‘I didn’t even know what an emoji was.’ Fabulous.
94 year-old fashion maverick Iris Apfel is getting her own line of custom emojis. Isn’t that the most fabulous thing you’ve heard all day?
The style influencer, who has been an interior and fashion designer for over 60 years, is designing her own cartoon keyboard, alongside creating a new clothing collection for US department store Macy’s.
‘Everyone [who interviews me] asks about the emojis; and I didn’t even know what an emoji was,’ she told Fashionista. Perfect.
‘It’s not the most awful thing,’ she said when asked what the design experience was like. ‘For me it’s rather silly, but it’s generational, so if it makes the kids happy, then...’
It does make the kids happy Iris. We’re really, really happy. In fact we can’t wait to share those signature oversized specs in emoji format, and predict bold new lip colour symbols, exotic birds and colourful costume jewellery galore. Beats Kimojis, any day of the week.
Iris started her career as a reporter for trade journal Women’s Wear Daily before launching her textiles company in 1950 which she ran until she retired the first time in 1992. The New Yorker has been enjoying a second peak in her career over the past couple of years thanks to a surge of interest in her unique, colourful personal style, being hailed a style icon all over again and becoming the subject of a blog Advanced Style, and a 2015 documentary about her life.
Her clothing collection and the new emoji keyboard will both launch this September, just in time to see the rare bird of fashion take her front row seat at fashion week.