Soft Taboo: An Interview with Andreas Kronthaler

All photos by Lukas Gansterer

When we met with Andreas Kronthaler for this interview, we didn’t know what to expect. We heard the most outrageous rumors, of which licking male model’s nipples before fashion shows seemed to be one of the more harmless. But we also knew that in interviews he famously keeps his secrets to himself.

Kronthaler grew up in a tiny picturesque village in Tyrol amidst the Austrian Alps but instead of becoming a skiing instructor or whatever else it is they are doing up there, he left for Vienna to study fashion design under Vivienne Westwood in the early Nineties. By then, Westwood already had built up quite a reputation of being unconventional and full of contradictions. On the one hand she creates high-priced, pompous evening gowns yet doesn’t stop talking about the devastating effects of global warming. She is known as the queen of punk, all the while dressing the Hollywood elite. Her fashion is shocking, ripe with sexual connotations and references to the BDSM scene. The fact that Westwood and the much younger Kronthaler fell in love with each other and married shortly after, fit her infamous public image like a shiny latex glove.

Our preconceptions don’t add up to his soft-spoken voice with the heavy Austrian accent though. He carefully chooses his words avoiding touchy subjects and even seems shy at times. Yet there is no hiding in the fact that he is a hot piece of meat and obviously has a wild side. He is an incredibly hard worker and perfectionist and manages the men’s fashion department of Vivienne Westwood. His wife calls him the most talented man she ever met.

VICE: I would like to emphasize that you are one of the few rebels left in the business, specifically, a recent campaign by Juergen Teller featured your butt naked wife. How was that for you?
Andreas Kronthaler: This was Juergen’s idea, but he asked me in advance. He did this very cleverly because he wanted me to sound it out with her. I have no problem at all with the nudity. He is a great photographer and we know each other well. It was also a beautiful day – I think it was Boxing Day. He came over with his family, his two children and his wife for a drink. Then they shot the nude photos. I don’t question it and I think it’s beautiful. She is a woman who stands for something. She doesn’t have any surgery. It’s un-retouched beauty, even if it may sound naive.

I love the image of femininity that you preach because it’s all about boobs and waist.
Yes, these are ultimately facts which you have to use. I've learned this from Vivienne right away and that is what I appreciated so much in her. She is a woman, designing for women. Femininity has also attracted me to her, from the first moment on. I absolutely found myself in it. It was like enlightenment. It sometimes happens in life that someone touches your soul. You can immediately feel that everything is right and you have to hang on to that.

You also collaborated with Pamela Anderson.
She has even become a good friend. Great person! She is a fierce advocate for the environment and animal welfare and is also a terrific mother. Back then she was at a fashion show and I had asked if she wanted to work with us. She said yes and we flew over to Los Angeles. That was somewhat cheaper than coming to London. At that time she still lived in a trailer in Paradise Cove, a "gated community" in Malibu. It was the first time that I really saw her. When we arrived, she was driving down this mountain, in a white buggy, only wearing a men's shirt and nothing else. She was barefoot, her hair open, all made up and insanely beautiful. I've never seen anything like it! I was there with Vivienne and Juergen and she invited us into her mobile home. We photographed for two days straight.

You're a family man and also had a close relationship to Vivienne's mother.
I loved her like crazy. She lived on the countryside until she was 80 years old, only then she moved to London so she could be closer to her three children—she died at 94. I got to know her properly this way. She was a very cool person. I regularly visited her once a week, every Friday evening I went over. Finally, I bought a big old car and we drove 200 meters to the pub and had a beer. This gave her so much pleasure. We always talked.

Her mother was always well dressed – with a feather boa and a great skirt. She went to dance classes and has always had boyfriends up into old age. She simply enjoyed life just like Vivienne. She also loved music and had a great record collection with lots of rock and roll. She always had good advice. Every time I talked to her, it was like Chicken Soup for the Soul. I do not know if that was the wisdom of the age or her character.

You always seem so quiet in interviews and reserved. It differs strongly to how you dress or how I perceive you in photos.
I have a completely different side and that it's very temperamental.

But you don’t show it in interviews obviously.
Yes. I can be a difficult person if something does not work out the way I imagine it. I always want it my way. In that regards I make it too difficult for myself sometimes, but too many people make it too easy for themselves. I notice that often with young people. They simply like or dislike something. I don’t accept that. Get involved and don’t believe everything! They are sitting in front of their computers and then are extremely disappointed when the real thing is in front of them.

