Jo Malone London has collaborated with fashion designer Richard Quinn on a limited-edition collection for the home. The fragrance and lifestyle house’s scents are given a flamboyant makeover using Richard’s colourful prints on the products as well as gift boxes, ribbons and other finishing touches.
Richard, who burst onto the international stage when the Queen and Anna Wintour sat next to each other in the front row of his Autumn/ Winter 2018 show at London Fashion Week, is known for his bold mix of floral prints and embroidery with subversive elements, such as hoods, masks and latex. As a graduate of St Martins’ MA fashion course, Richard’s clothes are as steeped in historical fashion references as they are inspired by the colourful characters of London’s myriad underground club scenes. This explains his loyal following of fans who alternate between Richard’s signature floral fetish looks and classically feminine shift dresses. Both represent the full spectrum of his world, a place where the romantic classicism of florals is gleefully and happily twisted into something unsettling and macabre.
The release of Design Editions by Richard Quinn at the same time as the arrival of spring is especially poignant. ‘Spring, for me, is all about new beginnings, new life, new kinds of nature, and so the timing is perfect, really.’
While spring is a celebration of new life blossoming, Richard very much hopes that his designs for the new collection will have a long afterlife. ‘I don’t like the idea of throwaway things, especially objects,’ he says. ‘We got sent a lot of Jo Malone London’s packaging and were struck by how tactile and luxurious it was, matte and textured.’ As a result, the boxes and accompanying designs were conceived of as keepsakes that will continue to be used long after the products have finished. ‘We’ve got three main stories with different edgings and different prints, and also different prints inside the boxes. It means that the boxes can be reused after you’ve finished the products, so you still have that memory. It’s all about that kind of eclectic, vintage nostalgia.’
The collection is now available exclusively at Selfridges, Selfridges.com. Brown Thomas (Grafton Street), Brownthomas.com, Jo Malone London Regent Street store and jomalone.co.uk
