Interviews
'Made in Britain' luxury tailored labels are thriving
25 Oct '11
5 min read
Sandra Hill, creative design director consultant to such labels as Paul Smith and Christopher Kane agreed that: “you have to start with a clearly defined vision” and this can come from an “alchemy of different influences”. Drawing on her experience as design director with Paul Smith she took delegates through the process of establishing a successful new collection within a brand.
Inspired by a 1950's tailored riding jacket found in a market, Sandra Hill set about developing an identity for a new Paul Smith ladies wear collection. The original owner's name, Lady Leigh, was sewn into the jacket and the name of the new Paul Smith collection was born.
The design team tracked down the ancestral home, Stoneleigh Abbey in Warwickshire, of the original 'Lady Leigh' who became the muse for the entire collection. Family photographs helped inform the designs and Lady Leigh's own signature was replicated on the collection's label. A 1950's silk scarf bought in a vintage shop in Paris then inspired the colour palette for the collection.
Inspiration and vision are also the drivers for some of the most beautiful super-fine suit fabrics in the world made by Bower Roebuck, part of the Scabal Group. Raymond Ellis, head of design at Bower Roebuck has to design two new fabric collections a year and two new cloth innovations each season.
He explained: “In 1997 when I joined the company I was asked to produce a range of fabrics based on 12 original paintings by Salvador Dali hanging in Scabal's showroom in Brussels.” Some years later Scabal's chief executive officer came across diamond dust as a by-product of diamond cutting – he instructed the spinners to incorporate the diamond dust into a super-fine luxury fabric.
Most recently Bower Roebuck produced a fabric containing Lapis Lasuli, a gemstone famed for its healing and stress relieving properties and a new range of 80 percent Mohair and 20 percent silk blend fabric. The latter is enjoying its second season with Prada. He concluded: “Things are always changing. Go for it and try something different!”
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Inspired by a 1950's tailored riding jacket found in a market, Sandra Hill set about developing an identity for a new Paul Smith ladies wear collection. The original owner's name, Lady Leigh, was sewn into the jacket and the name of the new Paul Smith collection was born.
The design team tracked down the ancestral home, Stoneleigh Abbey in Warwickshire, of the original 'Lady Leigh' who became the muse for the entire collection. Family photographs helped inform the designs and Lady Leigh's own signature was replicated on the collection's label. A 1950's silk scarf bought in a vintage shop in Paris then inspired the colour palette for the collection.
Inspiration and vision are also the drivers for some of the most beautiful super-fine suit fabrics in the world made by Bower Roebuck, part of the Scabal Group. Raymond Ellis, head of design at Bower Roebuck has to design two new fabric collections a year and two new cloth innovations each season.
He explained: “In 1997 when I joined the company I was asked to produce a range of fabrics based on 12 original paintings by Salvador Dali hanging in Scabal's showroom in Brussels.” Some years later Scabal's chief executive officer came across diamond dust as a by-product of diamond cutting – he instructed the spinners to incorporate the diamond dust into a super-fine luxury fabric.
Most recently Bower Roebuck produced a fabric containing Lapis Lasuli, a gemstone famed for its healing and stress relieving properties and a new range of 80 percent Mohair and 20 percent silk blend fabric. The latter is enjoying its second season with Prada. He concluded: “Things are always changing. Go for it and try something different!”
Click here to read more details
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