Robert Burke, former SVP of fashion and public relations for Bergdorf Goodman, is the current president and CEO of Robert Burke Associates, a luxury brand consultancy that counts Marc Jacobs, Vera Wang and Bulgari among its clients. He’s also the cofounder of CounterpART, a project he began with art adviser Sharon Coplan Hurowitz with the goal of creating defined, unique collaborations and alignments with fashion designers and artists. He recently sat down with Hurowitz to discuss the “aesthetics and beauty of fashion and art,” while Gotham listened in.
ROBERT BURKE: You just penned John Baldessari’s Catalogue Raissoné. What’s next?
SHARON COPLAN HUROWITZ: I have quite a few new projects right now, foremost among them is the launch of CounterpART. I am excited, as I know you are, about the potential of marrying the world’s leading contemporary artists with interesting retail projects. To me, it strikes a chord with many themes that [appeal to me], including the interplay of celebrity, commerce, fashion and art.
RB: How does art influence your style sensibility?
SCH: I think art has an overwhelming influence on how I see things, including the way I present myself. I am most interested in the aesthetics and beauty of both fashion and art. There are avant-garde designers whom I deeply respect, most notably Comme des Garçons and Maison Martin Margiela, but I don’t tend to wear their clothes. I suppose I’m more adventurous with my art than with my clothes.
RB: What exhibit shouldn’t I miss this spring in Manhattan?
SCH: Without question, the Dakis Joannou collection that Jeff Koons is guest curating at the New Museum. The choice of enlisting Jeff Koons as curator, in my mind, was brilliant. He has an undeniable ability to capture the pulse of contemporary culture, and it will be fascinating to see the collection through his lens.
RB: What’s on your spring fashion wish list?
SCH: Too much. I think editing is the issue. I am a big magazine subscriber and I religiously tear out pages with things that I love and try to wheedle my list down to the bare minimum. I was at the Isaac Mizrahi spring/summer 2010 fashion show and this violet sculptural-ruffle minidress was a favorite of mine from the spring collections. It was a showstopper and something I get a kick out of wearing.
RB: Would you rather buy a great new piece of clothing or an undiscovered artist’s new work?
SCH: It is alarming how cost prohibitive both can be. The question really comes down to satisfying a public or a personal desire. Clothes have such practical applications, but in the end are more transient. I guess the answer has to be art, which if bought correctly, has a far longer existence and adds a little bit more to your life. I guess with CounterpART, we can make both happen!
