时尚街拍网In fashion circles, authenticity is the word of the moment – but it tends to function more as a marketing tool than as a concept of any great depth.Mega-brands know that pleading authenticity is a smart way of connecting with their customer.Look!We hand-stitch things!We use artisans!Were not a multimillion-pound luxury goods house churning out hundreds of thousands of products at all!Uh-huh.
US accessories brand Shinola has more claim to authenticity than most.Based in Detroit, it manufactures in the Midwest city and is staffed by Detroit locals.A relatively recent arrival to the label is Carolyn Murphy, the all-American supermodel with the glacial Grace Kelly looks, who has been womens design director since 2013.Her relationship with the brand began after she was cast by photographer Bruce Weber in Shinolas first advertising campaign; now she designs their bags, too.
Youd think Carolyn would already have been quite busy enough as Estée Lauders longest-serving face (14 years and counting), lingerie designer (CheekFrills), spokesperson (for Uggs Classic Luxe line) and mother to 15-year-old daughter Dylan Blue.But so impressed was she by Shinola, she longed to work for them.Id been in fashion for 22 years.Id done a few collaborations before, but theirs was one of the first relationships that seemed authentic, in terms of what we believed in.
It takes grit to be in fashion for 22 years – a mix of stamina and beauty, two qualities Carolyn has in spades.Like Shinola, she feels authentic – far warmer and unguarded than her pristine blonde persona might suggest, the opposite of a token model spokesperson.
Shinola has had to climb mountains – there have been naysayers, because theyre challenging a lot of American companies to rethink their business model.You have other American companies who dont givea s—.Its no surprise our economy took a crash in 2008.Importing so many things from overseas... why arent we creating jobs in America?Why arent we building things?
"This is important to me because I consider myself an American.Granted, my family came over from Europe – from Wales, in the 1800s – but since then, theyve had a farm in Virginia.I come from a good old American family.Why did they come here?They came for a better life; to have their own life.Thats something that was ingrained in my DNA.
While many of Shinolas pieces are produced in the US, Carolyn admits that we have to be careful, because realistically there are going to be times when not all the parts are made there.But the intention is that youre providing jobs for people in our backyard.Its assembled in Detroit, its handmade and theres some meaning here.
It can be hard to feel as though you are living a meaningful life when the tenets of your profession are so wildly superficial.And while she might not be the first 40-something model to have embraced clean eating and meditation, she is possibly the least annoying.Ask her to confirm that her own approach to ageing is well-balanced, and she exclaims:No, its not!I find it so peeving when you see these models who are like, “Oh, my green juices and my workouts” and everything is so perfect.
"Its not reality.If I were really to post pics or have a dialogue about the struggles with ageing, it would be, “Oh FFS, am I supposed to stop laughing all the time because the lines keep growing?”I like the road maps of my life; I like being able to move my face around.Im not against [having] any help – there are ways to go about it, and its a personal choice.But I have the most minimalist approach to it.I dont like killing myself at the gym or having a cabinet full of products.
She agrees that acceptance of the ageing process is as tricky as it is important.Thats the hardest partfor most of us.Its really difficult from my perspective.Say Im in a fashion show and walking behind a 15-year-old from Denmark who has porcelain skin… its very humbling, but at same time, what are the assets of being older?
"I like the fact that Im wiser, and have earned the lines I have.I spend time with Christy Turlington: she is unbelievable!Shes got great skin, she exercises, but she loves her coffee and she loves a glass of wine.Its all about balance, and enjoying your life.
Its clear why Estée Lauder has held on to Carolyn.As well as being eloquent, shes relatable – the most valuable commodity of all.I still have “pinch-me” moments where I cant believe I represent the brand.I grew up with it, she says.
I dont think some of the newcomers within the brand have that connection, so maybe thats why Im still there.We are all ageing together, and ageing is a wonderful thing, in some ways, and not so wonderful in others.Ive had moments where I think to myself, “Im almost 42 and still working.”I dont know what the formula is, other than to give 110 per cent to whatever I do.
She says she was really reticent about modelling.I started later than most – at about 19 or 20 – and even then it was to earn money to go to college and be a writer.I loved creative writing.I hadnt grown up thinking, “Oh, I want to be a supermodel, I want to be famous.”That wasnt my intention at all.
Her laid-back attitude was typical of the decade in which she was discovered – a time before models were the ultimate Brand Mes. That was the beauty of the early 90s, and of grunge: the attraction of seeing these pics of Kate Moss and [Australian model] Emma Balfour that David Sims had shot.They were riveting but relatable.I could relate to thatgirl, that music, that art.It was a wonderful time.Youd be hanging out with Marc Jacobs until 2am, listening to the soundtrack he might play in the show the next day.
It was almost like we were all artists – the joy of being in a studio and listening to Massive Attack and Portishead, and buying slip dresses from Portobello Market.
Id pluck most of my eyebrows off, or experiment with hair colour, but thats what we did – there wasnt this uniform, bombshell Victorias Secret hair where we all looked the same.We were celebrated for our differences.We were unique individuals, whether it was the way we dressed, wore our hair, what we listened to, how we behaved – which was super-unpredictable – and we werent plugged in all the time.It wasnt corporate.Now everything is very corporate, very well-planned and thought-out.
This seems a good time to mention social media, which most models agree is A Good Thing because it gives them a voice.I think its a disaster waiting to happen, she says flatly.There is such an inauthentic element to it.Anybody, myself included, can curate what the world should be seeing.
"It saddens me, not only that we believe in it but that we also think that its important.To place importance on gathering numbers is ridiculous.I dont want to post pictures of myself and there are two reasons for that: one, I consider myself a private person, andtwo, I think its silly.It comes across as supercilious, just constantly self-promoting.Id rather share things that are of some importance to me, but even then theres a voyeurism I find super-uncomfortable.
I also find it takes away from connecting to people.A lot of the time, Ill sit in a chair with a hair and make-up artist and theyll say, “God, were so glad we have you,” because theyre so used to having a model whose nose is stuck in her phone that she doesnt know how to communicate.Does she think people have lost the art of conversation?They have.Its sad.Not me.Not Motormouth Murphy.I can talk forever!
Ironically, our interview is taking place via the medium were flaming: the screen.Clearly, its useful when youve had to cancel your trip to London, allowing you to conduct an interview via Skype and then, when Skype doesnt work, via FaceTime.Why the change of plan?I ended up having to work here [in New York] but alsoI was battling a parasite.
Its no mean feat to appear relatable even when you live the sort of life that lets you cancel work plans because you are battling a parasite, but thats her – as authentic as any multi-millionairess model can be, with the parasite to prove it.
The new Shinola flagship store opens this month at 28 Fouberts Place, London
