Could you tell us a little bit about the collection this season and what makes it so fresh?
So we actually decided to do Revolution Robins. So evolution, not revolution in the sense that we had such a lovely reaction to the previous collection. With the very first collaboration with Uniqlo, the thinking was simple: one, I'm an obsessive Uniqlo customer. I mean, literally, I've just got my jumper sitting here, so that makes this a really authentic collaboration. Two, I wanted to play with what UNIQLO does so well – the materials, the silhouettes and shapes – in terms of how an item is worn, how it washes, all those things. So I wanted to preserve those things but also sort of dissect, deconstruct, and play – add some interesting details to say we’ve been here, we’ve played here. So that was very much the original idea. And it's the idea we've continued.
Your style is very playful and it always brings with it this great sense of humor. We’re curious to know if there is any connection to your childhood. Were you always looking for the bit of humor in things when you were a kid?
That's a good question. I find it difficult to take myself too seriously. I find it difficult to take fashion too seriously. Irony is perhaps a bit of a British trait in a way. It's also slightly Japanese. I think the British and the Japanese have a very similar approach in that way. I think that sort of self-deprecation and playfulness is more interesting really.
What made you think about dance this season?
Well, we actually started with movement. When I think about when I put on my Uniqlo jumper, it's a moment of downtime that I value. It signals time off, coziness and comfort. We wanted to play with the idea of taking the jumper off and putting it on and celebrate that small joy. I think it's just the sort of abstract joy of movement and, and in a way, how beautiful that is. The jumper and those pieces are not restrictive. They're free and easy.
And where do you find inspiration outside of fashion? In literature, architecture, dance?
In literally everything. And it's often the thing that you wouldn't expect. For me, I find that I need to feed my brain in a very unstructured way. I need to take in as much stimulus as I can. Wherever I go, I’ll always check out a museum or a gallery, I'm obsessed with architecture, I love design, materials, craft. So it kind of all goes in and then things spit out, without rhyme or reason. And sometimes a glass of wine can help us out.
You have all these amazing, fun things that you do as part of this Anya universe – the ice cream pop up and the cafe, for instance. I'd love to hear more about if there is any direct inspiration for these fantastical extensions. And also, can you speak to the human figure that the eye motif and mouth details make up?
Having the eye motif here and the mouth here makes it so that you can play, especially if you’re a child. A child can use the sweater to help indicate whether they're happy or they're sad. And that’s a fun part of the storytelling. I think an element of playfulness gives it sort of a second life beyond just a piece of knitwear that you can wear. And then I think it’s also about personalization. You know, having a hole for your thumb actually makes it so that the knitwear jumper feels like a glove. Which is actually quite practical.
Can you tell us a little bit about the colour inspiration and selection from this collection?
Colour was a real starting point for us. With the cashmere*, there's some really rich colours that sing. There's an incredible bright pink, an amazing tomato red and a beautiful mushroom brown. Oh and also a rich navy blue.And then there’s the cardigan that has a sort of deconstructed loose pocket on the front, which is then sewn back together with a different coloured thread. There's some joy to the darning and a sense of your favourite item that’s been nibbled and you’re putting it back together again.Again, it’s all about play. I hope that you want to shrug these items on and wear them so much that they become like your best friend.
I love what you just said there. That idea of shrugging something on is so nice because it's comfortable. It's something that you can kind of throw around. It's not precious. It speaks to a story and the life of an object.
And also practicality. If you're just wearing a really beautiful pair of navy, well-cut trousers, you can put on that very simple bit of knitwear with our graphic motifs and it does just enough to elevate the outfit. It's the little tiny details.
You’re definitely giving people new utilities in places where they wouldn't have expected.
I hope so, but it’s also all about balance. One thing we were thinking about was: how do you manage the balance of being silly but not cartoony. It's a very delicate line. It’s a bit like the yin and the yang. You need the sweet and the sour. And this applies to the colour too – while the pink is bright, it’s also quite a sophisticated pink. It's like an alchemy of trying to get things just right.
And who do you envision wearing this collection? And what are they doing? Where are they going? What’s the energy that they have?
It’s really for everyone. I can actually see someone sitting in an office, in quite a sort of serious role, wearing the collection. I can see children wearing the jumper that's not scratchy, and that's got a bit of humor to it that makes them smile. It's for everyone, every age – it's very inclusive.
And what do you like the most about working with Uniqlo?
I mean, so many things. I worked in Japan for something like 30 years and became obsessed with Japan. Again, I think the Japanese and the British are really quite similar in many ways. You know, I care a lot about what I do. We work really hard – there's a huge amount of work that goes into making clothes responsibly. And I think the Japanese have that same work ethic. And I can do what I want to do, sustainably, and at a large scale. Working with UNIQLO, you can start to make really big differences. That’s what’s exciting. Everyone I work with is just completely fantastic and we really care. I've never known a global team that cares as much as they do. And I think that it shows in the work, actually.
What surprised you the most about the collaboration?
I was surprised by how aligned we are in so many respects. I think the team I work with is very much our customer base already. And there’s a sort of natural synergy, which is amazing. Getting to work with UNIQLO has been an honor because I’ve gotten to learn a lot. There's an alchemy there which is really nice.
Last question: what is your favorite piece from the collection?
So hard. I think if I had to pick, it would be the deconstructed knitwear in the army green or the bright pink. I never wear pink. Ever. But that bright pink cashmere* jumper is just really incredible.
* The product availability differs among regions.