GENT London was born out of the pandemic. At a time when people were locked in, rarely dressed beyond loungewear and unable to experience the joys of art, Founders Lisa and Ellis wanted to take customisable fashion and sustainable style to the next level. Now, the brand is launching the 18th high profile artist to join their collection, has hosted two successful pop ups in Soho House in London and is set to be back for the opening of London Fashion Week in February.
We spoke with Co-Founder, Lisa Nickson, to find out more about how the brand came about.
What was the inspiration for the brand?
“Being London-based, and having worked in fashion for many years, we could see the fusion of art and fashion, particularly in vintage clothing, but there wasn’t anything out there that really jumped out at us for being unique, or that really combined the two equally. We wanted to bring together customised fashion, art and sustainability into a luxury collection. We knew that customisation wasn’t a new concept, walking around the market on Brick Lane you’d find one on every stall, but there wasn’t anything that was particularly unique or luxurious. We considered the idea of actually working with artists to create one-of-a-kind designs that would function both as art and fashion. We connected with a small number of globally renowned artists to see if they would be interested in working with us on something like that and we had a great response.”
“We wanted to take away constraints of gallery walls, break boundaries and transform our designs into wearable works of art. We wanted to take pieces you could never buy in a fashion sense, only see on gallery walls, and make it fashion.”
“The way the pandemic changes people’s mindsets is really what fuelled the brand. People were numbed with the ongoing pandemic and being in lockdown and our designs enabled people to bring art into the home in a new way. GENT London brings art into people’s lives in a completely different way. All GENT London piece are one-offs, the brand takes authenticity seriously and each item is hand-signed and comes with a signature hologram that takes the buyer to a digital certificate on the blockchain for proof of originality.”
How did you find the artists you are working with?
“Ellis and I both love art personally, we follow some brilliant artists, not just in the UK but the US, Europe, Australia, and so we had quite a specific idea about the style of art we wanted to work with. Sophie Tea, one of our artist partners, grew a huge audience during the pandemic as her style really connected people. Her signature concept is a range based on love hearts and her desire was to connect people during times of trouble. Initially her art was sold through Instagram and everything she made sold out; now she has a gallery on Carnaby Street in London despite being based in Australia. We reached out to her because we loved that concept of connecting people, and she also used her platform to talk about sustainability and climate change which is important to us too. She gave us the opportunity to collaborate on art we loved, and we gave her a different medium to share her work.
We wanted to keep the artists inclusive and diverse, showing different kinds of artwork that removed all the constraints around where art could be found and seen. Our garments bring together investments that people make in luxury fashion and art, by investing in a GENT London piece, you’re investing in both. You bring the gallery to the streets. Our artists set the sale price of each piece, which although at a luxury price point, allow clients to invest in both a fashion piece and an art piece, which not only hold our values in sustainability but separately would be considerably more expensive.”
Do you just work with painters?
“After our first collaboration with Sophie Tea the passion was well and truly sparked. We started looking for other artists that inspired us. SAV45 was one of them – he usually paints enormous 35 metre murals in Barcelona, our collaboration gave him a challenge. We found that the artists we reached out to really relished the challenge of a new type of canvas. Outside of painters, we also collaborated with Emma Gibbons who is a textile and materials artist and Horeekei who is a traditional Japanese tattoo artist who exuberates exquisite detail, so we really looked to see how the diversity of different types of artistry could work on our signature pieces.”
Where can we see the GENT London collections?
“We’ve been based online since inception, we started at a time when people couldn’t go shopping or visit galleries, but like with any art, seeing the pieces in person really brings them to life. We went along to an independent designers showcase at London Fashion Week, and launched our newest collaborations on the runway that evening. It was the first opportunity we’d had to showcase the brand in a physical capacity. We showcased 12 designs and some of the artists came along to the show too, so it really felt like a collaboration. Sophie Tea, Emma Gibbons and Tom Moutchi came along and we really felt proud that they held our values and supported the brand.
We’re really excited to have Tom Moutchi on board, his work is very unique. The rearview mirror pieces are an ode to self-reflection, the inspiration life experience brings and a vibrant, bold story-telling of his own life.”
What’s in store for GENT London in 2023?
“We’re building out our portfolio of artists, so whilst we continue to work with our existing artist community, we want to diversify more. We’re also looking at new product categories, and have some exciting work on accessories and a new line called ‘Objects’ for 2023 which includes a very special collab with environmental sculptor, Sevan Garo. Watch this space!”
During the 16th November 2022 pop up at Soho House, GENT London announced their next artist collaboration, Tahlia Stanton. With 1.5 million viewers on TikTok and 500K followers on Instagram, the collaboration with GENT will bring a new dimension to Tahlia’s large, colourful work. Excitingly, GENT London have been invited back to showcase their bespoke collection at Soho House this December and will be hosting an exclusive high profile runway event to kick off LFW in February 2023.
With so many new and exciting collaborations and a unique take on luxury fashion, this is a serious sustainable fashion brand to follow.
Visit www.gent.london to see more of the collection and follow on Instagram to keep up with events and artist announcements.
Pop up photos by Shae Shepherd Photography
