tête-à-tête
Designer Roksanda Ilincic lends her fashionable touch to an iconic British brand
Designer Roksanda Ilincic lends her stylish touch to a limited-edition Toni & Guy collection.
Her ultra-feminine style has garnered a legion of VIP fans including Cate Blanche , The Duchess of Cambridge and Keira Knightley, so it’s hard to believe Serbian-born Roksanda Ilincic ever considered a career outside fashion. “I was simply being practical,” she laughs. “I thought there’s not many design opportunities back home, so that’s why I made architecture my main point of study.”
Despite her best efforts, her love for fashion didn’t subside, and she went on to complete a masters in womenswear at London’s famed Central Saint Martins college. Since then, Ilincic has remained a prominent figure in the city’s style scene, and she credits London as a constant source of inspiration. “I stayed there because I felt it was – and still is – where the most exciting, most experimental and most fashionforward fashion comes from,” she says. “It’s a city that understands creativity. It appreciates people being different – you don’t have to fit into a certain mould.”
So it’s a natural fit that the designer chose to partner with iconic British hair brand Toni & Guy – a company whose own ethos centres around individual style and runway trends. The brand’s global hair ambassador Mark Hampton has been responsible for creating Ilincic’s runway hair look for seasons, and now she’s repaying the favour, lending her touch to a limited-edition collection that features her graphic prints and signature brights on the packaging. “Toni & Guy is a brand that takes risks,” Ilincic says. “That’s one reason I love working with them.”
WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND YOUR COLLABORATION WITH TONI & GUY?
It started with looking at my own collections – the colours, the prints, the patchwork and different techniques we use. I wanted to create a very strong link to my fashion designs, so that was the starting point.
HOW IMPORTANT IS THE BEAUTY LOOK TO YOUR RUNWAY SHOWS?
The beauty look really brings that final feeling together; it brings everything to life. Hair and makeup are influential in telling the story – the same dress paired with very different hair and makeup can say two opposite things, even if the fashion is the same.
YOU’RE PERSONALLY KNOWN FOR YOUR LOVE OF A BOLD LIP…
I quite like natural hair and a clean, beautiful face but, yes, with a very strong lip! I think the bold lip is like my signature, it’s in my DNA, and I have many different shades of red lip colours. It’s empowering.
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITES?
I love M.A.C – the brand has so many beautiful shades. Lady Danger is my daytime red lipstick, then I love Relentlessly Red, which has this strong pink undertone – so, that’s for when I’m feeling a li le bit more, you know, funky. And then for the evening when I want to look more classic and elegant, I quite like Ruby Woo and D For Danger.
WHAT OTHER BEAUTY STAPLES DO YOU HAVE ON HIGH ROTATION?
Winged eyeliner is something that comes to the rescue when I haven’t had a lot of sleep and need a li le something more. I have hair that requires a li le bit of support, so I like Toni & Guy Glamour 3D Volumiser. Avène Cold Cream is an old favourite, and I love Une Rose from Editions De Parfums By Frédéric Malle – that’s my everyday scent.