HEAD IN THE CLOUDS – WITH GERGEI ERDEI

For the arrival of one's newest scent, Solaris, Penhaligon's are delighted to have commissioned former Gucci womenswear designer and interior expert, Gergei Erdei, to create a limited-edition scarf in celebration of the celestial fragrance.

Setting up shop in London, Gergei Erdei owns his own design studio, focusing on home décor and exquisitely unique accessories for one's abode. Upon the creation of Solaris, Penhaligon's knew instantly that Gergei was the perfect person to design our exclusive scarf – with his work so closely tied to zodiac iconography throughout the decades.

Yes exactly. I think in a perfume everything needs to harmonise or work coherently. It's a story locked in a bottle that makes people react differently.

The way I design any collection is also about telling a story and is about giving you tools through everyday objects to transform your home to be part of a different universe. In a collection, or even just on one print design, the elements need to work in a balance. The colours, and even the fabric, plays a big part in the final printed artwork. Certain designs work well on a linen but won't work on a silk twill. Then the presentation, packaging and campaign is also adding more layers to the story, so does the music you choose, or the typography on your label. These are all tiny ingredients that need to work together to get that final scent to your perfume or collection.

It really depends on you. Personally, I love how Queen Elizabeth II wore her scarves on her head while hunting. I think if you wear this on your head with a white t-shirt and vintage denim that could be a very cool French Riviera style. Or, just fold it and pull it through your belt loops to use it as a belt. I love the golden hues with a nice stone-washed vintage denim, so denim is my big suggestion. If you want to style it in a more elegant way for the summer, you can wear it as a turban for the beach with a black swimsuit, pearl, or gold earrings. It works really well with emerald green tones too.

I usually like to layer different periods. I have a love affair for antiquity because I used to live in Rome, but I am also really into chinoiserie and East-Asian motifs, which I used a lot in my latest collection. I think my works are really about the effect, and to make an instant impression. These days I am really into the late 80s brutalist movement. I tend to make every collection coherent with each other, and you can see a story line if you look at the visuals on my Instagram. I think as a creative it's important to have a language you speak, and notes people can identify with you, but I also believe that you need to be open for new things and you can't always go back to the same inspiration. I always come across new impressions, so of course my work, and even my personal aesthetic, will change every now and then.

I always love every piece that I launch. I never publish any designs that I wouldn't like to use around me. I am proud of my whole brand because I always strongly believed that I can launch something that is different within the homeware market, and I can curate the designs with a more "fashion" trained eye because of my background in womenswear. Whenever I speak to an interior designer or architect, they always point this out even if I don't bring up the topic, and it's always the best feedback when industry people understand what you do. If I need to choose one item, I would say the cushions are the greatest pieces because they are one-of-a-kind on the market, and they instantly uplift your interior. It's always hard to create something that has a commercial awareness but is covetable and comes with an artistic flare, yet functional.

In London I go a lot to the Victoria and Albert, The British Museum, and to fairs like Frieze and Pad. London is a great hub for research because there is always something happening in galleries. Phillips always does amazing furniture auctions. There are also many great vintage stores where I sometimes do print research.

I think it's always helpful to be in a place that is very different from what inspires you. At an instant glimpse we can say that London is very 19th century, so definitely not 1970s Beverly Hills.

But this difference helps the brain to invent something fictional, almost a fantasy. You often think about something more creatively when you don't experience it, however, I found the Oliver Messel Suite at The Dorchester which really gave me a lot of colour inspiration for my latest collection as it has the perfect Hollywood regency palette with notes of Chinoiserie and a big amount of theatrical campness - which I love.