Creative Director, Richard Biedul On Buying British, Sustainably And Responsibly
WITH RICHARD BIEDUL
Consuming beautiful product Is a passion of Richard Biedul’s but only With His Own three pronged approach - Making sure It is ethical, responsible and by default, sustainable.
Photography, Kirk Truman
Words, Igee Okafor In Conversation with Richard Biedul
VIEW GALLERY
In the last few years, there has been a resurgence of consumer interest in fashion activism. Now more than ever, both menswear and womenswear brands are being held accountable for their business practices with the intention of moving towards a more sustainable fashion culture.
Holding up the significance of this crusade is Richard Biedul, former solicitor and currently, one of the most unique and influential men on the London menswear scene. Championing vehicles of sustainable fashion education on all of his social platforms and artistic projects, the British model / artistic director / creative director exemplifies the movement that is the modern day fashion consumer.
Inspired by fragments of nostalgia, travel, and interpersonal references, his latest shoe collection in collaboration with Cheaney Shoes advocates for the progress indicated in the aforementioned.
About this project, and the ethos behind it, Richard emphasizes the notion of creating product that is completely utilitarian and versatile from a day to day standpoint. Featuring three simple styles that seamlessly merge both traditional and contemporary design, Richard is making it a point to highlight British manufacturing reputably. “For me, I do want to create beautiful things but there has to be a synergy between beautiful aspects and functionality,” he says, willfully. “The underpin in that has to be ethics, responsibility, sustainability.”
You can’t be sustainable if you’re not ethical and responsible in your decision making.
THE LOOK
Jacket, King & Tuckfield; Rollneck Sweater, DAKS; Ring, Vintage
Through the vessel of this eco conscious partnership with Cheaney shoes, I was able to engage Richard on a ZOOM call where we discussed issues of sustainability, ethics, and the role we as consumers play in the subject with our purchasing practices.
“As a consumer and a brand,” he says. “You can’t be sustainable if you’re not ethical and responsible in your decision making.”
THE LOOK
The Vietri Sandals, Cheaney Shoes x Richard Biedul; Jacket and Trousers, King & Tuckfield; Rollneck Sweater, DAKS; Socks, Pantherella; Ring, Vintage
EIC: In today’s cultural setting where the fashion industry has been discussing ideas of scaling back on new product, how and why did you decide now would be a great time to put out a shoe collection?
RB: Generally, we should be making less and if we are going to make something, it should be the best in terms of its design process including its sustainability credentials.
We actually decided last year that “now” would be a great time to put out a collection, pre-covid. We started working on it last year in January. We (Cheaney + Richard) had a quick conversation about this notion of trying to create something for the brand that was going to appeal to a new audience and from there, the project developed. We were trying to create less - but better. I wanted to create something that was very small, something that was non seasonal, something that had longevity over and past this notion of a summer or winter shoe.
Buying a pair of shoes for the short term, that’s not for me. I want people to buy these shoes and live in them for ten years - summer or winter including the sandals. The sandal is constructed more like a shoe. Your foot is elevated from the floor so you shouldn’t get cold if you wear a sock.
EIC: Well, the collection really encapsulates every aspect of what we do on a day to day basis as men. It’s versatile, there’s something suited for every occasion which I enjoy. You said that part of why you were creating the collection was seeing what you could do for a new audience. What is that new audience for you?
RB: The new audience for Joseph Cheaney for me would be one that reflects my own social media following. They should be between 18-35. They should be interested in the craftsmanship and heritage age but also, modern design. They should be focused on this notion of utilitarian beauty and should be aware of ethics, sustainability and responsibility.
Not everyone is into that or aware of what sustainability really means. I would say a lot of people who read mainstream publications don’t necessarily shop based on those key principles. They shop based on trends and regardless of how much you’re paying for that trend led fashion, they're probably nine times out of ten, not environmentally conscious brands. If I can help educate people about this beautiful artisanal British craftsmanship that exists here in the U.K, then hopefully, I’ll be able to expand Cheaney’s influence into the same realm that I operate in. If I have a platform to promote better design and better ethics then I should.
