MY LONDON APARTMENT IN TELEGRAPH

www.telegraph.co.uk

High fashion meets children’s playroom in an east London warehouse, home to the stylist and creative director Nicola Formichetti.

By Francesca Gavin. Photographs by Andy Sewell 

In less than a decade, Nicola Formichetti moved from the shop floor of the boutique Pineal Eye to become one of the world’s most in-demand men’s fashion stylists. He is currently the creative director of Dazed & Confused magazine, a senior editor at its sister titles AnOther and AnOther Man and has worked with fashion brands ranging from Issey Miyake to Uniqlo. Half-Italian and half-Japanese, he divides his time between New York, Tokyo (where he has his own store, Side by Side) and his large warehouse space near Hoxton Square in London. The latter is filled with artworks collected from fashion shoots, junk-shop and retro furniture and a soft toy collection, which spills on to surfaces with plush abandon. It is a space put together by a highly creative individual – someone with the aesthetic confidence to place a Jack-in-the-box next to a Diptyque candle.

How did you first become interested in fashion?

Both my parents had a strong interest in it, especially my mum, and it just rubbed off on me. Living in both Italy and Japan as a child, I saw different ways of wearing clothes; going shopping with Mum was always exciting.

What connections are there between your work and where you live?

Living, playing and working are all so closely tied together for me that the buzz of where I live has always suited my needs. I have been living in Shoreditch for 10 years. It’s where I feel comfortable, close to the Dazed office and all the photo studios. All my friends live close by. It feels more like a community than anywhere else to me.

How long have you been in the flat?

I’ve lived here two years. My best friend used to live here. It was just a natural progression that when he moved out, I’d move in.

How did your toy collection begin?

I’ve been collecting since I was a child. It’s Japanese culture. I don’t have any specific toys that I like more than others, but I seem to have a lot of freaky-looking stuffed monsters.

Extracted from 'Creative Space: Urban Homes of Artists and Innovators’ by Francesca Gavin (Laurence King), available from Telegraph Books for £17.95 

Creative Space: Urban Homes of Artists and Innovators

Francesca Gavin