Viktor & Rolf Bring their Legacy to Lingerie

The Viktor&Rolf brand is renowned for its visionary, unconventional and even provocative designs. How did you bring these qualities to your capsule collection with Aubade?
Where haute couture can be a laboratory for radical experimentation, lingerie requires a more subdued approach. Big design gestures would only get in the way of its main purpose: to make the wearer feel beautiful, secure and confident. So we focused on expressing ourselves on a small scale – literally and figuratively: a bold motif and striking colour. With our capsule collection we wanted to mingle our signature DNA with Aubade’s expertise of seductively modern lingerie. Using our signature bow as the leading motif, we crafted a 9-piece collection which highlights the feminine and outspoken nature of the bow.

How was the collaboration between the two brands born?
For FW20 Aubade invited us to curate a special one-off collection. We like to work on projects with partners who have very specific know-how, and lingerie is such a technical business that we thought it was a wonderful opportunity, as Aubade is very well known for its expertise and quality. It was a no-brainer for us.

Have you worked with lingerie before?
For our 2006 H&M collaboration we designed men’s underwear. Underwear also plays a part in our upcoming male fragrance launch. But we did not know the lingerie market at all; we dived into this project with Aubade kind of innocently and we quickly realized that designing lingerie is very different from designing couture. Couture can make big sweeping gestures, but lingerie is designed on a different scale –with smaller garments, but also in terms of design, there are many restrictions. We enjoyed working with restrictions here, perhaps because we are so free in expressing ourselves with couture.

What part of the creative process are you most looking forward to? Conversely, what’s the biggest challenge?
Our favorite moment in the creative process is the initial moment of conception (the ‘light bulb’ moment), the beauty of an idea and creating a concept – this is our personal laboratory for experimentation. We generally enjoy every moment in the creative process. However, the time leading up to this light bulb can be difficult. In general it is always a struggle to actually turn an idea into something tangible.

What type of material do you most like to work with?
Actually, there is not one type of fabric we prefer: every season we use something different. The idea we are trying to express and the effect we are trying to achieve are always important factors when choosing the fabrics. Having said that, in general we like rigid, compact fabrics. They can become architectural and graphic when manipulating them and they allow us to construct a silhouette. We always gravitate towards a graphic and surreal aesthetic.

Aesthetically, Aubade embodies iconic elegance and refined sensuality. Do you think this ticks all the boxes of what women are looking for in their intimate apparel?
We imagine they also look for comfort, durability and a fashion sensibility. We strongly believe in empowering women. Lingerie is something very personal and intimate.

In your opinion, what role does lingerie play in a woman’s wardrobe? And in her own view of herself?
We imagine ourselves that wearing beautiful, luxurious underwear makes anyone feel good about themselves: confident, strong. As if you have a little magic secret that no one knows about but that makes you feel good, in any situation.

How have you seen women’s sensibilities evolve since you’ve been in business?
We think there is something timeless about our work and this seems to continue speaking to a wide variety of women. Our fragrances are testament to that.

You’ve said before that a fragrance should tell a story and allow the wearer to live a new reality. What parallels do you see between the world of fragrance and the world of lingerie? Are they ultimately both aspirational?
That’s a nice question. Indeed, lingerie appeals to similar impulses as fragrance does. It primarily allows the wearer to express something about herself, to herself: something intimate and private. Its message to the outside world is also important, but it is secondary.

What fragrance comes to mind when you think of Aubade?
When thinking of Aubade, embodying iconic elegance and refined sensuality, our own fragrance 'Bonbon' comes to mind. Our fragrance combines sweetness and elegance with an addictive and seductive aspect, just like Aubade. Bonbon is a treat first and foremost for yourself, just like lingerie is for empowering women.