March | Take 5
with Lucinda Chambers and Molly Molloy
The fashion stalwarts behind Colville, on crafting thoughtful, eclectic pieces designed to make an impact
Emma SellsIt started because we wanted to work together again, but also because we didn’t know where to shop, says Molly Molloy, co-founder of the colourful and contemporary London label Colville. “So we decided to continue our creative journey together and create a wardrobe at the same time. And that’s what we do.” The ‘we’ in question is a fashion dream team: Molloy, a former design director of Marni, and iconic stylist and former Vogue fashion director, Lucinda Chambers. Launched in 2017, Colville is a reflection of their eclectic styles and the way each of them wants to get dressed; an array of beautifully designed womenswear in a rainbow of luxury fabrics, timeless and ageless silhouettes with unexpected design details and a joyful, playful spirit. “Our clothes are meant to be worn with a freedom of expression, so all the women who buy them are very different, but they’re all independently minded and certainly dress to give themselves pleasure and to make an impact,” says Chambers. “I think confidence ties them all together; they’re not followers, they’re people who have their own style.”
Colville aw22. Images courtesy of Colville
With a strong emphasis on craft and community (the pair work closely on both womenswear and homeware with artisans who weave bags in Columbia and ponchos in Mexico, traditional rug weavers in Turkey and Dakar, and a co-operative of knitters in Italy) and a determination to create pieces that will stand the test of time, responsibility and purpose are woven into Colville’s DNA, albeit in an organic rather than deliberate way. “Sustainability wasn’t a strategy when we started but I think, working in the industry and coming from a background that’s very product-focused, you can’t ignore it and if you do it’s really irresponsible,” explains Molloy. “We’re working with a younger generation that really, really cares about what we’re putting out into the world so it’s become part of our everyday philosophy. Of course, we can’t be 100% sustainable, but we question everything we do.”
Whenever you buy something because you think it’s going to be really useful, you never wear it because actually you want to be uplifted and transported by what you put on. You gravitate towards things that give you a sense of presence and have a point of difference; you never feel dull in Colville I think, that's the thing.
Lucinda Chambers, Co-founder Colville
Colville aw22. Images courtesy of Colville
“Even before we started Colville, Molly had great integrity around that,” adds Chambers. “I mean, there isn’t a cardboard box that Molly doesn’t reuse. Every step of the journey she would be asking, how do we not do that? How do we do things differently? It’s totally baked into her psyche and how she lives her life.”
Colville aw22. Images courtesy of Colville
A foray into upcycling was initially sparked by necessity – they wanted to recreate the colours of a vintage jacket but the time and expense involved was beyond the reach of a fledgling label, so repurposing existing pieces was the obvious answer. Now, their collections encompass reworked vintage T-shirts, trenches and down jackets alongside their cleverly draped dresses, vibrant knits and easy trousers, all the better to give them the point of difference that is Colville’s signature. “It’s the details that really make Colville and give it longevity,” says Molloy. “When people see it, they realise that it’s a carefully designed product. It’s not just a fast fashion sales piece, there’s real thought behind it.” Chambers agrees. “Whenever you buy something because you think it’s going to be really useful, you never wear it, because actually you want to be uplifted and transported by what you put on,” she says. “I think you gravitate towards things that give you a sense of presence and have a point of difference. You never feel dull in Colville, I think – that’s the thing.”
