couture pour homme
photography by PAOLA KUDACKI
style by ROBERT RABENSTEINER
interview by CAROLINE GAIMARI
The German former model Sven Schumann is a brilliant interviewer and an aspiring writer. He created The Talks, a successful online interview magazine that he updates weekly, featuring
only the most sought-after icons — from Jack Nicholson, Anthony Hopkins, Mick Jagger, and Bill Murray to Viktor & Rolf, Nick Cave, and LeBron James. Charmed by Robert Rabensteiner, Sven agreed to return to his modeling days just for Purple.
CAROLINE GAIMARI — Where did you grow up?
SVEN SCHUMANN — Munich,the beautiful, conservative city in the south of Germany.
CAROLINE GAIMARI — Where do you live now?
SVEN SCHUMANN — I’ve been living in Berlin for six years. I travel a lot, but I like Berlin best. It’s a hub for everything. I love my friends — I spend most of my time at their places and at restaurants. Everybody in Berlin has a spacious flat, so the best times often happen in private homes.
CAROLINE GAIMARI — How would you describe your style? Did being a model of men’s fashion influence it?
SVEN SCHUMANN — I always liked nice things, but I was never crazy about fashion. As a child I loved cashmere sweaters and jeans, so my style is pretty simple. Lately I’ve been wearing suits, which I enjoy, strangely enough. But modeling exposed me to labels I would not have discovered otherwise. My favorite collection from my modeling years was Christopher Bailey’s Burberry Prorsum, not just because the clothes fit me perfectly, but also because Burberry — and especially Christopher — treat their models better than most of the others.
CAROLINE GAIMARI — Are you still involved in modeling?
SVEN SCHUMANN — I do have an interest in fashion, but modeling was something that happened by chance. I was never that into it. I did well at it for a while, and I met some great people, but there’s not much money in it for men, so it could never have become a career. Modeling was a tool to travel, meet beautiful girls, and be independent from a fairly early age. After two years of it, I moved from New York to Berlin, to study and to start working as a writer. I would take jobs here and there if they paid well or if friends were involved, but for the past five years modeling hasn’t played a role in my life. Purple brought me out of retirement, I guess.
CAROLINE GAIMARI — How did you decide to start your website?
SVEN SCHUMANN — Four years ago, I founded a company with Johannes Bonke called COLORSTORM MEDIA, which does media consultancy, PR for selected companies and individuals, and
content development for international magazines like Vogue, GQ, and Harper’s Bazaar. After a few years of doing that, I had the idea for The Talks, a weekly updated on-line interview magazine. I wanted to publish stories my way, with-out an editor telling me what to do. I wanted a place where people could be themselves without being censored. We don’t promote anything on The Talks — the conversations are always about the people and their view of life.
CAROLINE GAIMARI — How did you meet your collaborator, Johannes Bonke?
SVEN SCHUMANN — I’ve known Johannes since I was eight years old. We’re very close friends. On weekends and holidays we used to play tennis together in a small Bavarian town called Flintsbach, where Johannes grew up, and where my parents owned a country house.
CAROLINE GAIMARI — Who does what for the website?
SVEN SCHUMANN — All interviews on The Talks are conducted by Johannes or myself. We collaborate with a number of photographers, most frequently with the amazing Alex de Brabant.
CAROLINE GAIMARI — You’ve had some real icons on The Talks — Jack Nicholson, Michael Douglas, LeBron James, Meryl Streep. How do you get them to do it?
SVEN SCHUMANN — Over the years we built up contacts in the media industry through the magazines we worked for, so now we can set up appointments around the world. My involvement in the fashion industry also helps us with designers and photographers. We never just run into people and bother them for interviews. Everything is set up in advance. I’ll think of a few topics to talk about, instead of having a full list of questions. It helps to really listen — that way, you can have a real conversation. Ideally, we do our own photo shoots, as well. We’re getting more and more requests from people to be on our site.
CAROLINE GAIMARI — How do you select them?
SVEN SCHUMANN — I select people who actually interest me. It’s important to be interested in the person — it’s easier to get something out of them that way. I really enjoy talking to older men who’ve had eventful lives and careers. They’re not so worried about their public images, and so they’ll actually say something about themselves. I loved my conversation with the Pop artist Mel Ramos. The first answer he gave me started with “Picasso was so full of shit,” which is the way you want things to begin! Of course, it was also amazing to meet Jack Nicholson and Patti Smith.
CAROLINE GAIMARI — Were you ever interested in starting a print magazine?
