Interview: Lily & Lionel's Alice Stone

The new season is upon us, with some gorgeous pieces for AW15 hitting the DR shop floor including Lily and Lionelaccessories….. with the clothing arriving soon!! The team is swooning over the stunning prints in rich hues and super soft silk blends. We had the pleasure of asking Alice Stone designer and founder of Lily and Lionel about the new collection…..

What is your process of designing the prints?

We start every season by creating mood boards full of inspirational images that we love, trends that are going to be big that season and, most crucially, fabric swatches. The hand-feel of every one of our pieces is the most important part of designing, so we spend a lot of time picking the right fabrics for our prints and for the season.

Whats your inspiration behind the AW15 collection?

This collection has a very fluid, organic feel to it – there are a lot of hand-painted, inky prints that have been applied to both our scarf collection and our very first Ready-to-Wear collection. A few favourites are returning, like our Paris and Hampstead scarves, but we’ve given them a vintage twist inspired by old photos from Lily and Lionel’s family albums. The collection has a very neutral colour palette – lots of nudes and dark blues and greens – that is perfect for mixing in with your winter wardrobe staples.

If you could pick one print you love, which one would it be and why?

Picking a favourite print is like asking a parent to pick their favourite child! I really love this season’s Elizabeth print though because it was created using a brand new technique: it looks like a tartan scarf but it’s actually a digital print on a beautiful wool-blend fabric from Italy. Plaid is going to be big for AW15 so I can’t wait to style it with our new suede jacket (seen wearing in image above) and a pair of black distressed jeans.

How would you describe the Lily & Lionel customer?

Our customer is very discerning and looks for well-made products in beautiful fabrics. Her style is relaxed yet individual; she has a busy lifestyle and wants pieces that work hard for her and that will last season after season.

What has been the most exciting and challenging thing about designing AW15?

Several of our prints this season have been hand-painted and then transferred to digital, like the Erin and Isla prints. It’s a brand new design technique and the result is a lovely, inky look that’s perfect for winter. It took a lot of refining to get the print looking perfect on fabric without losing any of the detail or subtle colours so it was an exciting but tricky venture for us.

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