Inspired by Mallorca’s sun-drenched shoreline and artisanal spirit – Williamson splits his time between London and Deià, where he recently opened his lifestyle store, Caserra 71 – the 15-piece Matthew Williamson X Free People collection is an unadulterated celebration of the designer’s print-strewn archive, interspersed with nods to island life. The Palma-printed maxi dress references a silhouette from Williamson’s spring/summer 2011 collection (“a girl marooned on a deserted island” is, fittingly, how he described the collection to Vogue Runway at the time), which has been reworked in a tropical palm motif. Elsewhere, the richly embroidered, terracotta-hued Deià coat draws inspiration from Hotel Corazón, a famed Mallorcan destination and artistic retreat beloved by industry insiders.
Williamson says dreamily of the Spanish island: “It’s a place that encourages you to slow down and appreciate its beauty. I’m inspired by the natural rugged landscape, the colours and textures, but most of all by my creative circle of friends who constantly inspire me and my work.”
Other highlights from the collection include a ’70s-style, swirled pink minidress (fun fact: at the start of his career, Anna Wintour famously advised Williamson to include a pink dress in every collection), a cream fringed sarong that wouldn’t look out of place in an Ibizan flea market and a pair of deckchair-striped, high-waisted trousers. A “versatile European summer wardrobe”, as Williamson puts it, for the digital-age It-girl.
While life may look less frenetic and more family-oriented than it did for the designer in his Y2K era – he cites his 10-year-old daughter Skye as an important part of his creative process. “She’s my first port of call for an opinion,” Williamson adds, a perspective shift that he encourages budding young creatives to embrace, too.
