Maddy photographed in her home by: Kasia Bobula
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On our recent trip to Europe we caught up with Madeleine Moxham. Maddy is a London-based Art Director/Stylist and Jewellery Designer. She discusses life in London as a creative, her career highs and fashion, art and interiors style.
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You're a talented art director/stylist & designer, how did you get there?
I studied a BA and an MA in fashion and design, then ran my own jewellery and accessories brand MOXHAM. For the last 5 years I’ve been working as a stylist and art director for a large UK fashion brand. It’s been so exciting to see how everything I’ve done before has fed in to where I am now. I feel I have found something I truly love. Having said that, I’ve got quite a bit I never get round to because I’m too busy having fun. I’d love to start making jewellery again and taking on more freelance projects. One day soon!
Tell us about MOXHAM.
I ran MOXHAM my jewellery & accessories brand for five years and during this time collaborated with and sold in some really exciting stores. I had a lot of press in magazines such as Vogue, Elle, In-Style, Harper's Bazaar and i-D. I amassed a really loyal fan base. Even now when I share images I always get people asking when I’ll do it again and if things are available to buy. Like all adventures it was full of highs and lows but is something I hope to revisit in some way in the future.
Any career highs?
Starting my brand from scratch which was sold at Net-A-Porter, Paul Smith and Luisa Via Roma among others and featured in Vogue.
Being name checked at the Oscars! Having the opportunity to work with and meet so many talented people along the way.
Really enjoying my work and having a great work / life balance.
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Arc Dusk candle sits next to the Moxham Rivera crown
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It’s been so exciting to see how everything I’ve done before has fed in to where I am now and to have found something I truly love.
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What is your favourite fashion piece you own?
I have quite a collection of suits that I love - all different shapes, styles and colours. More and more I’m becoming anti-dresses and I’m not sure why. I guess as you get older you learn what’s best for your body shape and to me a dress always seems too simple to feel like a proper outfit. Maybe it’s the stylist in me but I like at least 4 components in any outfit! I've got my eye on a few from Alex Eagle - I want to add her pinstripe and pistachio suit to my collection.
Who are your top fashion designers?
I always look at what Gabriela Hearst is doing - her clothing always has an unexpected element and is decorative in an incredibly modern way. It isn’t necessarily my aesthetic but I love the English eccentricity of Colville and the clashing prints and joyous colour. I’d buy all my basics from Joseph or Raey if I could and then jazz it all up with some metallic platforms from Saint Laurent!
Has fashion always been something you wanted to pursue a career in?
Yes. Not because I was thumbing through Vogue at 6 years old but because I love textures and fabrics, colour, creativity, and image making. I enjoyed textiles at school, studied fashion design at university and then starting designing making my own pieces. My journey to where I am now has been unique, it’s only now that I can see that all those little things that I did along the way, even the bits that seemed pointless or tricky at the time, all added value.
Tell us more about being name-checked at the Oscars?
Oscar winning costume designer Jenny Beavan had been in touch a few years prior so I knew it was happening but I didn’t quite believe her. It came at the perfect time, I had just had my second son during lockdown which was quite an all encompassing experience, so to have something so unique happening, friends and strangers sending me photos of it from all over the world, was a reminder of all the things I was good at professionally. That felt really wonderful.
My jewellery and accessories are oversized, statement pieces so to see it worn as true costume jewellery, for a film that won an Oscar for its costumes (and I was name checked in Jenny’s acceptance speech!), is so fitting.
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Photographed by: Kasia Bobula
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What are you coveting right now?
Some cowboy boots. I had a pair that I bought when I was 20 in a New York thrift shop and they’ve finally given up. I’ve decided this is going to be my look for autumn so I need to hurry up and find some!
Where do you tend to look for inspiration for your work?
Books. Current exhibitions. Instagram. Photos of things I remember taking and then have to spend hours scrolling back through my camera roll to find…
Friends from work bought me a book of French interior designer Jacques Grange’s recent work as a housewarming present. I have it on the coffee table in the sitting room and I’m always thumbing through it - it’s a treat for the eyes!
There was a Charlotte Perriand exhibition at the Design Museum a few years ago and I found the book while I was unpacking some boxes last week. I love her aesthetic and was inspired to use her lights in our home which feel minimal but super functional because you can angle the shade.
I'm currently obsessed with the work of photographer Romain Laprade who I discovered on instagram. The muted shades and 70s nostalgia of his work is so beautiful and some of the buildings he's photographed are just so iconic.
 
Left image Chanel Fall 23, Cowboy boot via vogue.com
Right image Alex Eagle
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Image Charlotte Perriand Book via Design Museum
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What is your favourite Arc scent?
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I love Florence, but Ever is my favourite - rose, cedarwoods and black pepper remind me of al fresco dinners in an English garden as summer rolls in.
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How would you describe your interior style?
I’d like to be a minimalist but I love things too much. Being in our new home means I’m trying to buy things that feel special to us and we will love forever - it’s a real privilege and joy. I love clean lines and neutral colour palettes but then I get distracted by an antiques shop and come home with multi-coloured trinkets. At least if you’re adventurous with lights and rugs and soft furnishing etc then you can move them around when you get bored.
Congratulations on your new house! Any plans for it?
Just slowly making it feel like ours. We had a house warming where we filled the bath with beers while the kids rampaged around and it was an amazing feeling to have your home full of people you love post pandemic. I bought a print by photographer Ana Cuba recently and I’m yet to frame it but I can’t wait to get it up on the wall. My mum’s best friend Ruth is an artist so growing up we were surrounded by her paintings. I have a few in my house now and love the large scale and big swathes of space and colour.
What is on your wishlist?
I love the work of botanical photographer Kate Friend. I have one of her prints in our bedroom but there is a bright red image of Icelandic poppies I always wanted to buy and sadly I think I’ve missed my chance!
An iron floor lamp from Sauce my partner has bought me a couple of wooden bowls from them for Christmas / birthdays and I love them. My son calls one of them the ‘nut bowl’ because we get it down at Christmas and it feels so special
A vintage travertine oval dining table - the only ones I can find are in France or Belgium and a million pounds sadly but the search continues
A born & bred South Londoner your know the city well. What are your favourite London spots?
Oh god this is impossible to answer because there’s too many so I’ll tell you my perfect day which is heavily based around food -
Lunch at Pique-Nique in Bermondsey Street, it’s a French restaurant in a lovely park and I’ve been there for lots of different occasions so it feels special. Followed by a walk down to London Bridge, past the Shard and onto the Tate Modern to see what’s going on there. Then over Millennium bridge and up to the Barbican, finishing up with dinner at Luca, an amazing Italian in Farringdon.
 
Forged Iron Giacometti Style Floor Lamp : Sauce
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Charlotte Perriand Bedside Lamp
Arc Florence, frankincense, wild citrus & sunlight candle
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How do you use scent in your home?
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I love making the most of small moments in life and often I do that with flowers, candles and food. A bunch of flowers from our local market to signal the weekend, a special dinner at somewhere I’ve been desperate to visit, lighting a candle of an evening - little things that bring such joy.
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Best spot for inspiration?
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When my eldest son Ralph was a baby, I used to head off with him in the buggy - nipping into shops and cafes and galleries. London and everything it offers inspires me which is why I’ll never get bored of it. In a city like this you can just walk anywhere and you’ll find something…
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The Barbican Conservatory, London
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