The Return Of Jo Sykes: See Her New Label Here

REJOICE the return of celebrated Brit designer Jo Sykes, who has established her own-name label, Sykes, for spring/summer 2018. The designer, who previously had an eponymous label of the same name, is widely known for her work as creative director at Aquascutum (from 2010 to 2012) and subsequently Nicole Farhi, which she departed in 2014 - but now she's back and as of November this year we'll be back in her wares.

"I've been business planning the whole thing for the past year and a half and deliberately didn't take on any full-time roles after I finished at Nicole Farhi because I wanted to come back with something that was Sykes," the designer told us.

Sykes's new 40-piece collection is a homage to the Seventies sportswear aesthetic that has proven so popular of late, with a delicious dose of tailoring, all with Sykes's signature attention to the finer detail and a mindfulness of what her target customer wants: "With an increased focus on health and wellness, the clothes are cut to flatter and fit with sensitivity for the female form and comfort."

"Lifestyles have changed and the sportswear aesthetic is a way of life, not just a fad or a trend. My muse is the travelling professional, people like Carmen Busquets and Natalie Massenet, inspirational women who work and travel a lot and their wardrobes have to be versatile. Therefore there is a lot of jersey, a lot of stretch and a lot of fabrics that don't crease. The Anna maxi dress is a gorgeous slinky pique jersey which looks super chilled with a pair of trainers but looks great dressed up."

The fabrics used are "pretty much all Italian", said Sykes, who jokingly added that when you've been in the industry for as long as she has, you "collect factories over the years". As such, she manufactures 95 per cent of the label (which is fur free and leather free) in Italy, while a proportion of the knits are made in China.

"In Prato, Italy, they have put a lot of energy into building ecological and sustainable methods into the production process so it starts at source - not an afterthought." It's what Sykes has coined as being "future fit", and one that she takes seriously, especially now her name is back on the door.

"That was another reason to do this now," she said of re-establishing her own brand." You get to a point where there's so much to choose from, but for me design is a philosophy - the materials you use, the message you give, how you inspire future generations. The woman who wears my clothes is someone who is really in touch with her body."

"It was amazing to work for other brands," she continued, "as it helps you learn about working in a team and to think about the collections in a commercial way, but the lovely thing about having your own brand is that it gives you complete clarity about what you're doing and you can really pour your heart and soul into it."

So far so good, but it gets a little better. Contrary to the price points of her previous employers, the CSM graduate - who stretched her design muscle in Milan, working for houses including Giorgio Armani, Cerruti, and Alberta Ferretti - has created an accessible and affordable collection with prices starting at £90 for a top and £275 to £575 for dresses, while coats come in at £730. "It's important to me that people can afford to buy into my aesthetic," explained Sykes. "It's a contemporary price point and they may not be the loudest pieces in your wardrobe, but they are pieces you will wear again and again."

While she is currently wholesaling her first collection, she is aiming to make the brand's website her main retail point, incorporating capsule collection drops into her annual offering which will see two collections - a mixture of spring/summer 2017 and resort; and autumn/winter and pre - happy to get away from the rigid seasonality of structures past, and equally keen to maintain the aesthetic we love her for.

"I've always designed with the same ethos," she concluded, "this is just a fresh approach."