Central St Martin’s MA graduate Richard Quinn (left) has won the 2017 H&M Design Award, and he has also created a collection that will be available at H&M’s London flagship store at Oxford Circus from October 5, and in selected online markets.
Londoner Quinn, 26, designed a colourful collection that explored couture, 1950s and 1960s imagery, and 1960s upholstery, resulting in distinctive shapes, exaggerated silhouettes, and head-to-toe prints.
His collection features a strapless ball gown inspired by Dior’s New Look, complete with corset and tulle inside and a balloon hem—yet it pops with bright colours in a floral print. A floral-print suit, right down to gloves and boots, sparkles with colour and, surprisingly given the inspiration, modernity, while Quinn’s trench-coat design is oversized with 1980s’ padded shoulders and a rose-print lining.
‘Throughout this whole experience, I’ve been encouraged by H&M to really hold true to my aesthetic and not water it down. I wanted to create intelligent pieces that people would want to wear—and I think we’ve done that,’ said Quinn.
‘We believe that Richard’s collection is a great combination of creativity, technical skills and ethical thinking, which has beautifully translated into outstanding pieces that are fashion-forward yet wearable and desirable,’ said Ann-Sofie Johannson, H&M’s creative adviser and the Award’s jury chair.
The jury comprised Johansson with H&M’s long-serving creative adviser Margareta van den Bosch, The Business of Fashion’s CEO and editor-in-chief Imran Amed, Style.com fashion director Yasmin Sewell, influencer-marketing firm Social Zoo’s creative director Pernille Teisbaek, and Azalle and Zanita Studio creative director Zanita Whittington.
Meanwhile, H&M has given a date for its store opening in Wellington, New Zealand, at the Queensgate shopping centre of October 26. It will be the Swedish retailer’s third store in the country, following Sylvia Park in Auckland and the Crossing in Christchurch.
The 2,700 m² location will feature apparel, underwear and accessories in H&M’s Men, Women, Kids and Baby lines, and H&M Home.
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