I HATE MY COLLECTION

[CULTURE] Oleg Mitrofanov on his directorial debut on fashion film project 'I Hate My Collection - St Martin's Unveiled' - with a peek at what happens on the inside.

Watch video here:

I Hate My Collection - 1st TEASER from Markus Nylaander on Vimeo.

I first had the idea to make the film a while ago. It was winter and I was sitting with my friend Naoyuki, a fellow Saint Martins student, in a cafe in Soho. We were talking about films and how I had always wanted to make a 'real' film that would be shown in the cinemas or on TV. But that I wasn't quite sure what about though.

Saint Martins was still at Charing Cross road back then, as students we knew it inside out. I also knew enough about its history to know that a great many of the world's best designers and artists has passed through its corridors and it occured to me that it might be a good idea to make a film about that.

I started researching its history and realised to my surprise that no one had ever made a documentary about it, despite its standing as one of the most influential instituitions in London's creative industries. There had of course been interviews with tutors and former students over the years, but not a single full length documentary. Which was all the excuse I needed to get the ball rolling. I didn't have any experience in film making (eventually I had to buy a book on how to direct a documentary).

The project has attracted some fantastically talented, and very generous people. Emily Bilss, the founder of Home.corp, production company helped me to put the trailer together. My friend and former St Martins tutor, fashion historian and author Judith Watt agreed to be the narrator and conduct the interviews. Without her knowledge and sense of humour the film simply wouldn't be the same. By pure accident I met Markus, who agreed to be the director of photography, during the process of putting the trailer together I have already I learnt so much from him about film making. 

At the moment I am looking for funding to complete the project, there are so many people to interview and so many stories to tell, I am still not quite sure how to fit it all into one film. So many amazing people went through Saint Martins, that general public is not aware of. For instance the late Lucian Freud or the great Amanda Lear.

Judith Watt wrote a beautiful piece about the importance of Saint Martins and the film "Central Saint Martin's School of Fashion is such an important institution whose influence in fashion has been a vital part of British culture for the past 60 years. It has been a crucible of design and art talent, from Amanda Lear to filmmakers Derek Jarman and John Maybury to fashion designers Bill Gibb and Katharine Hamnett to Galliano, Stephen Jones, John Flett and Rifat Ozbek. While its more recent Alumni is topped by the late, great Lee (Alexander) McQueen, it has continued to irritate, agitate, cajole, push and propel creative vision from the newer voices of Jonathan Saunders, Richard Nicoll and Christopher Kane. It is telling that that all came from a rundown building in Soho, where so many tutors worked for the love of it. There was no-where else like it in the world and a film that cherishes its past and looks to the future is long overdue."

The trailer was put online few days ago and there are so many great reviews already. I had an amazing support from Susie Bubble and Grazia Daily and all sorts of blogs and online publications. It is all terribly exciting, if everything works out it, I hope this film could be the British response to 'The September Issue'. Fingers crossed! 

Oleg Mitranov is a Junior Editor of Acne Paper and Out There contributor. If you would like to register your interest in 'I Hate My Collection' or are in a position to help with funding please get in touch with Out There and we will pass your details on.