Erdem Brand
Erdem Presents Its New Spring Summer 2024 Collection
Luxferity, 18.09.2023
The journey between inheritance and legacy is often defined by human determination more than fate. For Spring Summer 24, Erdem examines a story of heritage, edifice and identity, through the lens of Deborah, the late dowager Duchess of Devonshire, and her relationship with Chatsworth House.
Erdem was granted access to the archive of Debo, as she was fondly known by assistants and heads of state. Working closely with the Cavendish family, with archivists at Chatsworth and Helen Marchant, Debo’s private secretary, the collection is not just inspired by Debo’s wardrobe, it is an embodiment
of her spirit and vision.
Debo’s dedication to laying the foundations for Chatsworth’s future was remarkable. Whilst houses of similar stature crumbled, metaphorically and literally, Debo’s determination combined with her formidable warmth, ensured that Chatsworth would thrive and endure. Hands on and no non-sense, her Chatsworth hosted presidents and artists, farmers and royalty. An independence that bordered on rebellion underpinned her approach.
Debo might be celebrated for redefining what a historic house might be in the 20th Century, but Chatsworth did not define her. She had ardent passions besides her inherited home: farming, chickens, Elvis. Her absence of pretension allowed her to be as comfortable in couture sitting for Cecil Beaton, as stomping through the gardens and grounds in her Barbour and wellies. Even as Chatsworth flourished, she was a strict proponent of making do and mending rather than lavish extravagance. Antique textiles from Chatsworth have been given to Erdem, who has pieced fragments into dresses and coat linings. A deconstructed gown features remnants of Chatsworth House curtains, hand embroidered by Cecily Lasnet, Debo’s great granddaughter.
Unselfconscious in her propriety, dignified in her pragmatism, Debo’s was a curiously robust form of English eccentricity. Forthright not fey. Erdem’s collection encapsulates this energy. Fragments and memories are pieced together to create a mood that dances between house and human,
mirroring their symbiotic relationship.
Chatsworth thrives today; more than an homage, the collection is inspired by Debo’s idiosyncratic love for her legacy that lives on. A single person driven by passion beyond duty, inspired by the past and the future, can be a powerful force.
