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Alex.
meet.
"Curator and retail guru"
The term eagle-eyed finds new meaning in curator and retail guru, Alex Eagle. Cool, collectable and oh, so chic, she even lives laterally – and this week she lets us into her carefully curated home and studio. Known for her eponymous store, Alex Eagle Studio, in Soho, and her collection of conceptual shopping experiences; The Store – in London, Oxfordshire and Berlin – it is clear upon meeting Alex in her natural habitat – a loft apartment above the busy streets of Soho – that there is a reason her opinion and her careful selections are some of the most coveted in the creative industries, that conveniently seem to unify in the spaces that she so carefully creates.
Whether it be the perfect placement of a plant pot, or the designing of her own products, the logic with which Alex navigates every decision is seemingly signified by the attention to detail that she applies to every space she is entrusted with, which – exemplified perfectly in the towering cactus in the corner that has been playfully reimagined as a hatstand – always seems to see her deconstruct the familiar to reimagine it as something different or to understand it in a different context.
Now the namesake designer of her own luxury clothing and homewares, that are utilitarian in intention “with an actual functionality to them” but still of the highest quality in nature, Alex is uninterested in designing clothes to the restraints and deadlines of the typical fashion calendar. Instead, she seeks out longevity and strives to find it in the highest quality design and materials, taking the time to ensure that every aspect is perfect before the item is offered for sale for an indefinite amount of time.
Photography by Timo Wirsching.

Alex’s eagle eye developed as a buyer for Joseph, refining her know-how with stints at Harper’s Bazaar and Tank Magazine, before developing her space in Soho, London, an inviting design and retail oasis on its slicked streets. Alex lays out a path of instructions to her devotees, on how to curate your own luxurious living space. It’s one Alex has toiled over since she was little, when her mother would find her in her bedroom, moving around all her furniture in the middle of the night, “with a very serious face…. Until the next week where I’d move it all around again. I always liked seeing things in a fresh way.”

Alex’s style obeys a few simple laws; it is less about the things you accumulate than it is about the life of those things: “Often there’s no need to change things in life, you can work with what you have.” Alex’s knack for curation obeys a logic of minimalism, imbuing items with a new lease under new light or surroundings. It is this Kondo-like sense of wonder for the simple that gives, in Alex’s words, “so much joy.” The ‘feel’ of things lies at the core of Alex’s concept; her store mimics the pleasure of nosing the shelves of an especially chic friend’s collectables.

Eagle found her own so coveted that she would sell them on to friends, coffee tables, mirrors, and keepsakes: “I just recognised that this was something that I really enjoyed and that maybe it was something that people really liked, this idea of shopping for furniture or art while shopping for clothes or being inspired by glasses by having an actual drink, shopping from a home. So I moved my flat into a shop!” But by setting it in a retail environment, it loses the frisson of discovery. To foster a warm feeling, and allow one to linger, is “really important”, as is having “no hard sell.”

Eagle sees our homes as decorative, a culmination of small embellishments that tell a story: “I don’t think home has to be full of familiar things, or make you feel nostalgia or make up your past. It’s having a few things that embellish your life.” It’s a philosophy of luxury that is rooted less in emotion, more in the way streaks, blots, riots of colour and detail might swivel your mind’s eye away from the everyday and into something beautiful. It is the mining of things for emotion that Eagle prizes, but she understands this is a practice we do for others, more than for ourselves: “I think one of the nicest things is treating yourself as if you were your favourite guest.” She behoves us to choose your “favourite mug, a beautiful linen oversized napkin, a Venetian glass, you know, making a cup of tea look so pretty as if you had a guest coming…. I think that’s one of the biggest luxuries, giving yourself the respect and time, using the beautiful things you have for yourself as well as for a guest.”

When faced with new collaborations, the collections of clothes and home-ware for which Eagle is a byword, she looks to hone in on what the organising principles of a designer. Her collaborations tilt such industry starlets on their axis and offer them to us anew: “I thought I may as well go to the originators of these great things, rather than trying to emulate or copy them. They have decades, and in some cases over a hundred years, of experience in making. So, why not use their skills, why compete?” This, after all, adheres to the number one lesson of luxury, that less is more: “Buying one thing perfectly and letting it grow and adapt with you, this [is the] idea of real luxury.” The soothing pull of luxury is not one we can repeat, we are not hardwired to be able to receive such consistent dopamine surges of joy at newfound things. Eagle recognises this: “I think it’s this idea of not having to constantly consume but waiting and saving and buying something and really having it as a part of your life. I want to inspire people to enjoy luxury.”

As in style, so in life—the young Eagle, shifting the makings of her childhood bedroom, trying to tune into a certain frequency of life that pleased her and soothed her on an aesthetic as well as an emotional level. It’s what she looks to achieve with the Store, with her brand collaborations, with her career. After all, she says, “Once you find something you love, make it your life.”

By Kezia Navey and Jonathan Mahon-Heap.
stream.
"Stylish Streams"

What’s on Alex’s digital fingertips?

1:

 

The Great
HULU

 

“Incredible cast, brilliant script, so stylish so funny and even a tiny bit factual.”

