There has been born a new kid on the fashion block, and no that was not a pun on the fact that the fabulous new brand called 88 & Half predominantly feature sheepskin in their designs…
At the turn of the season, new trends naturally arise out of the dusk of the summer, but with it has emerged the enigmatic young design duo of the two Williams sisters, Olivia and Grace. Launched in the latter half of 2012 the girls embarked on this huge creative and business venture just fresh out of University, with Olivia, the creative mind behind the brand, only just having graduated from Nottingham Trent Uni with a Fashion Knitwear Design degree in the First Class that very summer.
88 & Half has clearly grown from strength to strength in the last few years, and it seems vastly down to the clever, and unique in this modern society, collaboration between the sisters, with Olivia’s creative and constructive skills and Grace’s background, knowledge and savvy in the world of business. Together they make one unstoppable label that does nothing by Half measures.
88 & Half have found themselves in huge demand, and right in the centre of a perfect fashion storm: with their timeless luxury sheepskin coats and accessories, and impeccable knitwear and yarn garments, 88 & Half collection has landed itself in the midst of a season of luxury-utility and street-couture making them a must-have this season.
This upside-down fashion world that is this season has turned the opulence of ‘designer’ on its head and sees the high-end labels taking inspiration from the streets in the gulf of a fashion rebellion.
Now, what once was pragmatically dressed has become an incognito glamour with the likes of Tom Ford, Chanel and Louis Vuitton plucking ripe and original style from the pavements and putting it in gold lining on the catwalks. Those practical dressers that were, for but a moment, wilfully ignorant to fashion for fact that it is suddenly Winter in August, throwing on a cogoule and opting for practicality over vanity – they, with their choice resources plundered, have had their ‘non-fashion’ turn into a vogue.
Now, with the humble nylon parka becoming a thing of beauty lined in sheepskin by Acne and Mink by Christopher Kane, and the return of the ageless shearling coat by Prada, 88 & Half could not be more spot on, or speak more truthfully of the fashion culture we are in today.
Having done my research (because I truly fell in love with the clothes, the brand and the story behind 88 & Half), I discovered that the young voices of these girls are voices from our very own Brighton – the designing genius, Olivia, studied a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, specializing in Fashion and Textiles at City College Brighton and Hove for a year back in 2007, meaning that this new fashion prodigy has sprouted out of the soil of a fellow Brightonian mind, and that makes me very proud.
Here’s rooting for 88 & Half