EIC: I believe you reflect that in the collection by only creating three shoes.
RB: Yes, no one needs to be creating a 12 piece footwear collection at the moment. I wear three shoes on rotation. It’s a Norwegian farm shoe, the Derby, and the Sandal. Every now and then, I’ll wear a slipper to a black tie event but obviously, there’s none of that going on any more so no one needs a black tie slipper. What they do need is a well crafted, honest, British shoe to be made in a way that reflects not only me but all the brilliant things that Joseph Cheaney stands for.
If you strip something back just to perform to its best ability, then that is where it really should be.
THE LOOK
Polo Shirt, King & Tuckfield
EIC: We’re not exactly in a post pandemic world just yet so the conversation is that now more than ever, people really care about every currency that goes into a purchase due to certain social irregularities. Have you noticed anything different about how men are shopping for clothing in today’s sphere?
RB: It’s a tough one because we all operate within our own echo chambers. I only really know responsible, sustainable shoppers that buy well crafted clothing. We [as a collective of men that I know] will continue to try and push those boundaries continuing to buy British, sustainably, and responsibly.
I have however noticed an increasing number of men outside my circle of friends learning about what the notion of sustainability is, trying to educate themselves about this beautiful phrase, price per wear that I’ve been flogging for God knows how many years. It’s the easiest way to explain to someone that doesn’t understand the value of spending on your clothing. When you buy something that cost you 500 pounds, you’ll get over 10 years and maybe 1000 wears versus if you buy 500 pounds of product at a lower value and you get 100 wears. Your price per wear of something that is made well would be infinitely less than something that isn’t made well from one of the fast fashion brands.
I understand there is this barrier to entry that is the price point of buying quality. Many people are restricted by their spending power. You then get into this conversation as well - if you can’t buy the best, then you have to shop responsibly which means restricting your own consumption of those products that do the most damage.
If you are a consumer of fast fashion, that’s fine. Just buy less and get into the thought process of “how can I look after these items in the best way to ensure that their life cycle is extended”. Also, it’s important to think about how you end their life cycle responsibly. Put them into a recycling bin and put them into a charity program. Just don’t put them in the landfill.
It’s about having this open conversation with people that is about if you can’t do it, that’s okay, but be sensible with what you do. You don’t need twenty white t-shirts that then go in the bin.
THE LOOK
Trousers, King & Tuckfield
EIC: Being eco-conscious. These days there are a lot of buzzwords that reflect sustainability actions but not a lot of people really know what that means. As someone who just put out an eco-conscious shoe collection, what are the cores to you?
RB: It should be a three pronged approach. Making sure you are ethical and responsible, and by default, sustainable. You can’t be sustainable if you’re not ethical and responsible in your decision making. You can make something out of a sustainable fabric and claim that it’s a sustainable garment merely because of the material used. Should be asking the questions ‘where does your fabric come from and who are the people making that fabric? How are they being treated?’
As a brand, if you don’t fully have a truly transparent supply chain, you aren’t sustainable. There are far too many brands out there at the moment, large high street brands claiming to have done something sustainable and to me, yes you might have used a sustainable fabric but I am pretty sure when we draw down on the facts, look into the origin of that fabric, we realize that it was created in a country where there are no labor laws and no protection for the humans in the supply chain.
When you have audited all of the parts in your supply chain and you’re happy with them ethically then you can be fully transparent about it. That’s when you are sustainable.
it was about creating the most sustainable shoe we could because it was about making a statement of intent.
THE LOOK
Suit, COS; Rollneck Sweater, John Smedley; Gold Necklace, MISSOMA
EIC: What are the details of sustainability with the product that you’ve created with Cheaney Shoes?
RB: So the collection is made here in England so by default, it’s protected by the EU working directive and UK labour law. I’ve visited the factory and can vouch for the working conditions of the labour force myself. Cheaney is fully transparent in their supply chain. In terms of our specific design, we have tried to utilize the most amount of leather from the Hide as we can. The Black high shine treatment was selected to enable us to do this. It enables us to have less off-cut and wastage. We are offering the Goodyear Welt sole which is easily replaceable if need be. We are also offering the Cheaney refurbishment service which means you have a shoe that can last you ten years at minimum through any season.
