Typically, Mayner’s process, which takes about four months from start to finish, is guided by pattern-cutting and trialling various silhouettes. Next, he considers materials and finishes. This season, he worked backwards, starting with materials and textures. With knitwear, he wondered how wool could take on reflective qualities and he melded shiny and matte wools to create a blurred effect. He considered the movement of fabrics by embedding chains within garments to emphasise the flow of silhouettes. Other experimentations include pairing unconventional fabrics like a shearling-lined Mackintosh, splicing together a shirt and pants, and using elastane to stretch faux fur. “It’s about confusing all the elements of clothing but also connecting different elements. There is quite a lot of experimentation. But still, when you look at the pieces, you can recognise them and understand what you see. There’s a radical approach to it,” the designer said, dialling in from Bergamo, Italy, where he was overseeing the production of the collection.`
How important is a concept or an initial idea when designing your collection?
Usually, I start by just making things and drawing ideas from them. I would work with clothes, texture, and a certain type of fabric manipulation or technique. It brings me ideas about the direction that I should take the collection. This time, I wanted to work less on pattern cutting. It was more about creating the collection from materials to reach this sculptural [design] from raw materials and new techniques.
Sometimes my work is described as minimal… or all these things that I never feel related to. When it comes to minimalism, I don’t like that it’s become an aesthetic. My work isn’t minimalistic, but I feel connected to the philosophy of minimalism. This season, I wanted to try to take this approach and apply it to a more decorative element. How do you translate a fabric [like fake fur] into a decorative fabric in the Hed Mayner world?
What about heritage and/or a distinctive identity in contributing to a brand’s success?
It is a crucial thing to build your identity. It’s a personal thing, but it’s the goal: to find your path and to express ideas that you find interesting.
How does experimentation factor into your design process?
Experimentation is when you put yourself in a place where you don’t know how the result will turn out, [yet] you need to evolve. It’s something that people feel, it’s an energy that people are excited by and drawn to – it keeps everything alive.
If you stay curious and excited about what you make and produce, you send signals to people who understand what you’re saying. It lets everybody know that once you are exploring or experimenting with new ideas, you are excited about the things that you make.
What surprises you about the industry in 2025?
Fashion is full of surprises. At the moment, I don’t know if you can compete with the radical nature of it as you create. The world is moving very fast and, as a creator, you are stuck in the middle between the fashion industry, the economy, and politics. As an independent brand, I was living in a bubble for a while, but I felt like I had to face the world. We are all so connected to what is happening in the world right now.
This interview has been lightly edited.
