Every runway cycle, legions of fashion lovers ready their credit cards in anticipation of copping the latest must-have. But shoppers without A-list connections typically have to wait six months before they can get their hands on couture and even ready-to-wear looks. In a world saturated with immediacy, it’s a model that is beginning to feel archaic. But it’s the way things have always been done.
Emma Hill and Georgia Fendley don’t really care for the rules. Both vetted at Mulberry (creative director and brand director, respectively), the two have started to write their own kind of fashion manifesto with their high-end handbag and accessory line Hill and Friends. The impetus was to create an accessible, fun line that is free of ego.
It’s an ideology that was announced at their first London Fashion Week show in 2015, where Hill and Friends offered catwalk items immediately for sale: a model gaining traction with the big names in the industry. Heavy hitters such as Burberry, Tom Ford, Michael Kors, and Tommy Hilfiger all recently announced that they will experiment with offering runway looks in-store, regardless of season. The “see now, buy now” model is understood by the likes of Hill and Friends as connecting rather than distancing their most loyal customers. And with Hill and Friends stockists including Net-A-Porter, Selfridges, and, most recently, Stylebop, the label’s desired runway goods are available at the click of a mouse.
Before their pieces hang from the forearms of clients, Hill and Fendley ensure that every step of the process has been treated with integrity. The entire line is handmade either in England, Spain, or Italy and sports clear labelling proclaiming each item’s origin. Fashioned with signature padlock designs faintly resembling a happy face, Hill and Friends’s grandiose proclamations are completed with a wink and a nudge. After all, style shouldn’t be taken too seriously— just honestly, and in good time.
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