At the heart of Frank Tell’s work is his keen understanding of women. During his formative years in Barcelona, he received an introduction to tailoring through his paternal grandmother. This strong female influence would reappear throughout Tell’s childhood, as the family moved to Buzios, Brazil, Mexico D.F, and Tallinn, Estonia.
Tell enrolled in a California boarding school shortly thereafter, and briefly considered becoming a pre-med major upon graduation. That idea quickly dissipated, and Tell moved to New York in the pursuit of a more creative field. He has quickly moved up the sartorial ladder in the past few years, beginning with stints at threeASFOUR and Sue Stemp. The Spanish-born, U.S.-based designer has presented his eponymous womenswear collections for almost three years and his inspirations are discerning, to say the least. Tell approaches fashion through multiple scopes –film, painting, architecture, and sculpture, to name a few– and considers icons such as Louise Bourgeois, Alain Resnais, and Josephine Baker as exemplary contributors to the 20th century artistic sphere. Tell’s body of work proves that a ground-up perspective yields meaningful results. His ready-to-wear garments are visually appealing, and they teem with information. In the eyes of the new generation of talent, more is definitely more.
You grew up in a family that was predominantly female. How has this translated into your aesthetic as a designer?
I think that subconsciously it has affected my aesthetic. The style and presence of the women in my family –my mother, aunts and grandmother– all have impacted my thoughts while creating and designing.
What was it like attending a military boarding school?
It was a positive experience that taught me to be independent from my family and various people in my life. I was in a new place, an entirely new environment, and was able to learn that I could do anything I wanted to achieve.
Upon graduating from high school, you were accepted into the pre-med program at UC San Diego. Needless to say, you declined. What made you want to move to New York, specifically?
I needed a change. I needed to free myself from what I thought I wanted to be all my life. I am a lot happier with the person I’ve become since then, and the strength I have gained from following my conscience. New York nurtures creativity, so it was obvious that I needed to make the move if I wanted to expand my understanding as a designer.
You began your career in New York with stints at AsFour (now threeASFOUR) and Sue Stemp. What was the most important lesson you took away from these experiences?
I was 18 when I started working with AsFour, as they were called then. By simply watching and being a part of their creative environment, I was able to absorb a lot. I learned that there was more to fashion than what is usually seen in American editorials. They took risks, and created more avant-garde pieces, things that were different from most commercial American designers. My time with Sue Stemp introduced me to the business aspects of owning a design company. I was able to see the structure and elements of a fashion design business, and tools that were needed to become successful. I learned a lot about show production, PR, and sales through my time spent with her.
So you took a painting class at NYU (was it?). Why did the work of your instructor, Ross Bleckner, resonate with you so much?
Ross is a personal friend, with whom I was able to collaborate on a print for my very first collection. He supported me in the beginning, when I decided to start my own line. He gave me some amazing advice and told me to not believe anything people write, always remain true to yourself, and more then anything believe in the work you create. New York is like a double edge sword, it can make you and it can break you. His words of wisdom helped me immensely when starting my career.
You showed your first collection (Spring 2008) at the age of 20. Do you ever look back at this accomplishment in awe?
I told myself that I was going to show my first collection by the time I was 20, and I succeeded. I learned there are no limits, and that I could achieve anything with a clear vision and hard work. I like to look forward and not dwell on my past collections though. I always see the mistakes I made in past seasons, and think of what I could have done to make them better.
Strong and cosmopolitan women provide inspiration for you. Tell us why Josephine Baker, the iconic American performer/entertainer who became a Parisian sensation in the 1920’s and 1930’s, captivates you as a designer. Jospehine Baker was an individual full of energy. Her brilliance was seen in the way she captured certain emotions and feelings through dance. Baker was also an activist and the first black woman to star in a major motion picture. She overcame great obstacles throughout her life, and possessed that strong creative quality that inspires my conception of the “Frank Tell woman.”
You cite the French New-Wave, or Le Nouvelle Vague, as an inspiration for a subsequent collection. Jean-Luc Godard, Francois Truffaut, or Alain Resnais?
Resnais definitely. I find that his visual vocabulary speaks more directly to me. His films are more dreamlike and in a certain way more raw and emotional. That’s why they haven’t aged with time. Godard, on the other hand, was always concerned with making political and aesthetic statements. The response audiences today have to his films are purely sentimental. Drawing a parallel to fashion, designers fall into the trap of sentiment when they over-rely on vintage, “retro” looks –when they quote literally from the text. There is nothing wrong with re-inventing certain ideas from the past and re-purposing vintage elements, as long as they can help you create a new, modern design vocabulary.
The femme fatale flourished in the film noir era of the 1940’s and 1950’s. Does she exist today?
That character is almost obsolete. A femme fatale was generally associated with someone who was only able to get her way through manipulation and sexual appeal. Today, women hold an equal position in society. They capture the world through their creative and intellectual enticements, not solely their seductive mannerisms.
The term “primitive futurist” was coined to describe your Fall 2010 collection. Could you elaborate?
Fall 2010 was a chance for me to grow as a designer, by creating something different from my previous collections. I wanted to incorporate my passion for futuristic and modern construction, with something simple. One major inspiration was the original Star Trek series. The many unchartered planets and moons, and the rare and unusual beings and cultures discovered in each episode inspired this concept of futuristic meets primitive. I focused on leathers and textures, as well as a series of hand-knit pieces that play with the idea.
If you could commission any architect to design your atelier, who would it be?
I am currently in the process of collaborating with my boyfriend, Ian Ray Hampson, a young, accomplished landscape architect. I admire his focus on sensible conceptualization of outdoor space and his interest in various materials, rational forms, and social impacts. But if I were to work with well-known architects, I would love to collaborate with Jean Nouvel or Diller+Scofidio+Renfro.
Spain is creating waves on all levels. The country is on the forefront of global gastronomy, alternative energy, product design, and architecture. Do you see yourself returning to your native country anytime soon?
It’s a hard question to answer. I don’t think I could ever leave New York. More than anything, New York is where I first came to terms with myself as a person. Spain will always have its place in my heart, but for now I am very comfortable here in New York. I don’t discard a return to Spain from my mind. Life takes many different turns and directions, and it’s impossible to know what’s ahead. But for now, there are no plans for me to move. I just returned from a three-month vacation in Barcelona, and it left me aching to come back to my home and work.
Personally, I like the idea of Frank Tell uniforms for Iberia flight attendants. Are there any commercial collaborations in the works?
It would be an honor and an exciting collaboration to work on flight attendant uniforms, but at the moment there are no grand collaborations in the works. I want the brand to grow little by little. More then anything, I am looking to develop brand awareness and educate the consumer. For Fall 2010, we started collaborating with a French shoe designer named Raphael Young. Together we were able to bring to life a vision I have had for many years: the Frank Tell shoe. Raphael Young’s shoes are extremely architectural and thought provoking, and our similar aesthetics and considerations while designing, made for a perfect partnership. In the future, though, it would be great to collaborate with a huge mass-market brand, for instance H&M or Mango. I would want to do something special and different from the collaborations seen today –and something that’s completely different and not a diluted version of what I do in my own collection. Perhaps swimwear, loungewear, or outdoor wear. Anything could be a possibility. More interesting would be to collaborate with a furniture company, or something like Lladró porcelain; I am a big fan of Jaime Hayon and really appreciate how he’s turning the company around design-wise. He’s a good example of someone who can transform something that’s a little bit kitsch and sentimental into something wholly modern and exciting. (Source: Revistametal)
