The epitome of glamour
Charles and Ron took the local fashion world by storm when they burst onto the scene in 1992. Jo Caruana caught up with the formidable duo as they launched their latest collection. Charles and Ron's Birkirkara studio is where dreams come true. Hidden...
Charles and Ron took the local fashion world by storm when they burst onto the scene in 1992. Jo Caruana caught up with the formidable duo as they launched their latest collection.
Charles and Ron's Birkirkara studio is where dreams come true. Hidden behind a simple exterior once inside you're privy to a mesmerising mix of colour, warmth and to-die-for designs - couture loved and worn by women the world over. For fashionistas it's the stuff of fairy tales.
The journey towards their combined genius has been a drawn out one - Charles (Borg) was born in Malta while Ron (van Maarschalkerweerd) comes from Holland. They both have extensive backgrounds in the worlds of fashion and design.
"We're both self-taught," explained Ron, whose Dutch accent has become somewhat reduced thanks to his years in Malta. "Charles did spend a few months at a tailoring school, but he left soon after as he felt he wasn't learning anything. I studied personnel management but found that wasn't for me either and I turned to fashion, learning as I went along.
"When we met, Charles had already been working as a designer for a while - he'd been sewing for friends and family since he was 11 and had already built up a small database of clients. He wasn't taking it especially seriously though and, having seen his obvious potential, I encouraged him to develop on what he already had; it seemed obvious that we should work together. We opened our first studio in 1992 and called it Beatrix... the rest, as they say, is history."
The duo's first fashion show followed a couple of years later in 1994, a collaboration with local fashion industry stalwart and stylist Joe Fountain.
"Some people look back at their earlier work and cringe but for us those days were filled with fun and exciting memories. We still work with some of the people who were involved back then, so we must have been doing something right!"
Since, there have been numerous highlights, including appearances on world-renowned fashion TV shows.
"We were invited to appear on Casa Rai Uno on a programme by Massimo Gilletti. Normally they invite fashion icons like Chanel and other big name designers so we were extremely honoured to be asked. One of the co-presenters had spotted our collection during an exhibit in Naples and had asked us on the show. It was extremely exciting to know that our clothes were being seen by the station's eight million viewers!
"Another high point was participating in Toronto Fashion Week in 2006. The contact through that followed our participation in the local TV Moda fashion show - some journalists saw our work and invited us to attend as guest designers."
Their latest collection for autumn-winter 08/09, launched in full during the Malta Fashion Awards, turned heads for all the right reasons. They previously and consistently won awards at this event.
"This is quite a dark collection and we kept it under wraps until it launched. There are a lot of blacks and shades of grey with bursts of contrasting colours like cardinal pink and some reds. We've spiced things up with sequins and crystals and took our inspiration from the history books - fans will notice elements usually attributed to the Knights of St John, Joan of Arc and strong women in history. It's a merger of old with new; mediaeval styles have been adapted to suit today's trends. Some dresses even have a 'shield' which is reminiscent of protection but simply adds a delectable touch of glamour.
"Our clothes are, and have always been, extremely feminine, but they're definitely not designed for the faint-hearted! We always say that we design for that girl who wants to walk into a room and make an entrance, who wants to wow the crowd and be noticed. We're influenced by many things but the idea of Hollywood glamour has been recurring as well as a touch of the Mediterranean sexiness which runs through all our work."
So year on year, what is it that keeps the duo confident, current and creative, as well as at the top of the local fashion industry?
"I suppose it's the fact that we work extremely well together, Charles is more technical than I am whereas I focus more on the design and organisation side of things. We've made our mark locally and abroad and the fact that we're the only local fashion house which produces two collections and shows each year sets us aside. There is no other company which does this yet, which is a pity as there's a lot of local talent which isn't often showcased.
"Our future looks bright too as there's a lot that we're looking forward to and working towards. For instance, we've been invited to be the only local designers forming part of this year's TV Moda which will take place on July 5 in Gozo, another milestone."
Charles and Ron's Birkirkara studio is where dreams come true. Hidden behind a simple exterior once inside you're privy to a mesmerising mix of colour, warmth and to-die-for designs - couture loved and worn by women the world over. For fashionistas it's the stuff of fairy tales.
The journey towards their combined genius has been a drawn out one - Charles (Borg) was born in Malta while Ron (van Maarschalkerweerd) comes from Holland. They both have extensive backgrounds in the worlds of fashion and design.
"We're both self-taught," explained Ron, whose Dutch accent has become somewhat reduced thanks to his years in Malta. "Charles did spend a few months at a tailoring school, but he left soon after as he felt he wasn't learning anything. I studied personnel management but found that wasn't for me either and I turned to fashion, learning as I went along.
"When we met, Charles had already been working as a designer for a while - he'd been sewing for friends and family since he was 11 and had already built up a small database of clients. He wasn't taking it especially seriously though and, having seen his obvious potential, I encouraged him to develop on what he already had; it seemed obvious that we should work together. We opened our first studio in 1992 and called it Beatrix... the rest, as they say, is history."
The duo's first fashion show followed a couple of years later in 1994, a collaboration with local fashion industry stalwart and stylist Joe Fountain.
"Some people look back at their earlier work and cringe but for us those days were filled with fun and exciting memories. We still work with some of the people who were involved back then, so we must have been doing something right!"
Since, there have been numerous highlights, including appearances on world-renowned fashion TV shows.
"We were invited to appear on Casa Rai Uno on a programme by Massimo Gilletti. Normally they invite fashion icons like Chanel and other big name designers so we were extremely honoured to be asked. One of the co-presenters had spotted our collection during an exhibit in Naples and had asked us on the show. It was extremely exciting to know that our clothes were being seen by the station's eight million viewers!
"Another high point was participating in Toronto Fashion Week in 2006. The contact through that followed our participation in the local TV Moda fashion show - some journalists saw our work and invited us to attend as guest designers."
Their latest collection for autumn-winter 08/09, launched in full during the Malta Fashion Awards, turned heads for all the right reasons. They previously and consistently won awards at this event.
"This is quite a dark collection and we kept it under wraps until it launched. There are a lot of blacks and shades of grey with bursts of contrasting colours like cardinal pink and some reds. We've spiced things up with sequins and crystals and took our inspiration from the history books - fans will notice elements usually attributed to the Knights of St John, Joan of Arc and strong women in history. It's a merger of old with new; mediaeval styles have been adapted to suit today's trends. Some dresses even have a 'shield' which is reminiscent of protection but simply adds a delectable touch of glamour.
"Our clothes are, and have always been, extremely feminine, but they're definitely not designed for the faint-hearted! We always say that we design for that girl who wants to walk into a room and make an entrance, who wants to wow the crowd and be noticed. We're influenced by many things but the idea of Hollywood glamour has been recurring as well as a touch of the Mediterranean sexiness which runs through all our work."
So year on year, what is it that keeps the duo confident, current and creative, as well as at the top of the local fashion industry?
"I suppose it's the fact that we work extremely well together, Charles is more technical than I am whereas I focus more on the design and organisation side of things. We've made our mark locally and abroad and the fact that we're the only local fashion house which produces two collections and shows each year sets us aside. There is no other company which does this yet, which is a pity as there's a lot of local talent which isn't often showcased.
"Our future looks bright too as there's a lot that we're looking forward to and working towards. For instance, we've been invited to be the only local designers forming part of this year's TV Moda which will take place on July 5 in Gozo, another milestone."