Fashion and interiors are inextricably linked – and whether it’s clothing or cushions, fabric and mood are integral. Here, designers reveal their homeware journeys
Seamlessly woven into the same design fabric, fashion and interiors are becoming increasingly interconnected. Dressing our homes or dressing ourselves, they both allow the opportunity to convey our personal style and taste through colours, patterns, textures and shapes. And trends that emerge on the catwalk often find their way into home decor and furnishings – and vice versa.
Naturally, this symbiotic relationship has led to crossovers, with fashion designers and brands transferring into the realms of interiors, by either launching their own interior lines or dabbling with collaborations alongside established homeware entities.
“Interior design has been with me from the start, partly because my mum took as much care of our home as she did her appearance,” Matthew Williamson, who designed his first collection for John Lewis in 2021, tells us. “For me, fashion and interiors have always been very connected, they’re part of the same design universe.”
In 1997, three years after he graduated from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, Matthew debuted his eponymous fashion house at London Fashion Week – the show was entitled Electric Angels. Models wearing the vibrant clashing looks included Kate Moss, Helena Christensen and Jade Jagger. Ergo the start of his two decades-long career in fashion, accentuated by the impactful images published after the show.
In 2016, Matthew decided to transition from a career in fashion and pivot towards interior design. His eye for colour, design and print is now applied to a range of products spanning a variety of home categories, from cushions, throws and bedding to towels, lamps and mirrors – for retailers and furniture makers including, John Lewis, Pooky, Roome London and Obeetee.
“I was becoming less interested in the cyclical nature of fashion after 20 years, and was drawn to the slightly slower pace of designing products and spaces. Both industries are so closely linked, and I feel that my years in fashion were the perfect training for my current career.
“For me, stopping fashion and moving into interiors felt like a genuine progression. I’m continuing what I established as a fashion designer and expressing it in a new form.”
Like designers, the fashion consumer has also been shifting allegiances, or at least becoming more homefocused, possibly triggered from extended periods spent at home during the Covid pandemic. But, like fashion, Matthew tells us that person
