Central Saint Martins graduate Edward Cuming is driving forward the perfectly imperfect aesthetic. Here is how.
Edward Cuming is all about experimentation with the art of the imperfect. Born in Australia, the young creative graduated from the Central Saint Martins MA degree in 2018, leading him to craft gentle rebellion with unfinished hems, loose threads and deconstructed masculine tailoring, reinterpreting sartorial codes into a new age of detailed fluidity.
Experimenting with elements and garments from his childhood, the Madrid-based designer took upon deconstructing a duffle coat he got 15 years ago and other pieces from his early adolescence to create building blocks for his deconstructed process and aesthetic - creating modern building blocks of fluid dressing.
Debuting his first full collection since graduation, Edward tells Perfect about his new collection titled ‘HAVE WE EMERGED YET’, and how he sees his own aesthetic growing further, exploring a fashion landscape through a prism of trend rejection.
Angel: Edward, how has your experience been so far post-graduation, how has this transition into the 24/7 working world been for you?
Edward Cuming: Funnily enough, It has been less stressful than university, especially the MA. That time felt more 24/7 than real life. I didn't launch the brand until a year after graduating. First, I started teaching to get my sponsored visa, and then did a couple of freelance projects in the interim until a couple of stockists reached out about producing my MA collection. I have learned to work at a pace that feels healthy. It’s really important for my team and I that we have a healthy balance between work and our own personal lives, otherwise, you lose the plot and ultimately the work suffers.
Angel: You have lived across a few continents, from Australia all the way to Spain, has your vision and aesthetic changed since relocating to Madrid?
Edward Cuming: Definitely, I am really receptive to new environments and a big people watcher. Sydney, where I am from, lacks a lot of diversity in dressing as the weather influences a sort of uniformity in the way people dress. I am generalising, but since living in different places across the world I think I’m more attuned to different ways of dressing that definitely influence my work. Seeing the seasons change in a more intense way, the transitional dressing and layering, as well as the peeling off of layers in one day have been a big part of how I approach and construct a collection.
Angel: Building the identity of your brand, what were the main sources and elements of inspiration?
Edward Cuming: I have been working towards defining a wardrobe that keeps the human hand and imperfect finishing at the forefront. I do a lot of sourcing and collecting of garments and objects and these manage to find their way into each collection, whether as colour references, or shape. This AW22 season, for example, the raw edge cropped duffel coat is a key piece, the double-bonded fabric allows for some really graphic fraying in the seams. Similar to the oversized knit cardigans, the duffle coat is based on a thrift store find of mine from 15 years ago. In a similar way the silhouette was crudely cut by me in response to how I wanted the coat and cardigan to fit me at the time, this has translated into the new collection, but in a much more refined way. I think this subtle challenging of proportion on classic garments is a signature element of the brand.
Angel: Your newest collection focuses on the multitude of tactility and cuts of fabrics, what element is the most important part to you when crafting?
Edward Cuming: The colour and drape of fabric are equal parts important for me when crafting a piece. We experiment a lot with layering fabrics and treating them as one in the cutting, so playing with colour contrasts and their potential for creating interesting shapes really is where my passion lies. You can see this idea most clearly in a lot of the colourful jersey pieces in the new season. Very lightweight jersey is dyed and washed, layered in varying colours, then rendered into styles with excessive seams turned inside out. It also encapsulates this idea and excitement in material experimentation for us. This can be seen also in our first accessory, the raw edge bags in track jersey and double-bonded wool.
Angel: There is a soft confidence and sensuality within your designs, how do you imagine the ultimate Edward Cuming muse?
Edward Cuming: I try to keep a very open mind about who I imagine in my clothes. I have found that there is no real box I could put our customers into, as they are so varied. Someone who doesn't mind an unfinished hem or loose thread, here and there, for sure. I know we have an audience in the architecture and fine art world that seem to connect quickly to our style. But I've also made private orders for lawyers, office workers and doctors.
Angel: Talking about the future, what are you focusing on in the next steps towards expanding your brand?
Edward Cuming: We are expanding our wholesale network and are stocked in about 20 locations worldwide, so really focusing on maintaining these relationships. We also have a wonderful community of creatives around us, who I hope to continue to bring into the brand universe and hopefully start to present in a more physical format seasonally.
Angel: What are you personally looking forward to this year?
Edward Cuming: Hopefully locking down a new studio with some natural light! Right now we share our space with a bridal brand, they have the storefront and we are in the basement with their atelier, in a corner. It’s such a contrast. I truly adore them, but it feels like time for us to move into a space that is ours. I will miss the constant flow of hysterical brides and their families in a fitting just behind the curtain…
