In Conversation: Erdem

More than 20 years after leaving the RCA, Erdem will look back on his career with Zowie Broach, Head of Fashion.

They’ll talk about what the College gave him, how ERDEM has grown since his first womenswear collection in 2006, and what he’s learned along the way.

His runway shows have been shown at places like the British Museum, National Portrait Gallery and the V&A, and he was awarded an MBE in 2020 for his contribution to the fashion industry.

There will be time for audience questions, followed by drinks and a chance to catch up with fellow alumni and friends of the College.

Biography

Born in Montreal to a Turkish father and British mother, Erdem Moralioglu graduated with an MA in Fashion Womenswear from the Royal College of Art in 2003. His first womenswear collection debuted in 2005 and quickly gained recognition with its language of poetic and modern femininity.

ERDEM has forged its own path in the industry, centering each collection around a forensically researched narrative and a belief in the power of craftsmanship. Collections are formed with a muse in mind, depicting previously untold stories of heroic women.

ERDEM has received global recognition and industry accolades, including the 2010 inaugural British Fashion Council / Vogue Designer Fashion Fund Award and the 2014 BFC Womenswear Designer of the Year Award. The brand opened its flagship store in Mayfair in 2015. In 2020, Erdem was honoured with an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his contribution to the fashion industry.

A passionate supporter of the arts, Erdem has shown his collections in a series of historically and culturally significant London locations, including The British Museum, The National Portrait Gallery, Sadler’s Wells, White Cube and The V&A. In 2024, Erdem opened Imaginary Conversation at Chatsworth, an exhibition dedicated to the process of creating the Spring Summer 24 collection and its muse, Duchess Deborah. Erdem collaborated with The Royal Ballet, designing costumes for Christopher Wheeldon’s piece, Corybantic Games, the ballet debuted at The Royal Opera House in 2018 and returned to the stage in 2023.

Pieces from Erdem’s collections have been exhibited globally, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, The Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and The Palais Galliera and The Louvre Museum in Paris.

For two decades, Erdem has established an exuberant language of femininity that transcends fashion to inspire strength and confidence in the women for whom he designs. It is a passionate language that is evocative and eccentric in character, fluently spoken with a beauty that is intense and romantic.