Rodnik S/S 08 London

[Dustcakeboy]

All pix from Getty

 

[Dustcakeboy]

Getty

 

[SomethingElse]

The Designers: The charmingly eccentric duo of Richard Ascott and Philip Colbert met at St. Andrews University where ‘we received no fashion training whatsoever’. In fact they studied history and philosophy. Building a label completely back-to-front they began with an idea for a brand selling their original creation a crochet scarf made from pookh (wool combed from the beards of Russian mountain goats) to Browns and Barneys in 2003 and only then set about designing a collection. The fashion world was fairly quick to recognise something original in this unlikely pair whose fans include Julie Gilhart, Lily Cole and Karl Lagerfeld who featured a pair of the Rodnik trademark mini parasols in a recent shoot for Chanel.

The Collection: For all their outward quirkiness they obviously like girls to look like girls. So their new collection, begun in 2007, is about conservative, feminine, prettiness. Combining unusual fabrics, autobiographical prints and structured design they create fresh clothes that are quirky yet sophisticated. They focus on flattering shapes producing a collection that is versatile, and most importantly for them, wearable.

News: They win New Generation sponsorship to show for the first time at London Fashion Week. Having formed their not quite famous fashion rock band, they embark on a mini world tour in September entitled, “We are not a rock band”. They will play at some of their key stockists such as Top Shop, Barneys, Maxfield and Corso Como.

Instant View: Selfridges and Browns in London; 22 Barney’s stores in the USA,
Maxfield in LA, Ikram in Chicago, Jeffrey in New York and Atlanta, Tender in
Michigan, Mix Modern in Houston; Holt Renfrew in Canada; Coso Como and Banner in Milan, Penelope in Brescia; Garderobe in Moscow, Online at Net-a-Porter.com.

londonfashionweek.co.uk

 

[SomethingElse]

londonfashionweek.co.uk

 

[vogueness]

terrific - and thanks for posting their background info

 

[SomethingElse]

^ My pleasure! I think it is helpful to people like me (fashion novice) to have a little overview of these wonderful designers.

londonfashionweek.co.uk

 

[SomethingElse]

Here is the last one, and my favorite! I wish they had posted the same coat in the other color, as shown in #1 - the first image.

londonfashionweek.co.uk

 

[gr77]

Lovely shapes

 

[liberty33r1b]

the hairstyle gives me creepes...

 

[Honeysuckle]

This is nice, some of the coats have interesting shapes.

 

[RobinLondon]

the hairstyle gives me creepes...

haha - glad I'm not the only one who is creeped out by the barnets!

 

[misssakura]

Where are the people yelling "They have no fashion training! How dare they launch a collection!" like they do in some other threads ...

Anyway I think this is cute and I really like the hair although I can see why some people find it creepy. The first dark burgundy/brown coat makes me want to pee myself. It's great! Reminds me of female Russian spies. Hot mamas

 

[leeyone]

the hairstyle gives me creepes...

ditto.

but the clothes are really lovely! I really love that second outfit in post 3.

 

[Bidwell]

Nice outing. I like the Russian constructivism going on, no frills in sight.

And the lacquered hair helmets are even practical for English summers!

 

[ultramarine]

I like it, tho Im worried that for a starting label it seems they cater only to the young, thin things ...

 

[kahlilg]

I love the coats but that's about it.

 

[gius]

i love that dress too, SomethingElse
kind of looks like it's made of wide strips attached by buttons

and, i think it actually looks good with the hair!

 

[softgrey]

there is a lot of hype around these guys...
and i am not seeing what the hoopla is about...
how did they get a collection at topshop already?...
esp since this is their first actual collection of their own...?

i'd say these guys know a lot of the 'right' people...
cause i am not seeing anything special in the show to cause anyone to care...

their whole 'schtick' of being a rock band and saying 'we are not a rock band'...is entertaining in a juvenile way i suppose..
but they are definitely better at branding and marketing than they are at designing clothes...

they may be fun...but the clothes aren't......

 

[chessmess]

^That is half the battle though...
so i guess they deserve to be where they are...

 

[softgrey]

i don't know if deserve is the right word...
how does one determine that...?
a lot of it is just luck etc...
plenty of people work really hard and are really talented but don't get as lucky...
but that doesn't mean they deserve anything less...

certainly whatever they are doing is working to get them some attention...
whether it is sustainable is another matter...