Creative Director Andrea Gelardin has worked with the likes of Lady Gaga, Prince and Riz Ahmed. She tells us about the importance of downtime, and how you should never say no to a dance party.
GM: Hi Andrea, where are you right now?
AG: In my mother’s house in Mallorca aka heaven!
GM: What’s the theme of your 2024 so far?
AG: My friend Connie did a Chinese astrological reading for me at the start of the year. Friendship came out as my theme of the moment, so I’m going to go with that: Friendship.
GM: As an internationally renowned creative director, you’ve worked on some incredible projects, with some phenomenal talent. How did it all come to pass? I don’t think there’s a BA in this…
AG: It all started when one of my mentors, Sue Whiteley, took a chance and moved me from the reception desk at Louis Vuitton into the Press Office. It was a very exciting time at LV, with Marc Jacobs at the helm. I went on to work on a range of art projects such as Art Talks with the National Gallery, and spent time travelling in Russia, when we partnered with artists for The Moscow Art Fair.
GM: I’m sure you always get asked about Lady Gaga, sorry. But can you tell us a bit about that period?
AG: Another exciting time as Ruth (Hogben) and I worked with Gaga during a period when she was making innovative music and acting in excellent films and TV shows. I was so lucky to have worked on the Joanne album and World Tour, Coachella and the Super Bowl, to name but a few.
GM: You are creative director of Broadwick Soho, W1’s newest hotel and hotspot. Has it been hard to tear yourself away? Or did you secretly move in.
AG: A bit of both! In the pre-opening phase last year we pretty much moved in, to make sure all rooms were slept in and all food, amenities, speakers, computer systems etc were tested, before opening the hotel to the public. It was a wonderful and unforgettable experience. Since opening in November, it has been relatively hard to tear myself away as the hotel feels like a part of me; there’s always something fabulous going on. It’s not unusual for me to be working on a journalist trip, art event, fashion launch, music night, photo shoot, and digital design piece all at the same time.
GM: How do you choose your projects? Do you have any non-negotiables, or criteria that must be met for you to take work on?
AG: I love collaborating with interesting people and brands, particularly if I think I will learn something new from them. I’ll only really work with people that I like and respect.
GM: I imagine there’s no typical day for you. So how about your dream working day, what does that look like?
AG: My dream day is one where the schedule allows for me to wake up and have breakfast with my son, before doing any calls or emails. I often have lunch with my colleagues either somewhere in Soho or at the hotel. There are invariably difficult discussions or creative conversations to have as part of my job, so we might as well have them over great food! Days on set shooting are definitely my favourites.
GM: What’s on the agenda at the moment?
AG: Ah, well we may have to remove this question as the two projects I’m working on are top secret…
GM: Ok, reluctantly moving on. I’m sure tech has made your work much more exciting in many ways, but also very difficult to disconnect. Do you draw strict boundaries on this?
AG: Not strict enough! It’s particularly tricky with Broadwick Soho, as hotels are 24 hour businesses and things crop up at all times of the day and night. I have done a few retreats in the past, totally disconnecting with no phone. I want to do another this year.
GM: What’s your strategy on time management? Working for yourself makes it hard to take time off.
AG: It is hard to take time off when you’re self-employed, but I have recently worked on not feeling guilty, given how important it is for my mental and physical health. I carve out time to spend with my family and to do the things I love, which has a positive impact on my work, and work relationships too.
GM: Where would we find you on a Friday night? At home, or out? Or out-out?
AG: Probably more at home in winter. But I rarely say no to a dance party!
GM: And finally, sleep. Discuss. Does a creative director get any?
AG: Not when you are in the thick of working side by side with an artist on a campaign or a show. It’s funny how artists, singers and fashion designers often get inspired to create their best work when the sun goes down!
April, 2024
