Orla & John, a match made in Collaboration heaven – John Lewis X Orla Kiely

imageAs part of the landmark celebrations around John Lewis’ 150th birthday this year, You surely can’t have missed that TV Ad by now ? The department store is collaborating with world-renowned designer Orla Kiely on her debut menswear collection. The monumental celebrations, which will see exclusive collaborations by the likes of Barbour, Levi’s and Hackett, amongst others across the retailer and will cement 150 years for John Lewis at the pinnacle of British ‘shopkeeping’.

Internationally lauded for her striking prints and use of unique motifs and textures, the 19 piece range takes inspiration from the 1950’s Mediterranean styling from film, The Talented Mr Ripley. Featuring printed shirts, cotton poplin shorts, swim shorts, pigment washed jersey sweatshirts and a range of accessories including caps, belts and canvas beach bags, the collection features colourways from the designer’s signature ‘Stem Print’ palette in mustard, brick red and elephant grey. Anchoring the collection are two classic prints from the designer’s archive – ‘Sea Sketch’ in navy blue and ‘Ditsy Regatta’ in grey and brown – each in an illustrated, hand drawn style.

“For my debut menswear line I wanted to create something true to my established design signature – versatile matching sets that achieve a clean, confident and contemporary look. Working closely with the John Lewis team from start to finish has made the process an absolute joy. Happy Birthday John Lewis!” Says Orla Kiely