SOPHIE HICKS ARCHITECTS

English architect Sophie Hicks is considered a master of staging—whether in the luxury retail sector, in museums, or for exclusive private homes. Her life and career are defined by a constant interplay between her uncompromising style and the like-minded people it attracts—people who, in turn, inspire her.

It all started in the 1970s at Harper’s & Queen, later Harper’s Bazaar. Back then there was an issue called the Teenage Issue, which was supposed to be made by teenagers for teenagers. I wrote a letter to the editor, sent my photo – and was invited for an interview. This led to an ongoing collaboration. When I was just 17 I was designing four pages a month and later became an assistant fashion editor, earning £50 a week.
Hamish Bowles, now Global Editor at Large at Vogue, was also involved in this Teenage Issue, as were many others who are now writers and actors. I later moved to Tatler magazine, where my assistant was Camilla Nickerson, who is now considered one of the most influential stylists working today. Back then, unlike today, people didn’t apply with CVs. Opportunities just presented themselves.

Like my collaboration with the fashion designer Azzedine Alaïa: I once sat at lunch in Paris with the then US Vogue creative director Grace Coddington, which Azzedine also attended. He asked us if we wanted to come to the Fashion Oscars that evening, a once-in-a-lifetime gala that was broadcast live on television in 1985. We have to dress up though – it’s a big deal. At that time I owned exactly six white shirts and six black pants. He took us to his studio and picked something out for us. For me he chose a black chiffon coat with a wide belt. I was supposed to wear a black dress underneath. I was skeptical because I never wore dresses. I had my own style: As a teenager in the late 70s in England, everything was very male-dominated. Women were supposed to look decorative above all else and adorned themselves for men. I didn’t want that. So I started wearing men’s clothes – it separated me. I took Azzedine’s coat to the hotel, tried it on and thought: No chance! Especially since I only had hiking boots with me. I put my white shirt and pants back on, but threw the coat over them and buckled the belt.
Lo and behold: Azzedine Alaïa was thrilled. Because when you sew chiffon, it is doubled, which creates black lines along the seams. These were visible through my white shirt underneath. He liked this so much that he developed a whole series based on this effect in his next collection. He was a genius, loving and very funny. From him I learned attention to detail – there is no mediocrity in my work.