High-street collaborations are rife this year, and it’s easy to see why: tapping a whole new market without compromising on your design DNA can be a strong business move. Just this season, we’ve seen Reformation join forces with the New York City Ballet, Ganni reunite with Barbour, Claire Waight Keller team up with Uniqlo and, perhaps the buzziest of them all, H&M add Rabanne to its long line of globally hyped designer collaborators.
Now, Roksanda Ilinčić has revealed her capsule collection for Jigsaw, bringing her eponymous brand’s mastery of modern colour to the high street (well, with prices reaching £2,000, the highest end of the high street). Fans of the designer’s bold colour-blocking and sculptural shapes – a nod to the her background in architecture – will be pleased to know the collection stays firmly true to the aesthetic of her mainline, with saturated shades and tactile trims taking centre stage.
While most designer high-street collaborations are produced in the masses, for the masses, Ilinčić has taken a decidedly more exclusive approach to hers, with limited runs and premium pricing placing the collection somewhere in between the traditional high street and ready-to-wear camps. Really, this is a designer diffusion on steroids: some pieces are so exclusive only ten were produced and, when it comes to quality, the absence of compromise is evident. The fabrics and construction place each piece firmly in the premium realm: plisse pleats are knife-sharp, fringing is weighty and dramatic, and jewellery is plated in 24kt gold.
“Combining my love of art, tactility, sculptural shapes and, above all, colour with Jigsaw’s classic, playful and timeless designs has resulted in a collection that is both fun and elegant, practical, and ethereal. I hope it will resonate with women of all ages,” said Ilinčić of the project.
The 29 pieces in the collection span dramatic evening dresses, cocooning knits, flowing midi skirts and some standout trophy outerwear. XXL scarves in super-brights come with the heft of a weighted blanket, while chunky merino-wool sleeves lend working-week jackets a playful edge. But the most special piece of them all has to be the fully reversible, ankle-skimming coat, constructed from lacquered patent leather and fuzzy fur – after all, only Ilinčić could make shearling in a flaming tangerine hue so chic.
ROKSANDA X Jigsaw is available at jigsaw-online.com and in selected Jigsaw stores from October 31 2023.
