BE L GRAVI A RE S I DE NT S J OURNA L 009

IN A LEAGUE OF HER OWN

Anthony Armstrong interviews one of the best curators
in Belgravia, Francesca Barrow, founder of Faonner
H
as brand become vulgar? I ask Francesca
Barrow the Belgravian curator of luxury
design over coffee at The Berkeley Hotel.
The point is that it shouldnt be. Its how one uses the
brand which is important, she says. In the 1950s, for
example, people contemplated brands with purpose.
There was an appreciation of quality, workmanship and
etiquette. Now there is lesser consideration of the history
and material of a product. Faonners purpose is to change
that, she adds enthusiastically.
Established three years ago, the business works
closely with leading brands to curate products for
presentation in high-end lifestyle magazines and for
display in Faonners exhibition space.
I ask what curating involves and discover that
to curate is to present a brand in such a way as to
bet its desired image, which, Francesca tells me, is
often marred by ill-considered promotion. Too often
nowadays the objective is to gain the audiences attention
through being controversial as opposed to being pure,
she confesses. As a result, a brand will approach me
for my honest contemplation of chic and for a more
sophisticated perspective.
Former shoot locations have included The Ritz and
No. 11 Cadogan Gardens, with every aspect overseen
by Francesca: the creative idea, the choice of model, the
most effective photographer, the location disparate
elements that must be combined to produce a work of
art. Achieving the ideal scenario where the creative team
shares a fantastic chemistry, the photographer understands
the objective and the model moves perfectly, is difcult
sometimes, she admits. But that doesnt stand in my way
of realising my vision and Im always pleased with the
result. That result is of both style and substance.
Dedicated to the integrity of what luxury should mean,
Francesca eulogises about her clients, such as Champagne
producer Perrier-Jout. The artistry of the bottle alone is
inspiring, but I wanted to encompass its history by merging
a French and Japanese aesthetic within an Art Nouveau
location. I ended up choosing the bar at the Savoy. I could
think of few places ner.
Fashion has rules. If you believe it hasnt, you cant
encapsulate true style, she expounds. Turning up at London
Fashion Week with pink hair for eccentricitys sake purely
to get photographed isnt good promotion. Style should be
signicant, timeless and noticeable for all the right reasons.
Not everyone is able to grasp the rules of fashion, and
it would be easy for Francesca to slip into condescension, yet
her congeniality and genuine interest in aesthetics are so plainly
evident as to render any such tone non-existent.
The interview is drawing to a close, so I ask Francesca
to dene Faonner in a single word or phrase. Taste maker
she replies, aptly. I consider the literal denition of the
French innitive to shape, to fashion, to mould and,
come to further understand Francesca. Shes an aesthete.
She seeks beauty in every aspect of her life, and, most
importantly, in other peoples lives too. The culmination of
those desires is Faonner.
(faconner.co.uk)
A brand will approach
me for my honest contemplation
of chic
T
he
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Francesca Barrow