H&M collaborates with designer Richard Allan to revive spirit of Swinging Sixties

Exclusive: High street brand reinterprets late designer’s prints for contemporary fashion fans

(Photos from H&M/Richard Allan)

Change was fast and furious during the 1960s, marking a revolution in everything from politics and music to societal norms around the world.

But, aside from the birth of the Beatles, psychedelia and the demise of British reserve, the decade is revered by many as one of the most impactful in terms of fashion.

From pioneers like Mary Quant and Pierre Cardin to a newfound freedom to be more flamboyant, the way people dressed became a manifestation of the shifting attitudes of the time.

And now, nearly 60 years later, the Sixties are still influencing both high end and high street design.

Next month, H&M is set to launch an exclusive collection with a designer who was considered a staple of the swinging Sixties fashion scene: Richard Allan.

An accessories designer that worked with the likes of Schiaparelli and Yves Saint Laurent, Allan founded his eponymous brand in 1962 and quickly became renowned for his innovative scarves in bold designs, abstract patterns and vibrant colours.

“Richard Allan’s designs had real clarity and a strong sense of colour that spoke of Sixties style and modern luxury,” Dr Rebecca Arnold, senior lecturer in history of dress and textiles at the Courtauld Institute of Art, tells The Independent.

“In its heyday the brand collaborated with couture houses to produce scarves that united contemporary art and fashion with graphic prints. It’s interesting that Richard Allan London is now working with a mass-market label – bringing its signature style to a far wider audience.”

(H&M/Richard Allan)

Cate Allan, the daughter of the iconic fashion name, revived her father’s brand in 2014; the company had been sold in 1989, a move that caused many of his innovative designs to be lost or destroyed.

Speaking exclusively to The Independent, Allan revealed some of the inspirations behind her father's designs and the impact they had on women's liberation.

"My father’s incredible success was due in part to the fact he combined the classic vehicle of a headscarf (as it was worn then) with bold design and dramatic colouration," Allan says.

"Not only did this liberate the way in which women could dress up a garment with a scarf, it also realised art into fashion."

The company director added that her father found inspiration in whatever caught his eye, from the seemingly mundane, to his hero William Morris and the patterns of Piccadilly’s neon displays.

(H&M/Richard Allan)

"He saw line and design at the forefront of his vision. He would enthuse about the lines of a sports car, the architecture of a building, or the detail of a painting," Allan explains.

"He was enthralled by the avant garde and contemporary as well as the historic."

It is these attributes that H&M has homed in on for its upcoming collection, which delivers a wide range of stylish dresses, blouses, skirts, shirts, trousers and, of course, scarves, through Allan’s lens.

Designed by an H&M in-house team, the silhouettes are long and eyecatching, with details such as high necklines, wide cuffs and soft pleats, while the colour palette and prints are a reawakening of swinging Sixties London.

Allan hopes that the new collaboration with H&M will be a fitting tribute to her father’s legacy and help deliver his enduring designs to an entirely new audience.

(H&M/Richard Allan)

"I think my father would have hugely enjoyed working with H&M on this collaboration. I have really appreciated not only the enthusiasm and respect for my father’s work, but H&M’s keen vision towards building the collaboration," Allan says.

"Not only does it allow for the creative re-imagining of Richard Allan print designs and colours to be taken off a square and adapted to clothing forms, allowing the designs to be used in new and fresh ways, but it takes Richard Allan to a totally new audience."

Allan also commends the high street fashion brand for keeping her father's original colourations in the upcoming collection, saying: "While these colours fit the current fashion palettes they also resonate from the 1960's enhancing the sense of the period whilst re-inventing the patterns to create a totally new and fresh collection.

"This use of past designs and colours to create contemporary collections is truly inspired and absolutely keeps my father’s vision."

Maria Östblom, head of womenswear design at H&M, adds that the wonderful prints and exuberant spirit of swinging London still feel very now.

(H&M/Richard Allan)

“We’re absolutely elated to be collaborating with one of the most statement-making print designers from this time,” Östblom says.

“By taking these classic vintage prints from scarves and reimagining them in a new context, the pieces from the H&M x Richard Allan collection feel both strong and feminine, yet with a sophisticated touch.”

The new H&M x Richard Allan collection is launching in selected stores worldwide, as well as online, from 22 August.