How do you perceive the current fashion scene? Are you satisfied?
I am living in London and I have recently found myself again. I don’t want to get into details, but I have just gone through a crisis. Now I am looking at a lot of things again, going to exhibitions, archives and going out again too. I was living quite secluded these last years, but the scene seems to be interesting as far as I can tell. A lot is happening right now and a new generation is emerging. But can they stand a chance? We are living in a world of fashion shows and big names. The trend towards luxury is irritating. There are people buying a crocodile handbag worth thousands of pounds, wearing it with Jeans and a sweatshirt. I don’t know what’s supposed to be luxurious about this. You know, it just doesn’t make sense.

But the trend points in a different direction, large chains satisfy our greed for luxury. They are churning out clothes that you throw out again the very next season.
Unfortunately, this is the throwaway society in which we live—it's blind consumerism. I don't understand it. When someone buys something, he should consider whether he needs and likes to have that. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against things that cost a lot. To me it is more about the attitude towards how you consume things. You do not need six sweaters, when you have one.

Are you living like this? Do you look after of your things?
I take extreme care! I have things that are 20 years old and I still like and wear them. Vivienne is even more extreme in this regards and she is also so economical—very English. People there are wearing things until they are falling apart in the truest sense of the word. And that has nothing to do with rich or poor. I have seen aristocrats who had moth holes in their jackets. A great tweed jacket is made for you and it suits you. It is lived in and has a quality that you cannot imitate. Today there is this trend to make everything look old and washed out, turned inside out and twisted. I do that too in fashion sometimes, because certain fabrics are simply better when you wash them or it is beneficial for the cut. But a leather jacket that you buy new and then it looks as if it was old!?

And such a crime against the environment!
Yes, that brings us to denim, one of the biggest problems. That is why now we also do a denim collection with minimum ecological washes. One can make a huge difference, although you cannot entirely avoid it, but reducing is a good start.

Is this a reason why you have rejected the collaboration with H&M? Because of the wasteful and irresponsible use of resources they promote?
That was not necessarily a reason. It just did not feel right at the time. If they would ask again, it would probably be different. We would have to add some meaning to it though.

Are you proud of the fact that you are not part of a major brand?
Totally! This is such freedom. You are your own master and responsible for yourself. It is a different starting-off point and I miss this nowadays. There are more and more designers hired by large corporations.

You sell luxury items but at the same time you preach sustainability. How would this work if you were part of a big company?
It would not work out anyways, because they would simply not approve. This dichotomy can be difficult. My wife, Vivienne is sometimes saying it in a naive way, but that can make it powerful. She is very aware of the naivety. Fashion and clothing has always been a platform for her to express her views. She did it 30 years ago and sticks to it now. And you can’t just close your eyes. There are too few people out there who are in these positions and really speak their minds. She is one of those.

Climate revolution sounds a bit passé, like Al Gore or saving rainforests in the 90s, no?
But the concept of Climate Revolution is working out better and better. Vivienne wasn’t even being taken seriously from inside the company, but she pursued the project independently and it is still growing. She has currently got so many platforms and cares about them so much. Two girls are constantly working with us on climate issues exclusively.

Does she simply want to provoke or is she really that interested in climate change?
She genuinely cares about it. She is such a do-gooder, she wants to make the world a better place and is risking her neck for it. That's her character. For me? I don’t know, maybe I'm too stupid or too clever, either one.

I think it's brave that she allows an issue outside the glamour world be important. Many designers downright emphasize their disinterest in reality.
This is a world that takes you over completely and other issues are often of little concern, because the whole day is spent trying to indulge in the beautiful. I don’t criticize that but I know what you mean. The long-established big designers are one thing, but it’s the young generation that doesn’t stand up for anything, that worries me.

Suzy Menkes has written a long spiteful article about the "fashion circus". She specifically tackled the bloggers, who she thinks, are corrupt and would be openly bribed with gifts from brands and designers. Are you disappointed in the young scene?
Disappointed? Maybe I know them too little. A huge number of them follows the well-established paths. They all want to sell and have success. I am not sure whether it can survive as meaningless as it is. When you're young, you have to be a little crazy and it doesn’t even have to be political: take a risk, play around and be playful—that's whats missing!