RETROFITTING
The swinging Sixties live on as H&M reinterprets late designer Richard Allan’s prints for contemporary fashion fans. Sarah Young takes an exclusive look at the results
Change was fast and furious during the 1960s, marking a revolution in everything from politics and music to societal norms around the world.
But, aside from the birth of the Beatles, psychedelia and the demise of British reserve, the decade is revered by many as one of the most impactful in terms of fashion. From pioneers like Mary Quant and Pierre Cardin to a newfound freedom to be more flamboyant, the way people dressed became a manifestation of the shifting attitudes of the time.
And now, nearly 60 years later, the Sixties are still influencing both high end and high street design.
Next month, H&M is set to launch an exclusive collection with a designer who was considered a staple of the swinging Sixties fashion scene: Richard Allan. An accessories designer who worked with the likes of
Schiaparelli and Yves Saint Laurent, Allan founded his eponymous brand in 1962 and quickly became renowned for his innovative scarves in bold designs, abstract patterns and vibrant colours. “Richard Allan’s designs had real clarity and a strong sense of colour that spoke of Sixties style and modern luxury,” Dr Rebecca Arnold, senior lecturer in history of dress and textiles at the Courtauld Institute of Art, tells The Independent. “In its heyday the brand collaborated with couture houses to produce scarves that united contemporary art and fashion with graphic prints. It’s interesting that Richard Allan London is now working with a mass-market label – bringing its signature style to a far wider audience.”
During the Sixties, many of Allan’s scarf designs referenced the Art Nouveau style, drawing inspiration from both organic and geometric forms. His style was eclectic and his collections thrived on the daring and the bold, as well as the designer’s extraordinary eye for line and colour.
It is these attributes that H&M has homed in on for its upcoming collection, which delivers a wide range of stylish dresses, blouses, skirts, shirts, trousers and, of course, scarves, through Allan’s lens.
Designed by an H&M in-house team, the silhouettes are long and eyecatching, with details such as high necklines, wide cuffs and soft pleats, while the colour palette and prints are a reawakening of swinging Sixties London.
Cate Allan, the daughter of the iconic fashion name, revived her father’s brand in 2014; the company had been sold in 1989, a move that caused many of his innovative designs to be lost or destroyed.
Allan hopes that the new collaboration with H&M will be a fitting tribute to her father’s legacy and deliver his enduring designs to an entirely new audience. “It is wonderful to know that my father’s prints will be worn by a whole new audience – he would have been thrilled, as I am,” Allan says. “Many of his colourful designs are as relevant today as when first conceived from the 1960s to the 1980s and H&M’s reinterpretation for the 21st century is an inspired creation.”
Maria Östblom, head of womenswear design at H&M, adds that the wonderful prints and exuberant spirit of swinging London still feel very now. “We’re absolutely elated to be collaborating with one of the most statement-making print designers from this time,” Östblom says. “By taking these classic vintage prints from scarves and reimagining them in a new context, the pieces from the H&M x Richard Allan collection feel both strong and feminine, yet with a sophisticated touch.”
The new H&M x Richard Allan collection is launching in selected stores worldwide, as well as online, from 22 August.