How fashion designer Erdem took inspiration from one of Britain’s last great duchesses

By Laura Beltrán-Rubio, De Montfort University

The British-Turkish designer Erdem Moralioglu is known for drawing inspiration from bold women and successfully dissecting their personalities to create elegant fashion to worldwide acclaim. His latest muse for his spring/summer 2024 collection was Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (1920–2014).

Known as “Debo” to her family, the Duchess of Devonshire was the youngest of the famous Mitford sisters, born in London in 1920. In 1941 she married Andrew Cavendish, the younger son of the Duke of Devonshire, who became the heir when his brother was killed in action, and took up the title when his father died.

Debo was famous for being the lady of Chatsworth House and championed it her whole life, playing a key role in its restoration and helping to develop the house and grounds as a successful commercial operation. As well as being a famous society beauty, she also enjoyed country life, and loved to tend her chickens.

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Far from a comprehensive portrait of Debo’s style, Erdem’s collection is a creative reinterpretation of the passions and fashions of a muse the designer never personally met, but got to know intimately through her belongings and surroundings.

Debo’s archive and Erdem’s reinterpretations are now the subject of Imaginary Conversations, a new exhibition at Chatsworth House, the family seat in Derbyshire.

Erdem’s respect, admiration, and perhaps even affection for Debo are evident from the moment you walk into the exhibition. So are the themes shaping it: passions split between a rural and elite society lifestyle, a profound passion for Elvis, a collection of bug jewels and, of course, Chatsworth itself, a stunning English baroque stately pile that is a hugely successful visitor attraction.

The first piece on display is an unravelled tweed suit representing Debo’s love of gardening outside of her royal engagements. “I liked to imagine the raw edges of this suit being ravaged by her chickens,” explained Erdem. Unfinished edges reappear throughout the exhibition, including two damask opera coats with picked edges on display.

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