Simon Preen at Urban Outfitters
Published 19 months ago
The London College of Fashion graduate who has previously worked with Pam Hogg is debuting his range of bodycon pieces.
- Text by Stephen Morriss
If all the press coverage of London Fashion Week is making you ache to
actually go out and buy something, might we suggest Simon Preen’s debut
collection that has just gone on sale exclusively in Urban Outfitters.
The 26 year-old London College of Fashion graduate honed his craft
working with Pam Hogg on her triumphant return to London Fashion Week
last season, when he also contributed to the ‘House of
Blue Eyes’ collective show. Hogg’s love of bodysuits seems to
have rubbed off on Preen, who creates his own versions in bold black
and white geometric designs and in black lace finished with contrasting
leather power shoulders. Long-sleeve mini dresses, cropped leather
jackets and leggings complete his capsule collection, which is all hand
made and starts from a very reasonable £70.
Dazed
Digital: Who would you say you design your clothes
for?
Simon Preen: Mostly myself,
that's generally where it starts. Dressing myself is one of my favorite
things. I would like to overcome fixed gender in the way we dress so I
don't design with any specific gender in mind. I do have obvious
masculine and feminine influences but it's good play with the
balance.
DD:
Who else would you like to see in your clothes?
Simon Preen: Obviously all the people who
inspire me, which is mostly bands from the 80's who wouldn't look so
good in it now! I would love to dress Polly Harvey. I’m putting some
stuff together for the band An Experiment On A Bird In The Air Pump at
the moment and collaborating on stage stuff for my good friend DJ
turned emerging pop star Scarlett Ettiene.
DD: How did your collaboration with Urban Outfitters come
about?
Simon Preen: I had been
talking to one of the girls there about doing some stuff for a while
but when they saw the stuff I showed with House of Blue Eyes they got
more serious and it all happened really quickly. Before I knew it I had
an order to deal with, which has been quite
scary.
DD:
You mentioned you've shown as part of House of Blue Eyes - would you
like to have a solo show at LFW one day?
Simon Preen: One day I would like to yeah, but
right now that seems so far off my radar. I’m only just starting to put
my own work out there and I find it hard to have too many things going
on at the same time so I have to take it step by step. I’m essentially
a one-man band and for me just to produce a collection on time takes a
lot of effort. If I tried to throw a catwalk show in at the end of that
I think it would scramble by brain, but I'm in no
rush.
Simon
Preen is exclusively in-store at Urban
Outfitters
now.
