Roland Mouret, Sex, Fashion & Sustainability

You probably know about ROLAND MOURET’s famous "Galaxy" dress. Fitted, flattering, cap-sleeved and much-copied, it was a phenomenon in the 2000s, worn by everyone from Beyoncé and Scarlett Johansson to Demi Moore and Victoria Beckham.

You might also know about another of his glamorous clients, Megan Markle, who wore a chic navy Roland Mouret dress the day before her wedding to Prince Harry.

What is less well-know is the designer’s strong interest in sustainability. He's thought deeply about this subject, and questioned everything around it, from how and why he makes things, and how that has evolved, to the impacts of over-consumption, the power of fashion to communicate a message and how we can make sustainability hot—and not just hot right now.

We doubt there's anyone better placed to contextualise fashion’s perpetuation of addictive desire than Roland Mouret. His design magic lies in making women feel amazing in his clothes. He says a dress doesn't come alive until a woman wears it. 

This thought-provoking, winding conversation takes us through his life, from rural French butcher's son, to modelling for Jean Paul Gaultier and Yohji Yamamoto, to him tearing up the dance floor at legendary Paris fashion hangout Le Palace.

These days, he finds his balance by escaping to the country. “I never thought I would go for that life,” he says. Recorded in Roland’s head office in Mayfair, with Dave the dog in tow, we discuss change, reflection, maturing, and the idea that sustainability is now, as he puts it, “so present a problem that we have to face it.”

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