As the old adage goes, the best things come in pairs, which couldn’t be truer for dynamic duo Catherine Teatum and Rob Jones. The ying to each other’s yang (Rob is the funny one, Catherine the more cerebral one), the pair has been making waves since it set up its luxury womenswear label, Teatum Jones, a few years ago.
Celebrated for its modern, polished, and bold aesthetic, last year the brand was awarded the highly coveted International Woolmark Prize for womenswear. Bonded by their shared love of human narrative, this season the took a stand by tackling the issue of poor representation when it comes to disability. Casting Kelly Knox, who was born without the lower half of her right arm, and Jack Eyers, whose leg was amputated when he was 16, in their autumn/winter 17 show, made it an absolute triumph. Here we meet the beauty and brains behind the British label.
1. They’ve always been into clothes…
Catherine: I gave a presentation to my school class at eight years old about how I was one day going to be a fashion designer. I couldn’t back out after that.
Rob: I started to make clothes from my mum’s fabric collection at five.
2. It was love at first sight…
Rob and Catherine: we met working on a men’s catwalk brand in Italy. We laughed ourselves silly all the way to the day we handed in of our resignation letters. We’ve kept laughing ever since.
3. They balance each other out perfectly….
Rob: I can make you laugh.
Catherine: I can make you think.
4. They are driven by human stories…
Catherine: We become captured by a poignant story, one that isn’t necessarily fashion related and one which usually revolves around adversity and survival. We like grit and gritty people. All the research we do in order to get as close as possible to the source of that story is translated into the bold fabrics, the colors, the silhouettes, the music and the production of the catwalk show.
5. If there was a movie of their lives, they would want to be played by…
Rob: Richard Gere.
Catherine: Jodie Foster.
6. Their dream squad consists of…
Catherine and Rob: God, Santa Claus, and the Easter Bunny.
7. Aside from fashion they love…
Rob: Seeing people!
Catherine: Having too much wine and laughing with mates until my cheeks fall off.
8. Friends describe them as…
Rob: Able to turn pretty much anything into a joke.
9. They’d describe each other as…
Rob on Catherine: Passionate, focused, and diligent.
Catherine on Rob: Crazy, positive, and a grafter.
10. If they could change one thing about the world, it would be…
Rob: I would take away the feeling of being offended.
Catherine: I would take away people’s ability to feel shame.
Credits
Text Tish Weinstock
Photography Mitchell Sams