EIC: Is that a nod to the conversations happening in the industry about season-less collections?
RB: When I first pitched this idea to Cheaney Shoes which was last year [2019] sometime in January, no one really understood what the idea of a season-less collection was so when I recently saw it in the press, I almost wanted to give myself a pat on the back [laughs]. I just wanted to create a collection that didn’t put pressure on people to keep buying and consuming because I know fundamentally with the business, that’s how we keep the industry going. More and More. Buy, Buy, Buy! I just wanted to make something that was really fundamentally good and really gives you a meaning of what brand Britain means. Well crafted, and will last you a lifetime.
EIC: In 2018, you did an interview series with GQ called, The Modern Principles of Design. Having worked on a handful of design projects yourself, in 2020, what are those modern principles of design for you?
RB: It should be ethical, responsible, and sustainable. Good design means doing less. There are a lot of designers out there that try to do more and more and that really promotes this consumption culture. If you strip something back just to perform to its best ability, then that is where it really should be.
EIC: This wouldn’t be a case in point for designers who consider themselves to be artists would it?
RB: Well, I can only talk to you about what MY principles of design are. I would never say designers should not make art because that is just what fashion is. It’s an outward expression of your own beliefs and you want to create something beautiful. For me, I do want to create beautiful things but there has to be a synergy between beautiful aspects and functionality. The underpin in that has to be ethics, responsibility, sustainability.
THE LOOK
The Stedman Loafer, Cheaney Shoes x Richard Biedul; Socks, Pantherella
EIC: Walk me through the industrial science of your design process for the collection.
RB: First and foremost, I am not a designer, I am a creative director. I have no design background but I have been lucky enough to learn the elements I know from Stacy from King & Tuckfield. She taught me the process from start to finish.
With my process, I visualize the narrative with the use of imagery. Usually, retrospective imagery. I mood board this feeling and I would then make a presentation to the brand detailing colors, fabrics, inspiration from time eras, silhouettes and shapes but there would be no real product at that point.
From that meeting, if they decide that it’s something that they want to move forward with, we come back and do original sketches that are super simple. With Cheaney shoes specifically, I pulled references from their archive and it was possible to show the physical manifestation of the mood. Not executed as I’d want it but here’s a sandal, here’s a derby, and here’s a loafer. I’d then sit down with the team to discuss what items I would like to add or remove, and what shapes we would like to mould it into to match the idea I’m trying to deliver.
From this point, we produce cad drawings of the shoes and then amend these drawings for sampling. After getting the samples back, I was physically able to manipulate them to fit how I wanted then we finalized the design.
With this craftsmanship, the starting point was using a universal color palette, a universal high quality leather that would take you from summer to winter in both instances, and then it was about creating the most sustainable shoe we could because it was about making a statement of intent. People should not only want to buy it because it’s designed to look beautiful but because it’s also utilitarian in its approach.
We used high shine black leather which means we can make the most amount of shoes in one bit of hide. When you make a shoe, you’re looking for the least blemished parts of a leather hide which means you can sometimes only make one shoe from one square meter of hide. We got grade A leather, we put a treatment of polishing and high shine which means we could use the whole hide. There’s no wastage. It was about making more out of what we already had.
We used the Goodyear welt sole which means it can always be replaced. It should really last you more than ten years.
EIC: I like that every shoe in the collection is named after important stylish men in your life. How noble.
RB: Everything I design whether it was the pen I did for Montegrappa, or whether it was the collection with King & Tuckfield, everything comes from this notion of my own history and nostalgic walks through my own memory. With this shoe collection, I really wanted the names of the shoes to represent people and or places that had influenced the design of the shoe.
The Stedman was named after my grandfather because he wore a farm shoe. He wore it to work, and on the weekends. It proved to me how versatile this notion of a chunky, deep throated loafer can be.
