East London based duo Ben Vorono and Samuel Kientsch teamed up to make the debut collection for their menswear brand Braille back in Autumn/Winter '10. Now their new line entitled 'Colt', is a celebration of freedom, speed and optimism. Kientsch and Vorono have created modernist designs inspired by the canyons of Palm Springs. Linen pleated blazers reconstruct desert topography while sculpting the torso and back seam trousers create a light and lean lower half. A reversible cycling jacket is updated with a luminescent tweed back panel and key pieces from last season are offered in a more subdued colour palette of charcoal, sand and dust.

Q&A
Where are you based?
Dalston of course!
 
Where are you from?
I'm from South London originally and Ben Vorono (my husband) is from the Pacific North-West, USA

How old are you?
I'm 22 and Ben is 28.

Why did you become interested in fashion?
Clothing is an absolute necessity and we feel the fabrics used in a lot of current fashion isn't thoughtful. We want to fabricate garments in materials more suited to their purpose; hence the wool jeans and waxed cotton poncho which really got the ball rolling.

Tell us about your current collection?
We celebrated the New Year in Palm Spring and visited an oasis with a chaotic array of texture and colour, this directly informed the collection. We were also thinking about society, especially the speed at which it moves and translated this into details like the extended placket for easier motion and luminescent tweed for night time visibility. The collection is about freedom and optimism, which is why we called it Colt.

The structures and cuts you use seem to be quite unusual, how did you make them?
We were trying to mimic the topography of the desert landscape, blending it with a modernist design perspective.

What's the story behind the name?
Men tend to be so tactile when they shop, we utilize natural materials that will provoke a desirable reaction when they are touched.

Who is your favourite designer and why?
George Nakashima, for crafting beautiful furniture from found materials, he kept it pure.

What makes you happy?
Sunshine flickering through trees, swimming in open water and running with our dog Skeletor and her dog friend Edward de Paula.

Where can we buy your designs?
We will be stocked at Wolf and Badger from the 1st August and Beyond the Valley from 1st September.  Also keep an eye on our website to purchase exclusive runs of our versatile zip-up scarf.