SVEN SCHUMANN — I love print magazines, and I am generally interested in the idea of publishing one of my own. It was just easier to do it online. Besides, I don’t have the time to do a print magazine.
CAROLINE GAIMARI — What’s the next interview you have in mind?
SVEN SCHUMANN — I really want to do a story on Jack White. He’s the most badass guitar player of his generation.
END
Patent leather boots PRADA
Khaki wool double-breasted suit and cotton shirt RALPH LAUREN PURPLE LABEL, silk foulard PIOMBO, gold-plated silver necklace TOM FORD, and lace-up woven boots ROBERTO CAVALLI
Mohair tuxedo, white cashmere silk turtleneck, and black python boots ROBERTO CAVALLI, black Le Corbusier glasses MAISON BONNET, and chain necklace and ring DELFINA DELETTREZ
White and black polka-dot dressing gown with belt, wool canvas pants, and gold-plated silver necklace TOM FORD, vintage beige hat RALPH LAUREN, and black calf box boots PRADA
Gray check cotton and silk suit and belt GUCCI, silk shirt PRADA, Rabensteiner envelope clutch CORTO MOLTEDO, braided goatskin leather dressage stick HERMES, green silk scarf CHARVET, gold-plated silver necklace TOM FORD, and black python boots ROBERTO CAVALLI
Gray and gold silk and cotton jacket and pants HAIDER ACKERMANN and leather and silver python boots ROBERTO CAVALLI
Check linen jacket and pants, and patent leather boots PRADA
Three-piece wool suit and silk print shirt BRIONI, Uzbekistan silk velvet kaftan GIACOMO MANOUKIAN MILANO, brown calfskin and silver minaudière HERMÈS, gold-plated silver necklace TOM FORD, and black lace-up woven ankle boots ROBERTO CAVALLI
Beige cotton trench coat, leopard-print silk shirt and classic front-pleat wool pants ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, sapphire pony Susan clutch CORTO MOLTEDO, and Sloane evening slippers JIMMY CHOO
Black silk dressing gown LANVIN, cotton printed t-shirt DOODSKI, white cotton boxers and black calf box boots PRADA, and black Le Corbusier glasses MAISON BONNET
Black wool suit YVES SAINT LAURENT and calf box boots PRADA
Yellow linen suit and violet silk scarf LANVIN, black Sylvie G sunglasses MAISON BONNET, gold-plated silver necklace TOM FORD, and patent leather boots PRADA
Black lamé sweatshirt with zip detail and black military cotton pants GIVENCHY by RICCARDO TISCI, slippers STUBBS AND WOOTON, and iron and pearl belt FRANSCESCO SCOGNAMIGLIO for MISAKI
Silk and cotton dress RICK OWENS, double-breasted suit with Espadrillas pattern Z ZEGNA, gold-plated silver bracelet TOM FORD, and patent leather boots PRADA
Check linen suit and cotton shirt DRIES VAN NOTEN, vintage beige hat RALPH LAUREN, silk foulard ROBERTO CAVALLI, and black leather and metal boots BALENCIAGA by NICOLAS GHESQUIERE
White cotton shirt and bow tie CHARVET, black kimono GIACOMO MANOUKIAN MILANO, white Cambridge boxer shorts BIANCHI, Tropical cufflinks and buttons in oxidized silver and semiprecious stones with brown diamonds CARLOS SOUZA, Reptilians cartoon eye ring DELFINA DELETTREZ, and black python boots ROBERTO CAVALLI
Seb Bascle @ ARTLIST PARIS, hair — Christina Corbel @ JEDROOT, make-up — Hervé Sauvage and Céline Martin, set designers — Francesca Cefis and Valentine Bocciardi, stylist’s assistants — Sven Schumann @ MEGA MODEL AGENCY, model
[Table of contents]
BEST of the SEASON
by Terry Richardson and Carine Roitfeld
The Balenciaga Boutiques
interview with Nicolas Ghesquière and Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster
by Olivier Zahm
by Spencer Sweeney
by Alex Israel
by Caroline Gaimari
by Glenn O'Brien
by Olivier Zahm
by Sabine Heller
by Nathaniel Goldberg
by Camille Bidault Waddington
by Gardar Eide Einarsson
by Max Snow
by Robert Longo
by Olivier Zahm
by Olivier Zahm
by Anuschka Blommers and Neils Schumm
by Terry Richardson
by Paola Kudacki
by Ari Marcopoulos
interview with Nicolas Ghesquière and Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster
by Olivier Zahm