, edgy pieces that draw inspiration from the most unconventional sources - such as impoverished Indian women and Rajasthani women in Chad.
This fascination with different cultures can be traced to his nomadic upbringing, he says. Born in Colombia, Ackermann was adopted by French parents, whose job with Amnesty International clearly instilled wanderlust in their son. The family (including a Korean brother and Vietnamese sister) spent many years travelling between places such as Ethiopia and Algeria.
'When I was young, I travelled and moved to all these countries where I would see different sides to women from all walks of life and cultures,' Ackermann says. 'I would observe them all the time and I was attracted to the idea of how they presented themselves. My love for fashion evolved from this.'
When his family settled in Amsterdam, Ackermann decided to keep travelling. During his early 20s he moved to Antwerp to study fashion design at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, a school known for fashion alumni such as Martin Margiela and Dries Van Noten.
