By any measure it’s been a big year for Christopher Esber.
The Sydney-based designer, who launched his eponymous brand in 2010, was the first Australian designer to win the prestigious Andam prize, awarded in Paris in June. He was chosen by a panel that included Kering CEO François-Henri Pinault, stylist Emmanuelle Alt, and jury president and Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello. Part of the prize includes mentoring with Vaccarello.
It was, says Esber, a surreal experience.
“It was quite daunting, but I felt somewhat at peace just before I entered the room, which was strange for an introverted person. I was just like, ‘I’ve been doing this for a very long time – if I can’t talk about it, who can?’” he says with a laugh.
One of the most memorable moments was seeing legendary French actress Catherine Deneuve, a guest judge, viewing his collection.
“Just seeing Catherine Deneuve look through the collection and say, ‘Wow’ … I was kind of speechless. There were a lot of great conversations and a lot of them were actually familiar with the brand … You kind of have that moment where you’re like, OK, you obviously work hard and you pour everything in, but to know that the brand has reached certain people in some ways is quite a nice feeling,” he says.
To say that the brand has reached certain people in certain places is to put it lightly. Esber’s sensual designs have been worn by cool girls the world over, from Dua Lipa to Zendaya, Emily Ratajkowski and Eiza Gonzalez. In September last year he made his debut on the official Paris Fashion Week schedule, and in November in Australia he picked up the Designer of the Year award at the Australian Fashion Laureate.
