As the air starts to grow colder and crisper, storefronts and magazines are treating us with sneak-peeks of fall and winter clothing in rich velvet, ebony beading, intricate lace, and fur (both real and faux). In short, beautiful fabrics and textures that remind us of the past, from places like St. Petersburg and Paris in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This was something that enveloped me like a big ermine cape when I had the opportunity to intern at the esteemed fashion house J. Mendel in New York this summer.
I found that in NYC right now the glamour of old Russia is present in the air, on the fashion runways, in the stores, in books and even on Broadway. During my stay in New York, I had the opportunity to see the hit musical, "Anastasia," which tells the story of the legend of the Russian Grand Duchess of the Romanov dynasty who supposedly escaped the execution of her family during the Russian Revolution of 1920 and sought to reunite with her grandmother Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna in Paris. I also saw "The Great Comet," based in part on Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy's novel War and Peace which is set in 1812, just before Napoleon's invasion of Russia and the burning of the city. The play is a fun, vivid portrait of Moscow high society and tells the story of the beautiful countess, Natasha Rostova and her loves and losses. In both productions, the costumes and sets of old Russia and music are stunning and I loved learning about these periods in history which I will delve into this fall in history class at Holton.
The essence, excitement and elegance of Imperial Russia and Paris are still very much alive at J. Mendel. Today, celebrities from Taylor Swift to Emma Watson to Selena Gomez wear J. Mendel's gorgeous frocks on the red carpet, and I was fascinated by the story behind the glamour, the history and legacy of this incredible family and fashion house. J. Mendel was originally established in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1870 by the Mendel family as a boutique specializing in luxurious furs based on the principles of extraordinary quality, unparalleled style and innovative craftsmanship. Word of the beautiful outerwear quickly got around and in short order, Joseph Mendel was commissioned by Czar Alexander II to create an ermine cape for his wife, the Empress Maria Feodorovna. Soon afterwards, the Mendel family became the official furrier to the Romanov family. Much later, in 1920, after the social and political upheavals in Russia portrayed in "Anastasia," Jacques Mendel moved to Paris to bring his techniques of elegant and innovative fur design to the house of Révillion. He then opened the first J. Mendel fur atelier in the center of Paris and a boutique on Rue Saint-Honoré. Half a century passed and it was time to make a change once again. This time it was in the New World, in the United States, when Gilles Mendel became designer and CEO of J. Mendel.
Gilles is the fifth-generation family leader of the House of Mendel. In a bold move, Gilles decided to leave Paris, where his family had been so long, for New York City. Why? Mr. Mendel shared with me that, "my family was mainly a fur company so as a young man, [moving to the U.S.] gave me the opportunity to expand the brand to the next level." Upon arriving in the U.S. he first opened a J. Mendel fur salon at the Elizabeth Arden Salon on Fifth Avenue. Ten years later, Gilles launched his own couture and ready-to-wear line to complement his fur creations and a fully operating "atelier" (workshop) in New York which met with quick success. In 2003, Gilles Mendel was inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America, an organization which celebrates top American talent in the fields of fashion design and later was also given an award for innovation in design by the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum. Gilles Mendel also has designed costumes for the New York City Ballet, something which as a dancer I loved learning about.
During my internship at J. Mendel I was able to observe all of the seriousness, attention to detail and creativity that reign in the Mendel atelier. Gilles Mendel is there every single day, talking to his creative director Kim Kyne, supervising pattern makers, looking and feeling fabric, making sure everything is perfect and in line with his tradition and aesthetic. Some of my internship at J. Mendel was glamorous but a lot of it wasn't, showing that there is a lot of grunt work behind creating gorgeous couture clothing! On most days, I ran around the Garment District visiting fabric shops, trimming boutiques and other textile providers to place orders or pick up items for the design creations. (Learning to navigate the streets of downtown New York was an adventure and learning experience in and of itself!) But I also got to help cut patterns for those exquisite J. Mendel dresses, research the internet for inspiration for their forthcoming collection and I even got the company certified on Instagram! I came to admire the incredible creativity, hard effort, vision and sacrifice that goes into making a brand like J. Mendel substantive and successful. And although some of the tasks during my internship were easy, others pushed me far beyond my comfort zone and made me really think about finding a way or making one in the real, working world.
Towards the end of my internship, I interviewed Mr. Mendel for this article. With visions of the costumes in "The Great Comet" and "Anastasia" still in my head, I asked Mr. Mendel whether his Russian and Parisian émigré background still was present as an influence in his work today. Mr. Mendel said, "The heritage of my family is the one essential part of my inspiration and the way I work today. What I learned from my family was the love for making products, with a very high level of craftsmanship. I used to always remember they had a lot of pride in making a garment and the inside of a garment had to be as beautiful as the outside. The making of the garment is as important as the design." That appreciation of family heritage and tradition and of being able to operate as a global citizen is something that really resonated with me as someone with an international background who loves the Global Studies program at our school.
I was also interested in what Mr. Mendel saw as the future of his business. He said, "In five to ten years we see J. Mendel as a full-fledged luxury house where we can really show all the products I would like to develop as a lifestyle brand, including leather groups, cosmetics, more accessories and home decor which I love very much. But we will still keep the brand a very special brand, a unique brand and we will keep it small." I liked the fact that Mr. Mendel has the vision to grow but will always maintain that careful commitment to craftsmanship.
Mr. Mendel said he believes that something the new generations look for is authenticity. He said, "We are really one of the last very few brands existing that is really authentic where the designer has the name of the family and is the owner and makes things home-made. In every collection there is always a part of my DNA that I represent." This view made me think about the importance of really valuing what we eat, wear and consume in this fast-paced, fast-food, fast-fashion world of ours.
Interning at J. Mendel was an amazing opportunity and made me grateful for the principles I have received at school such as a sense of responsibility, curiosity, and a tenacity of purpose. These traits enabled me to survive and thrive in a New York City internship as a high school student and play a teeny tiny part in helping bring the magic of J. Mendel and Imperial Russia to the fashion runways. I was so honored to be invited to come back to J. Mendel next summer. I will always take this learning experience with me and hope I can build upon it. As Anastasia said in the musical, "One step at a time, one hope then another, who knows who this road will go?"
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