Betty Bachz
THE FIRST STORY OF THE SECOND SERIES OF #HOUSEOFMOLTENI FOCUSES ON THE CITY OF LONDON, COSMOPOLITAN HOME OF INTERNATIONAL DESIGN, AND ON BETTY BACHZ - ENTREPRENEUR AND MODEL - AS ITS MAIN GUEST IN THE BEAUTIFUL LOCATION OF CARDI GALLERY.
YOU HAVE CHINESE DESCENDENTS, YOU GREW UP IN NORWAY, AND NOW YOU LIVE IN LONDON. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT?
That’s a interesting question, I think growing up in a immigrate family in a country where there’s basically almost no chinese or asians at all it’s quite confusing as a child.
I think it takes a long time to find your identity, it’s a journey and then it takes a longer time to get proud of every aspect of it, from your heritage to where you’ve been growing up, to where I live now, which I chose.
Betty Bachz
THE FIRST CATWALK AT 15, SUPER YOUNG. HOW DO YOU FEEL? WHAT YOU REMEMBER FROM IT AND WHAT HAS NOW CHANGED?
When I first scouted I wasn’t really popular as a child, so I wasn’t really used to be in the center of attention.
When I first got off my stage from my first catwalk it was a such genuine kick. All this energy and vibes that get you get it’s really really powerful and it becomes almost like an addiction, being on that stage, definitely I have to say I loved it.
Betty Bachz
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE LONDON?
I fell in love with London the first time I came here, when I was eleven, with my mom. Especially I fell in love with the music scene, I love this kind of like rock and roll vibe, grungy, indie. I think the thing that attracts me most about London is its acceptance and tolerance for being who you are that you can’t find in a lot of other places.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE AREA IN LONDON? A FAVORITE PLACE?
I think I really love northern London, I’ve always been based around. Since I grew up in Norway I’m used to the nature, so I really loved Hampstead, because it feels like you’re on the countryside but you’re in the city so you really get the best of both worlds, part of nature and part of the big city life as well.
HOW DO YOU CHOOSE YOUR WARDROBE?
I always secretly wanted to be a rockstar in my head, but I have no talent to back it off, so I like to dress like one and I still think I can be one. I take inspiration from David Bowie, even like Mick Jagger or Joan Jett instead of this typical fashion icons. I really love the mix of music and identity and just being you, individual.
ELAIN ARMCHAIR VINCENT VAN DUYSEN
PANNA COTTA COFFEE TABLE RON GILAD
HOW IS TO BE A WOMAN ENTREPRENEUR IN TODAY LIFE?
I think it’s really important to be supportive of other female entrepreneurs. It’s still very much a men’s world, people don’t realize that but we really in the minority still, so really encourage more women, female, young females to be brave, start a business, go for their ideas and I think it should be more initiatives to support us.
CAN YOU SAY MORE ABOUT THE MOY ATELIER?
We started Moy Atelier a couple of years back now, with my friend. It really started out of the idea of the eyewear that shouldn’t be so monotone, everything was looking the same and there was a lot of masculine shapes, so we really wanted to do the opposite, superunique tomboys still unisex brand but with feminine expression and we really took the idea of 70s retro genderfluid avantgarde.
TOMBOYISH AND 70S. THAT’S YOUR INSPIRATION.
Well I’m very much a tomboy myself, I’ve always been growing up and I’ve always been playing videogames with the boys in tshirt and hang out on the skateboard kind of vibe. The 70s came from my signature collection, it was inspired by Bowie, how he really reinvented himself all the time, again the gender-blending movement in 70s, the counterculture against consumerism. Then in the season that past we have different inspirations, we been inspired by Gloria Allred, the human right lawyer, we’ve been inspired by different movements and different nature element so yes, we’re really growing but the core is still very feminine.
DESIGN, PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION. CAN YOU PUT THEM IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE?
Design is the most most important thing for us. Then, obviously, production since it is important to get our dreams in place and make the product of our dreams, but after design.
And then distribution. It’s when people love what you do and that just comes quite naturally.
HOW DO THE SURROUNDING IN YOUR HOUSE INFLUENCE YOUR LIFE?
Your house is your sanctuary, it’s your space. I dress my apartment as I dress myself so with a lot of prints, quite a lot of art-deco 70s influences, lot of mix-match. I’m a maximalistic person, so my flat is quite overflooded by things I collected from my travels or gifts from friends. It’s filled with art.
House of Molteni: Ning Chang
Taiwanese actress and producer Ning Chang is passionate about design and has a deep fondness for Molteni&C. She worked with the brand to furnish her entire apartment with designs including the High-Line 6 kitchen by Ferruccio Laviani, the Monk armchair by Tobia Scarpa, the D.552.2 coffee table by Gio Ponti, and many more exclusive pieces.
Belgian Designer and Molteni&C Creative Director Vincent Van Duysen guides us around his home and city.
Mimi Xu, DJ, composer and sound artist, takes us into her creative world, exploring the interplay between music, sound and space, and revealing how her eclectic influences shape her artistic vision.