Building on the heritage of the brand Hakan Rosenius has been inspired by the most glamorous eras of Asprey – the 1920’s and the 1950’s. The collection for women focuses on sophisticated and structured evening clothes in fabrics that have couture qualities – the kind of clothes that flatter fine jewellery. His original aim to avoid retro or vintage looks and to give the collection a modern yet timeless feel was ably shown at last season’s debut. The menswear collection includes classic pieces given a modern twist through fabric or colour – cricket sweaters, Epsom coats and flannel suits in burgundy or olive. Both the mens and womens collections are essentially urban – not a tweedy, rural version of Le Style Anglais. Accessories, especially shoes and bags, follow the same classic mood but come in shapes that are shrunk or oversized with bold locks and clasps, often in exotic skins.
His fusions of Western and Eastern cultures result in eccentric and unique collections which mix sportswear, high octane glamour and craftsmanship. His collections which also include accessories are hand-made and hand-finished in India in his own in-house factory workshops. This summer he was asked by Tori Amos to design several key outfits for her forthcoming world tour. His other VIP customers include Madonna, Jerry Hall, Victoria Beckham, MIA and Lily Allen.
This season the collection is all about contradictions. Smooth fabrics play against harder textures; masculine silhouettes flirt with the more feminine and romantic touches of ruffles and flounces. Geometric design and Japanese pattern-cutting techniques are the driving forces behind the new shapes. The colour palette moves through off-whites, concrete greys to inky black that contrast with fluorescent shades of orange, green and pink.