‘COVERING THE BODY FEELS MORE MYSTERIOUS’

Serbian fashion designer Roksanda Ilincic speaks to Hafsa Lodi about her penchant for creating modest wear for modern women

On a recent visit to Dubai, Serbian designer Roksanda Ilincic tells us about her penchant for modest wear, experimenting with colour and trousers for the modern woman

As I am being introduced to designer Roksanda Ilincic, she is finishing up a FaceTime call with her 7-year-old daughter, Efimia, who is upset because they didn’t get a chance to speak the night before. Ilincic waves goodbye to the screen and snaps back into business mode. In this way, she is emblematic of the woman she designs for – one who leads a multifaceted life and juggles a successful career with an active personal life, and perhaps motherhood.

Ilincic’s clothes target the contemporary woman who favours tasteful glamour over gaudiness, and looks for comfort and ease of movement when buying a garment. “I don’t like to use restrictive things, like corsets or inner supports, which may slow down a woman in her busy life. I like to use things that are done in a very light and fluid way, similar to how architects build houses without the walls; they’re just supported on pillars,” she explains.

The designer studied architecture and applied arts in her hometown of Belgrade, Serbia, before moving to London, where she specialised in womenswear at Central Saint Martins. In 2002, she debuted her namesake label at London Fashion Week, and it has steadily gained traction ever since. Last month, Ilincic was the designer of choice for the royal wedding gown of Danica Marinkovic, who married Prince Philip of Serbia. Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton and former first lady, Michelle Obama, have opted for Ilincic’s structural dresses on numerous occasions, and the red carpets have seen a myriad of Roksanda designs, on celebrities such as Emma Stone, Rooney Mara, Anne Hathaway, Cate Blanchett and Keira Knightley, to name but a few.