By now, most of us should have our summer essentials; cool-girl slip-on slides (check), towelling cape (check—practical yet luxurious!), Missoni beach trousers (check), sleek one-piece (check). Soon, however, a completely new tsunami of possibilities will be rushing their way in-store, almost without any warning at all. And when they hit, they will sweep away all your inhibitions (and your old turquoise two-piece) and catapult your wardrobe into winter, spring and beyond. Be prepared to make style waves and then ride them with your surfboard. Face the rays in a neon animal-print bucket hat! Display your sun-kissed body under an embellished sheer-layered dress! Look magnificently opulent in a faux-fur midi coat! It’s guaranteed to add that essential eleganza extravaganza to any summer ensemble. You own everything, baby. These are just some of the resort pieces from House of Holland that will reach stores this November. This November? Yes, because don’t you fancy decamping somewhere tropical for winter sun? Bonnes vacances…
I understand that the prints for your spring/summer 14 collection were created by a tattoo artist. How did you go about creating the prints for the resort collection?
This season the starting point for the prints was that we wanted to do our own interpretation of animal prints. The collection started out as “crazy cat lady” leopard-print-mad lady, and once we got working on the prints and the colourations then it became much more tropical, and about the textures and layers of the fabrications.
What is the strangest thing that has inspired your prints?
I think maybe the pantone colour chart book that inspired the prints for our pantone collection. I also just love those paint cards you get from DIY shops – that was part of it too!
I heard that you’re a bit of a movie buff. Have any films influenced the direction of your collections or shows?
Well Clueless, Romeo and Juliet and Empire Records have all inspired shows of mine in the past. I LOVE Working Girl but not sure how chic the whole skirt suit and trainers thing is… hang on that’s totally the new Chanel!
It’s definitely Chanel! But using humorous slogans (‘My Pussy, my rules’) isn’t exactly a House of Holland signature feature… What made you decide to explore this on the bomber jacket from your resort collection?
This is a sexual health slogan from the 70s, I think, and it just made perfect sense for a collection filled with big cat prints – no?
It makes perfect sense, but using fur for a resort collection doesn’t. Won’t we get a bit… hot?
It’s always winter somewhere in the world! The seasons are becoming more and more transient as people sell in a global market. Resort is summery but it lands in store in the UK in November, so the fun fur is perfect!
You usually have a message behind your collections, is there a message behind this one too?
I wanted to create a hot tropical collection with a more relaxed beach bum girl in mind.
How much do you get involved with the casting side of things?
Pretty heavily. I think my label is really about conveying a certain attitude and that’s so important when it comes to casting. It’s important for me that the girls have a bit of something about them, a fun personality. Otherwise there is a real danger of them looking out of place in the clothes.
If you were not designing, could you see yourself doing anything else?
I studied journalism and I think I would still be writing if I wasn’t designing. I loved writing.
Speaking of love, I noticed that Harry Styles is a fan of your work. What person would you most like to come to one of your shows?
Dolly Parton would be pretty legendary.
Before I forget, happy birthday for last month. How did you celebrate it?
I went to my Mum’s place in France.
Did you take Peggy (your dog) with you?
Yeah I took her on holiday for the first time to see my Mum – she loved it – there’s a massive garden!
What do the French think of House of Holland?
You mean “le maison du Holland” my Mum is singlehandedly promoting us all over rural France, so they seem to love it.
Credits
Text Adam Fletcher
Photography Henry Holland