“If you are really interested in design, there’s no real boundary between clothing and interiors,” said Lucinda Chambers.
While it may not have been planned, Colville co-founders Chambers and Molly Molloy have leveraged their love of color, craft and pattern, sustainability and social impact, into a budding lifestyle brand, which, come Salone del Mobile, will include tables, their first furniture to add to their fashion and home textiles.
“There is no stopping us, we started in rugs, we’ve been working with female artisans in Bangladesh, who are disadvantaged but can stay at home and weave and earn a living,” said Molloy. “It was never a strategy, but when we moved into this building we needed some tables,” she said of the colorful cubes.
Everything the founders have done has been guided by intuition.
“We were bowling and then we said wouldn’t it be amazing to do a vase like a bowling ball, then napkins and glasses to also put on a table top,” said Chambers. “What we can bring is our sense of color and relevancy to their artisan skills.”
The fashion side is also steeped in their arty-bohemian sensibility, reminiscent of the good old days of Marni but with a 2022 social conscience. For fall, they mixed fluid feminine floral skirts and dresses with more streetwise oversized parkas, ribbed “ribbon-sleeved” sweater shrugs, and punchy pink-and-green athletic zip-ups. “It’s about protection and tenderness,” said Chambers of the theme, pointing to a wave cape that encapsulates both.
The founders are also growing the accessories side of their business, with raffia and sustainable leather bucket bags made in Colombia. And they’re starting to think about retail, with a pop-up now at Forty Five Ten in Dallas. “We spoke last night about popping up more in the U.S.,” said Chambers. “We might give L.A. a shot.”
Source: WWD