Holly Fulton’s Brexit-Inspired Collection Is A Lot Brighter Than Britain’s Future

Days before Holly Fulton is due to launch a range of party pieces with River Island she invited Grazia to see her forthcoming autumn winter 2018 collection. Deciding to forgo the traditional fashion show format gives this Scottish designer an opportunity to paw over her pieces in an intimate setting with the press. Up-close and personal with her buttery leather jackets and graphic prints, we’re quick to learn the unexpected inspiration for this collection.

As political lines are being drawn in the sand and fire and fury being breathed on both sides, Fulton found herself dwelling on the ramifications of Brexit. ‘The theme is a long-distance love affair’, Fulton explained. But, it’s not just an aesthetic it’s a mindset too, she continued, ‘with Brexit a hot topic doing stuff in the UK is an attractive proposition. We do a lot of work with John Smedley, they’re our sort of key collaborator, and that’s produced in the UK. We’ve been working with manufacturers in Scotland to make bespoke leather jackets for this collection. The whole range is made in the UK, which is a real difference for us.’

It’s not just a financial decision to move production to the UK, but an aesthetic one too. ‘It’s allowed us to be more creative in a sense because we’ve been able to control things and to do a lot of the finishings in the studio. My favourite part is really being quite hands on, that’s when the creative juices really get flowing’, Fulton confides.

While the referendum may have been the sparking point, Fulton has transmuted the idea of missing and loss into a vibrant collection that dwells on key motifs that have been the lynchpin of her label since its founding nearly 10 years ago. Art Deco graphics, the shape of the Empire State Building and chunky Swarovski crystals have become the brand’s calling card and as of AW18 continue to remain very central to it.

But, there are a few twists. Unexpectedly, Marlene Dietrich's face is abstracted into a pattern that plays out across skirts and sweaters. And, surprisingly, sustainably found cast-off Mongolian fur lines heavy studded leather jackets. Though ten years into the game, Fulton still has tricks up her sleeve