2:

 

Normal People
BBC

 

“Normal People was a great book by Sally Rooney and they made a brilliant tv adaptation of it. Beautifully written, directed and casted. A painfully beautiful, honest romance.”

3:

 

Mad Men
AMAZON PRIME

 

“I love revisiting old faves. Mad Men is my all time favourite TV series.”

4:

 

Instagram
APP

 

“Instagram for seeing all my friends, brands and companies I love and for inspiring interiors and images.”

5:

 

Spotify
APP

 

“For all my favourite songs and playlists I have put together over the years that bring me joy.”

shop.
"The Curator's Curation"

What makes the cut? Find out what the ultimate curator, curates.

‘Visage No.197’
Pablo Picasso
£12,705.00
The Beau Shorts
Alex Eagle
£115.00
Table Klein Blue™
Yves Klein
£16,085.27
Stack Earring
Alex Eagle x Otiumberg
£157.65
Daybed
Jean Prouvé
£25,000.00
Hunza G X Alex Eagle Polly Swimsuit
£155.00
Murano Glass Tumbler
Giberto Venezia D'Annuzio
£82.00
UltraFragola Mirror
Ettore Sottsass
£7,320.00
Conversation Piece Sofa
Eagle & Hodges
£15,000.00
Ben Kelly Column C7
Ben Kelly
£20,305.00
The Rich Cream
Augustinus Bader
£192.58
AESC Gardening Cap
Alex Eagle Sporting Club
£26.00
explore.
"Stunning Spots"

Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella
Via della Scala
16, 50123 Firenze FI
Italy
“Santa Maria Novella in Florence – for everything from candles to their famous pomegranate bath salts and oils.”

Phonica Records
51 Poland St
Soho
London W1F 7LZ
“Phonica Records in Soho – an easy place to spend hours hanging out listening to amazing collections of records and Latest releases.”

Restaurant OGATA
16 Rue Debelleyme
75003 Paris
France
“Ogata in Paris. One of the most inspiring and beautiful spaces in terms of architecture design and the best Japanese food.”

Marylebone Farmers Market
Aybrook St
Marylebone
London W1U 4DF
“Food shopping at Marylebone Market – Windrush Valley goat dairy for the best cheesecake and peppered goats cheese outside of France.”

Hotel Il Pellicano
Località Sbarcatello
58019 Porto Ercole GR
Italy
“Il Pelicano – for their seabass, tennis, Amanaditta cocktails and best curated shop in the world.”

Hotel Tresanton
27 Lower Castle Rd
St Mawes
Truro TR2 5DR
“Hotel Tresanton in Cornwall – stunning views, idyllic setting, and the freshest dip in British sea.”

Hay-on-Wye
Hereford
United Kingdom
“Hay-on-Wye – a beautiful and idyllic spot in Wales, for their literary festival and endless book shops and white water rafting.”

Gelupo
7 Archer St
Soho
London W1D 7AU
“Ice cream at Gelupo – for the creamiest gelato and amazing new flavours every week – fresh mint stracciatella is one of my favourites.”

Bocca di Lupo
12 Archer St
Soho
London W1D 7BB
“Sitting at the Bar at the restaurant Bocco di Lupo in London’s soho. My favourite dish is their Roman lettuce with lemon dressing, it sounds boring but it is so fresh and delicious I always go back for more.”
read.
"Bookshelf"

1.
A House is Not A Home
by Bruce Weber
“The images are so iconic of the time and have been referenced by so many since- his narrative is always so playful and indulgent and wonderful to get lost in.”

 

 

2.
A Passion for Jean Prouvé- From furniture to architecture
by Jean Prouvé
“I reference Jean Prouveé in my work on a daily basis, so this book is a personal bible to me and so many others. He is the king of mid century and his work inspires so much of what I do.”

 

 

3.
Allure
by Diana Vreeland
“An inspiring insight into her glamorous and maximalist attitude towards culture and creativity.”

 

 

4.
David Hockney Poster
by Artwork
“Britain’s best loved national treasure – his posters are so nostalgic fun and uplifting.”

 

 

5.
Eating At Hotel Il Pellicano
by Antonio Guida, Juergen Teller, and Will Self
: “Such a wonderful book combining amazing photography, brilliant recipes and exceptional design. Not to mention it’s all based in my favourite place in the world.”

 

 

ask.
"Caviar on baked potato"
Get to know Alex like you never have before.

What does the word “taste” mean to you?
Alex:
The feeling of being drawn to an item, style or place that resonates with you.

Do you have a life motto that you live by?
Alex:
Less is more, more or less.

What was the last thing that made you laugh?
Alex:
My daughter this morning pretending to be baby hedgehog.

What are your favourite qualities in a human being?
Alex:
So many, but kindness, loyalty and humour.

Who is your hero?
Alex:
My husband.

What is your biggest flaw?
Alex:
I am overly optimistic with time.

What is your best quality?
Alex:
Generous.

What would your last meal on earth be?
Alex:
Caviar on baked potato.

What does success mean to you?
Alex:
Being able to do what I love every day.

If you had the power to change anything you wanted in the world, what would you change?
Alex:
My metabolism 😉 only kidding. So many things but one at the top of the list would love to make central London pedestrianised.

END.
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