There’s the Vietri named after a tiny little village on the Amalfi coast just down from The port of Salerno. It was the first time I really got this idea that a sandal should not just be for summer. It shouldn’t just be for the beach or just a pair of sandals, it should be versatile enough with your trousers or in winter. This came to me in Vietri where I saw the local men wearing sandals from their local cobbler all 12 months of the year. They were just changing it around with a sock or a short or a trouser.
The Derby is named after Isaac who we both know. For the two years I lived in New York, Isaac LIVED in his Derbys. I saw him transition this shoe that was so simple from day to night so effectively. From summer to winter, so effectively and seamlessly. So with that shoe, we just expanded the mouth a little bit, made them a bit more chunky, gave them a bit more of a commando rubber sole and then we gave them flash red laces. It was just about making them more impactful. They also come with black laces so you can still wear them in a conservative way. It’s about showing conservatism and liberalism can live hand in hand on the same item.
EIC: What about the campaigning and marketing? How much of a say did you have in the operations?
RB: I intentionally wanted to create something that involved me. At the end of the day, these are three shoes that I have designed and I want to show you how I’d wear the shoes and where I’d wear the shoes to. I wanted to do something that was more fly on the wall. Not glossy or polished or necessarily fashion-y.
We called the story ‘The Commute’ having the man going from Point A to B. He was riding the bus, riding the train, walking, while on his phone. He was reading his newspaper, his magazine, going about his normal day because these shoes should be shown for what they are. I haven’t created something that is an artistic notion with this collection, I have created something that is completely utilitarian.
THE LOOK
Suit, COS; Rollneck Sweater, John Smedley; Gold Necklace, MISSOMA; Ring, Vintage
EIC: Before transitioning into the fashion industry, you made a living as a Solicitor. Did you have any general thoughts on fashion and men’s style before working full time in the industry?
RB: I’d always been interested in tailoring. Because of my grandfather, I’d always had this interest in craftsmanship and heritage especially British! He shopped on Savile Row, his shoes are from Northampton. His shirts were always from German Street and because of that, I had this interest in what it meant to be an artisanal craftsman.
My dad however, had a completely different take on what clothing was because he had a different job. He was an engineer and everything had to be utilitarian. Everything had to have a purpose. So I had one side that was interested in beautiful things, and the other in utilitarian things. I sit nicely in the middle which is great.
When I was first exploring suiting and shoes for myself as a consumer and as a Solicitor, I wanted it British made because I was British. I went to Savile Row and I quickly realized that I could not afford what I wanted so then I had to find alternatives and entry levels to the quality that I sought after. I was not shopping off Savile Row but still shopping British. It was a nice compromise. I always liked to look sharp. Shirt, tie, nice suit. I owned a lot of Paul Smith and Vivienne Westwood back in the day. It was a bit too left of center for a lot of lawyers but I loved it and it was a representation of who I was. That’s what fashion should be. Whatever clothes you wear should represent you. They should make you feel fucking great and Paul Smith and Vivenne Westwood did.
EIC: You now proclaim the role of an “Creative/Artistic Director” versus Model or a personality which a lot of people know you as. What are your general thoughts on what that says about professional labels in creative industries?
RB: I would say that yes, I am a model and I am so thankful for the opportunity the modeling industry has given me to learn so much about design, marketing and sales. Also, the people I’ve met - the photographers, stylists, even the assistants. So, I would never say I am not one, fundamentally I’m very proud of what I do for a living.
However, what I have tried to do is diversify into projects behind the camera. I like to create beautiful imagery and product and because the end product belongs to me, I would say I am a model/artistic director/creative director depending on what hat I am wearing that day. I would not say that I am an influencer but I know by default being influential, you are labeled one. That’s not a bad thing. As long as I use my influence for good and not my own monetary gain. I don’t say yes to everything. I am selective about what I do and who I work with. I don’t go and do everything because a person is waving a check right in front of my face. The decisions I make are always about the brand or the broader implications of what I do and the people that listen to me.
