Hotel Chocolat’s Halloween Collection 2011:
Thoughts on inspiration, beauty and skulls
– and, a meeting of minds…
I have had the fortune to work with some of the world’s most chic magazines and brands. My aim is, and always has been, to create beauty. The inspirations for my designs and objects come from everything and almost anything. But, although the sources changes, some inspirations remain the same, as I have come to realise over the years – I am very precise about what I like, it just happens to be very eclectic.
Fredrik Ahlin, London 2011
A conversation, during Vogue’s Fashion Night Out last month, made me think even further about the importance of inspiration and what fuels Creative Directors, and through them their brands. I was out for cocktails with Agent Provocateur’s lovely Creative Director Sarah Shotton. Amongst a lot of gossip we touched on the subject of inspiration and what has shaped us, and we realised that we share a lot common references. We would both love to live at Studio 54 back in the 70’s, dressed by Saint Yves or Halston (preferably both…), listen to Bowie and of course Sisters of Mercy… all this is of course is not so strange given that I like Agent Provocateur, but
still …
As I mentioned before, I always strive to make things beautiful, even if they on the surface are different, or even scary. For Hotel Chocolat’s Halloween Collection 2011, I wanted to do something special, something very, very chic. I wanted to create a chocolate skull decorated with edible 24 carat gold.
” – I WANTED to do something special, someting very, VERY CHIC. I wanted to create a chocolate skull decorated with edible 24 carat gold. I wanted it to be precious. And, more importantly, I wanted it to be glamorous and unlike anything else previously done with chocolate! “
The Limited Edition Headonism Chocolate Skullis a life-sized skull finished with precious, 24-carat edible gold and cast in extravagantly smooth 40% milk chocolate and award-winning 70% dark. Presented in a tailor-made midnight black box for the ultimate horror-chic showpiece! Headonism has been created as a Limited Edition of 150, and as such is only available in selected stores and online.
Hotel chocolat: www.hotelchocolat.co.uk
Hotel Chocolat’s Summer Collection 2011:
A FASHION STATEMENT
- much like a bag or the colour of your nails…
It’s been in the shops for quite a while now, but it still makes me very proud to see it on the shelves in Hotel Chocolat. For this years summer range I drove inspiration from Art Nouveau and Art Deco. I wanted a classical, yet colourful feel that evoked the glamour of past times, as well as complimenting the zeitgeist in fashion.
– I GUESS, in a way, that I always want to create the PERFECT ACCESSORY with my work for Hotel Chocolat. The boxes, or what ever they may be, should be an extension of the person bearing it – a statement – much like a handbag or the colour of your nails.
Hotel chocolat: www.hotelchocolat.co.uk / www.hotelchocolat.com
New York, May 2011. Not the last week on Earth…
A SAVAGE BEAUTY, 4 Hotels, 5 Nights and the END of THE WORLD that didn’t happen…
At the end of May I went to New York. The main reason was to gather inspiration and of course to catch up with Mark (@MHVogue) and Kristoffer, two dear old friends of mine. It was, as always lovely, I had a fabulous time and the city of New York always gives me new angles and sends me of in new directions. Mark told me for example about how people in the US currently are very fond of the expression “super, super nice!” and I guess it pretty much sums up the trip…
Inspiration is something that is much needed, especially if you, like me, are busy working on the trends and the creative direction of 2012. More specifically Christmas 2012… I stayed at four Hotels during this five days trip. It was by choice, not out of necessity. There is something special about hotels, the nicer one’s at least, and I find a lot of the inspiration for my work at Hotel Chocolat through just experiencing different hotels.
I love the opportunities that staying at a hotel brings, the opportunity to meet people and for people spotting. All the effort that goes in to the experience fascinates me. I started of at On Rivington, not that great in all honesty. The rooms are nice, but that is really it, and the restaurant was closed. It just felt a bit worn down. The second night I stayed at ACE hotel, wish was absolutely lovely. Amazing service and amazing food by lovely people (As it should be, they do have a star in Guide Michelin…) Outside ACE I spotted a tall, skinny and very pretty blond woman in very, very high heels, looking at me and giving me a very sweet smile. It wasn’t until afterwards that I realised who she was – Gwyneth Paltrow – it’s a small world…
The third night I spent at W hotels Times Sq. It was quite interesting, but maybe not my cup of tea. So, I was very happy to move to Soho House for the last two nights. Soho House is as always amazing and it feels like coming home in many ways…
Savage Beauty at The Metropolitan New York
The main event during my stay in NY was the Alexander McQueen Exhibition, Savage Beauty at the Metropolitan Museum. It is an amazing testimony to the creative genius of Lee McQueen and the heritage that he left behind after his death. The exhibition is a must see if you are in NY. Lee once tried to explain and, I guess, defend his aesthetics with the following words:
“– People find my things sometimes aggressive. But I don’t see it as aggressive. I see it as romantic, dealing with a dark side of personality.”
Oh, yes… I almost forgot. The big news on CNN and in the US during that week was that the world was about to end. As we all know it didn’t, and it transpired that the cults prophet had done a slight miscalculation – the end of the world is apparently to be expected in 2012. I will however continue to work on Christmas 2012 in the meantime…
Soho House New York
Metropolitan Museum: www.metmuseum.org
Ace Hotel: www.acehotel.com
Soho House New York: www.sohohouseny.com
Experimental Patterns published by Rockport
JACKIE HERALD has recently curated a mesmerizing book about PATTERN designs from around the world.
