Roksanda Ilincic Celebrates Two Decades of Her Eponymous Label by Remembering Her All-Time Favorite Looks
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Twenty years ago, one ginormous, electric-blue overblown explosion of a dress essentially started everything for Roksanda Ilincic. It appeared at her breakfast-time salon show in London in 2005 in the startlingly civilized surroundings of the Bibendum restaurant, at a time when London venues were mostly in freezing warehouses at night. Suddenly here was this young woman whipping up volume and vividness with a neo-feminine neo-feminist flourish.
She had us at that first frisson. “Everything else was black and gray at the time, so the color appeared quite shocking,” she remembers. “As the model was walking, she was hitting the tables and hitting people’s faces with the dress, a bit like an old couture show.” Two decades on, she tracks the beginning of her London business back to that moment—because Vogue Runway’s precursor Style.com posted that dress on the front page next morning, triggering retailers to rush to place their first orders with her.
Essentially, the magnification and amplification of that same Roksanda aesthetic has gathered circles of friends and artists to her ever since. Beyoncé, Michelle Obama, Bjork, Vanessa Redgrave, her daughter and granddaughter Joely Richardson and Daisy Bevan are amongst them—as are contemporary artists, gallerists, and curators.
When she emerged from Central Saint Martins MA amongst the cohort that included Jonathan Saunders, Richard Nicoll, and Christopher Kane, she notes what few noticed at the time: “I was their only girlfriend! There were no other women starting to show. But I think the advantage—not just with me, but with all other female creatives—is that you don’t have to have a muse. You don’t have to think about how, why, and where something would be worn. And you’re also with your friends, so you understand the variables of what they’re feeling too.”
As the social gear of London shifted upwards in the booming aughts and 2010s, political women ditching were mousy skirt suits for colorful dresses, and the Frieze art market practically turned into a second fashion week. Roksanda was right there for all of it. “I love volume, and I also love the female body and natural curves. I take it almost like a sculptor. There’s the possibility to be bold and big and to have the large gestures,” she says. Her relationships with creative dressers blossomed. “It happened very naturally, because I naturally gravitate towards art, and I think that people appreciate that they can also understand what I’m doing from a fashion perspective. There’s a genuine connection.”
Born in Belgrade, Roksanda Ilincic came from Serbia to study an MA in London under the late legendary Professor Louise Wilson. “The best thing about Belgrade is that I always see it as a full of color,” she says. “It’s full of people enjoying life. And I love the Brutalist architecture there.” She brought her earlier education in architecture and fine art with her, and her flair for putting together colorful thrifted clothes. Professor Wilson took one look at her and declared “only design how you dress,” while advising her to take up modeling jobs to support herself through college. It was life-changing formative advice and kindness she has never forgotten.
Here, Roksanda looks back over favorite shows and memories of her career so far: how she was the first designer to be welcomed to show in London’s major galleries; her references to her home country, her family, and to all the women artists she has honored and collaborated with. Her 20th anniversary show is bound to be emotional—but perhaps the best is yet to come. The greatest of all artists Roksanda has bonded with is her compatriot Marina Abramovic, for whom she is costuming a new 70-cast member Balkan Erotic Epic in Manchester at the end of October.
Photo: Courtesy of Roksanda1/20Roksanda, spring 2006
This look was part of my very first on-schedule show in 2005. The following day, it appeared as the opening image on Style.com—an incredible honor for a young designer. The collection itself consisted of only 12 looks, presented in the iconic Michelin building in London. The venue’s elegance created an intimate atmosphere, reminiscent of the old couture salons. Soon after, the look was photographed by Steven Meisel for Vogue Italia, marking another milestone in my journey. Later, one of my heroes, Paolo Roversi, captured it once again—this time on Jonny Johansson.
Kim Weston Arnold / Indigitalimages.com2/20Roksanda, fall 2014
Inspired by the work of artist Jessica Stockholder, this dress unfolds as a study in contrasts: blocks of color, hems that fall deliberately out of line, and sculptural forms that jut outward like sudden interruptions. In its dissonance lies a harmony, a conversation between art and fashion that has been central to my practice from the very beginning. This piece became pivotal in shaping my brand identity, establishing a language through which I continue to explore how garments can disrupt and push boundaries, while remaining undeniably feminine and wearable.
