London Interview: Eliza Poklewski

In this limited series, Design Observer features conversations with creatives from the inventive, implacable, cultural melting pot that is Nashville, Tennessee. In her new book Word of Mouth: More Conversations, author Lily Hansen takes conversation with others from chore to professional vocation, and as author and oral historian Studs Terkel put it, talks with creative people “about what they do all day and how they feel about what they do.”

We selected four such conversations—with illustrator Rebecca Green, apparel and shoe designer Phillip Nappi, photographer Jeremy Cowart, and tattoo artist Elisheba Israel—to enlighten us as to what they do, why, and how they found their creative voice within that unique fabric that is the Music City.

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Eliza Poklewski Koziell is a shopkeeper and style icon based in London. As the proprietor and face of Felt, a cult boutique frequented by celebrities and socialites, Poklewski stays true to her mission: have no fear and never be driven by money. Poklewski loves self-employment as it allows her to create a schedule around her life and family. And, while inherited accidentally, Felt also just happened to change the course of Poklewski’s life.

Where did your fascination with vintage jewelry come from?

I worked for a man named Bennie Gray who owned some very famous antique markets in London. By accident, I ended up running a couple of them. My first introduction to antiques was dealing with dealers. I fell in love with anything old because as soon as you buy anything new it’s worth exactly fifty-percent.

Bennie was obsessed with auction rooms and had this gypsy dynamic. If he was eating cakes, we ate cakes. If he was fasting, we fasted. He was like a dictator and actually gave me instructions from his bath, which I thought was perfectly normal. (Laughs) Then the next man I worked with was obsessed with dumps and car boots, which are obviously a level down. I spent all of my time on a motorbike with him going around the city.

Would you call those gentlemen mentors?

I absorbed their wisdom by osmosis. Call it baptism by fire. I had gone to Florence to study photography and then decided that I wasn’t good enough. Then I came to London where I worked at an ad agency, which I hated. One day I answered a job listing which brought me to them.

The third man who had a fundamental influence on me was director Peter Greenway and the final, my husband and architect Philip Gumuchdjian.

How did you go from the antique industry to working on film sets?

I met someone who introduced me to Peter and hired me as his assistant, which I did for the next eight years. We worked together on films, major installation projects, books, and operas. Through him I got to meet the most interesting people in the world.

Very busy people will hire you if they sense something and trust you. They’re too crazed to find someone else.

What do you think he saw in you?

Very busy people will hire you if they sense something and trust you. They’re too crazed to find someone else. I was not obsessed with films, which suited him, as most assistants want to be directors. I simply liked working by myself in a crazy studio in the middle of nowhere. He just went with it.

When did the idea of opening Felt first cross your mind?

I did it by accident and it changed the course of my life. I knew the store was available and then one day a friend of mine said, “I’ll open it with you.” Post-film world, I had an advertising business, which wasn’t a great moment in my life, and then became a mother and thought, what the hell am I going to do?

From the advertising business I learned to only work with people that I like, and the importance of being numerate. A couple of people wanted to back me when I opened Felt but I didn’t want that pressure. As I tell my son Oscar, “If you spend 12 pounds and you’ve only got 11, then you’ve got a problem.” That’s the only thing you ever need to know in life. Shop keeping isn’t about complicated algorithms. You buy something and you sell it.

What did the first few weeks of your shop look like?

I read a book all day. Nowadays when people launch a brand they do their market research and get their branding sorted. I had no idea we’d become a cult shop. When I found out that Vogue had written an article on us, I rushed around to put up a landing page. It’s why I look like a complete wreck in that photo.

Do you ever consider expanding your brand?

No. I don’t want to manufacture more rubbish.

This interview has been edited for length. Read the full interview in Word of Mouth: More Conversations.