In 2008 Jane Shepherdson came on board as the chief executive of Whistles, previously she was the head of Topshop- and key to its success. Whistles was formerly owned by Baugur, the Icelandic investment group, but when Baugur went into administration earlier this year it became an independent company.
A major plus point is Shepherdson's ethical principles- much manufacturing is done in Europe and that which is done in China is carefully scrutinized. She has stated that Whistles knows where the fabric comes from and what factories they use, and they realise how important this is to their customers.
This winter they feature a collection by Serbian-born designer Roksanda Ilincic, who is a relative newcomer to the fashion scene.
She also created a Spring/Summer collection for them this year. Which was feminine, but very playful- the embellishments nod to the late 60s/early 70s.
It reminded me of a favourite Spring collection in 2007 by Chloe, it didn't receive many positive reviews but I loved it. The embellished dresses were fantastic- daring colours, combining print with heavy embellishment.It was actually a 'filler collection' as Chloe waited for their new designer to arrive, Paulo Melim then coming from Marni. Who is now at Diane von Furstenberg. People do move around!
So this collection was overseen by Yvan Mispelaere, who had been the design director of Phoebe Philo- a seminal designer for Chloe.