The BOOK includes several of the patterns that I have created for British cocoa grower and luxury chocolatier Hotel Chocolat…
In the book Jackie has included a brief introduction to my work: Fredrik’s focus is on fashion, beauty and luxury brands. Swedish by birth, Fredrik is now based in London as Executive Creative Director at Hotel Chocolat. The brand has a fashionista approach to chocolate as accessory to celebration and seduction, using colour and pattern to entice and communicate. “Desire”, inspired by lace and sex, is intended to encapsulate the moment of seduction in a pattern. On the other hand, the “Forever Jack” variations on the union flag are a British cocoa grower and chocolatier’s homage to all things British… – Thank you Jackie for all your hard work, and thank you Jorgen Ahlstrom for the beautiful images.
Jorgen Ahlstrom: www.jorgenahlstrom.com
Hotel Chocolat: www.hotelchocolat.co.uk
Junior Design Awards 2011
TOYS, Buggies and ALL things children…
For the July issue of the beautiful British parenting magazine Junior I was chosen, alongside Sophie Ellis-Bextor among others, to be one of the judges of the inaugural Junior Design Awards. Slightly random, but great fun!
My contributor’s piece reads as follows…
Fredrik Ahlin: The Return of his parents from a trip to the US proved defining moment for Stockholm-born Fredrik. They had brought back every Star Wars toy from Universal Studios, fuelling his passion (we think he’d like our review on page 17). Creative Director of Hotel Chocolat, Fredrik is also father to Rakel, five and Isak, four.
juniormagazine.co.uk: www.juniormagazine.co.uk
Cox, Cookies & Cake – Very Naughty treats…
Sex, glamour, English wittiness … and of course the best cakes in London!
LAST SEPTEMBER my obsession with cupcakes, an obsession that only is rivalled by my obsession for macaroons and chocolate, stepped up to a whole new level. Famed shoe designer PATRICK COX had joined forces with award winning french master patisserie ERIC LANLARD, from Cake Boy Bakery, to set up COX, COOKIES & CAKE…
Canadian-born Patrick relocated to London in 1983 and quickly made a mark with his Wannabe shoe line. After 20 years in the fashion industry, having just briefly departed from his eponymous shoe label, he was ready for a new challenge – the answer, or rather answers, a pop-up nightclub in Monaco and cake shop in Soho.The world that Eric and Patrick have created is like nothing else. There are no limits. It’s like a glamorous sex shop designed by David LaChappelle. It’s like a nightclub with great music and black walls with art by Tracey Emin. But, most of all it has the most wonderful and creative cup cakes in London. There is a red skull and crossbones cake that is just amazing, there is one with Salvador Dali’s red lips and there are many, many, many more. As the season changes and to coincide with major events, like the recent Royal Wedding and of course Kylie Minogue’s latest stint at the O2, new and even more delicious and stunning cakes are created… As Patrick says: Tom Ford can make a movie, I can do a cookie… I will testify to this – they are nothing short of heavenly!
– I was wondering if the best was behind me, had the high point of my career already happened. Then I saw what Manolo had done, and some of his best work happened after he turned 40. But I also realised that I do not want a retrospective of loafers.
Cox, Cookies & Cake at 13 Brewer Street in Soho, London.
Cox Cookies & Cake: www.coxcookiesandcake.com
Soho House Berlin Etc.
48 hours in Berlin – The Capital of Cool!
I haven’t been back in Berlin for many, many years… But, LAST WEEK I HAD THE PRIVILEGE TO SPEND a couple of days in the capital of Germany
The way that this amazing cityhas changed, it might as well have been in a different life time!
Soho House Berlin
I stayed at the always lovely Soho Hose. One can hardly go wrong in a massive 90 Sqm room with en suit steam room, freestanding bath tub, oversized sofas, amazing big bed and two(?) oversized flat screens… –pure joy and some well deserved luxury.
During my sadly too short stint in Berlin I covered a lot of ground and saw a lot of fascinating and thought provoking things, the trips main reason was after all to inspire me. The two things that really stood out was MYKITA and the Helmut Newton foundation. MYKITA is the designer behind the glasses worn in Sex in the City 2 and Helmut Newton foundation is an entire museum dedicated to one of the true icons of fashion.
Mykita - very stylish shop with very lovely staff...
Berlin today is an even more fun place than I remember it. It’s very different to anything else. In short, normal rules don’t apply. It feels like you are following Alice down the rabbit hole. Here a shop named M1, that sells beautiful fashion and accessories from Celine, Margiela and Acne, has purposely trashed there exterior and painted it with graffity (M1) and at F95 you are greeted by a big white and completely empty space leading you to believe you are at the wrong address. On the contrary. At the back of the white space is a staircase that leads down to an amazing shop, completely underground and totally painted in black. Why? – because they can… it’s Berlin after all…
The Helmut Newton Foundation
Soho house Berlin: www.sohohouseberlin.com
MYKITA: www.mykita.com
Helmut Newton Foundation: www.helmutnewton.com
AM1, AM2, AM3 and Etage: www.andreasmurkudis.net
F 95: http://f95store.com