By CAROLYN ENTING – The Dominion Post
Last updated 13:42 10/09/2009
It will be flashy, trashy, vegetarian and green, and is bound to make world headlines. The Richie Rich and Pamela Anderson show is about to hit our shores.
Rich, the flamboyant New York fashion designer of former “trash chic” label Heatherette, and Anderson, the eco-conscious “Malibu Barbie”, have decided to use New Zealand Fashion Week as the launching pad for their new eco-animal friendly label, A*Muse.
Neither has visited New Zealand but the decision has been based on the reputation of Air New Zealand Fashion Week, as well as Aotearoa’s “clean green” and “100% Pure” image. Originally the pair were to present the label at New York Fashion Week this week (September 10 to 17), and then bring the show to Auckland.
“Pamela is such an advocate for Peta [People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals]. I love animals. We wanted to produce a range using as many globally friendly fabrics as we could, in the spirit of being good to the world,” Rich says. “That is part of the reason we want to kick it off in New Zealand, which is so lush and green. It goes with the vibe we are feeling. At the same time the Kiwi scene is fun and the line is fun.”
A*Muse will debut at New Zealand Fashion Week on September 25, when Anderson – the muse of the collection – will make a catwalk appearance. It will undoubtedly be the hottest show ticket in town, which has made a few fashion purists snooty. “Pamela Anderson and fashion week, that’s an oxymoron”, stylist and Lucire fashion editor Samantha Hannah posted as her Facebook status update.
Anderson’s flesh-revealing style is certainly not what we Kiwis are used to, though her “if you’ve got it, flaunt it” approach has many admirers. She rocked up to the opening of an art show in Miami in December wearing an off the shoulder baggy T-shirt, a pair of underpants and vegetarian Melissa (Vivienne Westwood) plastic shoes. She is also no stranger to the catwalk having modelled for Vivienne Westwood in Paris, and for Rich’s former high profile fashion line, Heatherette, which he launched in 1999 and co-designed with Travers Reins. Last year Rich and Reins put Heatherette “on vacation”. Anderson was one of Heatherette’s biggest supporters.
Rich’s friendship with Anderson spans almost nine years, following a chance meeting at renowned fashion photographer David Lachapelle’s studio in Los Angeles. It was at a Lachapelle shoot in 2002 that Rich met Wellington fashion graduate Macky Dugan, who became Heatherette’s head designer for five years. Dugan is now producing his own menswear line Mack Dugan. “We’ve heard the best things about New Zealand from Macky so I’ve always wanted to visit,” Rich says.
Rich and Anderson will spend six days in New Zealand and plans include visiting a vineyard and whale watching.
As for A*Muse, the label, Rich says he was kicking around ideas when Anderson said, “why don’t we do it together and I will be your muse”, and that’s where the name came from. He plans to invite other “girlfriends” to collaborate with him on future collections, which will in turn reflect their individual personalities in the design and styling.
Right now that style is all Anderson, who Rich describes as “a surfer girl at heart with a Malibu sensibility”. The range will also reflect her stance on animal rights, and the pair plan to produce a leather-free shoe line. “Working with Pamela, she’ll say ‘make it sexy, clingy and punky’ – it’s definitely ready for a night out,” Rich says. “It is very sexy with a dash of a smile, but also very wearable. Everything from leggings and T-shirts to sexy dresses.”
When Rich designed Anderson’s wedding dress for her marriage to Kid Rock in 2006 (they have since split), she asked him to make it “punky, fun and Marilyn Monroe”. The Heatherette team had 24 hours’ notice with no fitting or proper measurements. Dugan, who made the dress, says: “Thank God she has a great bod, and her measurements are all over the internet.”
Rich hasn’t a bad word to say about the vegetarian animal- rights activist and former Baywatch babe – “Pamela has the same bombshell mystique as Marilyn Monroe but she is also a really good mum, and really smart. Her global appeal is very fun and sexy. She is an icon, but at the same time down to earth”.
We couldn’t speak to Anderson (she’s not doing any pre-press before the show) but on Tuesday she released a statement saying “Richie and I are soul mates. We both love to surprise people; we both love to have fun. We both love clothes, even though I don’t always manage to wear them full time! I am proud that he has annointed me his ‘muse’ for these designs and collaborating with him is a fantastic experience.”
Tags: eco-animal friendly label, eco-conscious, flashy, green, trashy, vegetarian