Photo © Georgia Kuhn
Autumn’s collections – for men and women – continue in that vein. In the Sibling world, a man will be wearing sweatshirts with “Please Kill Me” emblazoned in ditsy flowers, long Fair Isle scarves in pink and, if they so desire, oversized rastafarian hats. Their girlfriends – or Sister, as the womenswear label, launched last year, is named – are in floral tea dresses photobombed with bold polka dots and huge pastel crochet cardigans inspired by Paula Yates, the rebellious British TV presenter of the Eighties. “We always have strong heroines,” says Bates. “I can’t see how people wouldn’t be inspired by those women.”
Knit is, of course, as much at the heart of Sibling as pop culture references. Bryan is their master knitter – having completed show pieces for Bella Freud, Alexander McQueen and Giles before the label was established. He’s brought his very skilled needles to the task of making yarn the height of hip. “We wouldn’t be arrogant to say we were central to making knitwear cool again,” says McCreery. “We certainly brought a spotlight to it.”
Bates suggests the way that they have nailed a recognisable aesthetic in five years is down to self-sacrifice – if the three of them are a family, the label is the fourth member. “I can sit there and design something that I adore, but it might not work for the brand,” he says. “And I can do something I like less, but which is right.” This “for the greater good” policy has seen them go far. The label is now a highlight of London Fashion Week for both men’s and women’s, and has stockists everywhere from the UK to Japan, Germany and the US.
Bates believes the trio also has the advantage that comes with being a little older and wiser than the twentysomething designers who usually set up new labels. “We got all of the ego nonsense out of the way,” he says. “I’m not saying we’re the Waltons, either, but disagreements are never about ego.” Five years after that Ibiza holiday, they’re still not sick of each other. In fact, this Christmas they’re off on a group trip to New York.
The latest accolade to show they’re on the right track comes right from the heart of the fashion establishment. After competing against nine other talents in June, Sibling became European Finalists for the prestigious International Woolmark Prize. Their entry, typically, wasn’t the standard V-neck pullover. Instead, they made a knitted bodysuit accessorised with a purple pom-pom jacket. But the signs are all pointing one way: the label that started with at least a bit of anti-fashion about them are now firmly in its bosom.
Nomination for the Woolmark is serious recognition (Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent were both previous winners), and Sibling have won $50,000 Australian dollars (around €35,000) and it gained them awareness in untapped markets. Next up is the international final which will take place in February during Milan Fashion Week –something, you’d have to agree, they have a fair chance of winning.
Also on the Sibling agenda? A shop. “For us there’s only so much you can do on a website. The feel of a garment, the tactility, is lost,” says McCreery. “Sibling is about being a fashion family. To actually have a shop would be a place to allow people to come in and feel part of that.” With this plan in place, and these three at the helm, the family will soon be very extended indeed.
By Lauren Cochrane
Entnommen aus Sleek 40 “Mann/Junge”
www.siblinglondon.com
www.woolmarkprize.com