I meet Petar Petrov on a warm June morning in a Paris café next to the rue Etienne Marcel. He is tall, slim and his looks are striking, perhaps coming across as one of the best models for his own clothes. His voice is soft and calm, but I clearly sense his confidence and determination, despite being in his early thirties. Petar is Bulgarian, was born in Ukraine and moved to Vienna in 1999. He eventually set up his own label –Petar Petrov One of Some– and started showing his mens collections in Paris while he was still a student. Petar’s style is sharp, functional, but has a celebral quality to it which makes it appealing.
His pieces are deceptively simple and explore some of the paradoxes and complexities shaping young men of his generation. Nothing is exactly as it seems and his collections epitomise that. During our discussion, he stresses that his collections are “made for now” and I cannot help but think that this sense of immediacy and directness is what makes his clothes so sexy. This becomes even more obvious as I sit watching his Spring/Summer 09 show unfold before my eyes. I am –as always– struck by the models, their realness, their beauty, their quirks and idiosyncracies. Petar declares “wanting to be informed, but never too close to something.” This desire for distanciation probably explains why he seems comfortable working in Vienna and only coming to Paris when he has to. I know that Petar is not keen on referencing, but his raw, honest take on clothes seems to have developed some of Helmut Lang’s previous preoccupations and built on them, creating a sleek, urban armour echoing some of the Austrian’s views on contemporary style. Petar’s clothes aim at perfection, simplicity and a desire for wholeness. Several times during the interview, he uses the word “complete” and I realise that creating a world of his own and aiming at some sort of totality is more important to him than suffering the whims of fashion. This approach makes his clothes seductive, but also leaves plenty of room for interpretation. Striking that kind of open balance is rare within the fashion world and I am curious to see how his creative process will develop. After a taste of compulsory black coffee and cloudy milk, we start talking.
How did you end up in Vienna? What was the motivation behind studying there? When you come from Eastern Europe, it is one of the cities that feel quite close. I also knew some people there and had the possibility to go at that time. I moved there about ten years ago. I enrolled at the University of Applied Arts and knew very little about fashion. Given my cultural background and the fact that resources such as the Internet were still limited at that time, I did not really have access to it.
But did you go there in order to study fashion? I did, but it was not really my decision in a way. It is not like I had always wanted to be a designer, I think I mainly followed other people’s advice and decided to give it a try. I had been told about how difficult it was to get in, but I worked on my portfolio for the whole Summer and decided to learn German. Then I presented it and they took me.
Great. And how did you start designing then? Well, I had contact with this showroom that I had worked with since the beginning. They had just started selling men’s clothes and were looking for new collections. Wendy & Jim were also looking for a designer and I started while I was still at school. In fact, the first three collections I showed in Paris were my school ones.
Were these under your own name already? Yes, they were. It kind of happened even though I was still studying and I remember my parents telling me that I should finish school first. So, I kind of put that on hold, trying to figure out what to do, but it was quite confusing at first and went on for about two years. I was just worried that I did not have enough of the knowledge the school could give me, even if you did not really learn about the business aspect there. In the end, I think it worked out fine.
It is probably the case with a lot of schools where you still have to find out and learn about the industry afterwards. Yes, I think a lot of students feel like they have to push their creativity to extremes, but you are not prepared for the reality of the fashion world. I mean, the schools are about experimentation and exploring different aspects of design, but then you have to learn about the business on top of that. Students are working on the surface of things. You know, people have to want it, they have to buy it and should also be able to wash it. (mutual laughter).
Is that something that matters to you when you design? Do you think about it a lot? Of course, the practical aspect is very important for me. Fashion only exists when it is worn. There are always pieces that are fragile, for instance, but you cannot make a complete collection out of them. You have to take the commercial aspect into account, look at what fabrics do and how they can be used, how you have to work out the prices and so on. All these things are connected for me and the work we do in the studio reflects that. Fabrics are key for us and we work a lot with different treatments and textures, trying to find out what happens to materials after several operations. It is a lot of logistics in the end, if you want to make it work.
You have developed your own style and sensibily over the years and it is something that seems to be quite close to who you are as a person. How would you define it? I think that things happen quite randomly in a way and once something comes up, I try not to block it and let it grow. Within the creative process, I am very open and like to let things flow freely, I do not start with concepts or preconceived ideas about what the collection should look like.
Would you define this as a completely spontaneous process then? Well, not really. There are things that I like and others that I am clearly not interested in.
Such as? Well, I do not really like overlayered styles, for instance. I do not like naive or childish things either. That does not mean that things cannot change, but I do like some kind of straightness and details need to have a real function. They should be understandable and not too abstract.
And how do feel about trends in general? Well, I know they are there and do not ignore them, even though I do not want to follow them. The thing is, there are so many trends now that, in five years time, everything will be included and valid. It does not feel like they are that relevant now. You can wear slim, baggy, you can do 50s, 60s, 70s, you will find it everywhere if you look for it.
Your clothes are fairly free from references though. I guess they are. I do not name my collections and do not work with speficic themes, even though the evolution of each collection is singular and unique. This is what is really important to me, to develop my own style and make sure that there is a link from one season to the next.
One thing that strikes me about your shows is how much the personality of each model comes out. Is this important for you that the clothes never overpower the men? Yes, definitely. During the casting and fittings, we always try to make sure that the boys do not look overdressed in the clothes. They have to work for them. I cannot decide about somebody unless I see the clothes on him, so we have a lot of try outs before picking the right guy.
Do you actually talk to them and find out what they like? Well, you see that when they put things on, you understand instantly whether or not they like it. For instance, it is clear that a certain type of guy is never going to wear shorts, so I am not going to make him wear them. It is important for me that they feel comfortable with what they have on. That personality aspect is really strong for me. You can start out with a piece you do not really like, but when you find the right person for it, it looks fantastic. Everything is a question of appearance and balance.
There is a strong sensuality coming out of your clothes and shows. Does sexiness play an important part in your work? It does. And sometimes it has nothing to do with the amout of flesh that is being shown. A guy could be completely covered-up and still be sexy. I guess sensuality is more about the way a person behaves, how they move, everything really. That makes working with models difficult sometimes, because they go from one show to another and you do not always get that feeling coming out of them.
Do you sometimes try to work with the same guys? Yes, we do. There was one black guy who did six shows for us, one after the other. There is one guy at the moment who has already made three shows, but it is always difficult to keep working with the same as they might not be free one season or the style changes and they do not fit the clothes the way they should. Recently, I have wanted to move on from a very slim silhouette and include a bit more volume, while keeping everything quite compact.
A lot of your clothes are very light, too and seem almost immaterial. Is that an aspect that you also explore? I guess there is always a search and fascination for clothes that can be light and airy. I also like going against fabrics in a way, knowing what they are normally used for and try to do something completely different out of them. For me, satisfaction often comes from designing a very simple piece, but in the material that I find perfect for it. Lightness appeals to me, because you can use new kinds of high-tech materials which make it possible.