Renowned for his iconic dresses, – Galaxy, Moon, Titanium and Pigalle, Roland Mouret celebrates the sharp tailoring and the ability to create a second-skin or modern armour to empower women. Worn by Cameron Diaz, Miranda Kerr and Halle Berry alike, Roland Mouret is known as a ‘Master Of The Silhouette’. As a self-taught designer, Mouret has opened the doors of fashion leaning away from trend and more towards sustainability.

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From country boy to city dweller, Roland Mouret went from living in Lourdes to becoming a prestigious fashion designer in London. Debuting his first line in 1998, Roland distinguished a space for himself that captured the art of the female silhouette, capturing the contours, precise tailoring and exquisite fit that is still famously inducing on the eyes of the ever-evolving fashion crowd. Standing away from trends and valuing the women, sustainability and longevity, Roland Mouret is a designer that creates pieces to stand timelessly in any wardrobe no matter the shape or curve. From his escape to the countryside and his thoughts on the beauty industry, we break down what it takes to be an iconic fashion designer.

Following his collection debut at London Fashion Week for A/W20, Roland Mouret continues to storm the runway with tailored pieces that accentuates the female silhouette. Coining the draping method that cuts and pleats at the most flattering angle and is continuously accentuating and highlighting the curves of the body, Mouret still gets it right when it comes to designing a uniform of allure and sensuality. From starting with no formal training, Roland carved a space for himself in fashion and has elevated fashion history since his first collection in 1998. “I had an unlikely route to working in fashion – I grew up in a small French village near Lourdes and my first encounter with fashion was seeing my dad in his butcher’s apron. I would watch my father fold the apron with precision, each fold was smoothed by the hand, the manipulation of material to show the clean side was very purposeful”. From this inspiration Mouret transcended into his most famously know method, “Later on, it was remembering this technique which inspired me, adopting a ‘draping’ method and seeing how this would transform the fabric so it sat perfectly on any woman”. The Draping method, originally crafted in 1997, and inspired by his own icons Azzedine Alaia and Yohji Yamamoto in terms of finding his own signature, created a line that is still celebrated today. “Today I hope to design collection’s with longevity. At my Autumn Winter 2020 show during the recent London Fashion Week, values over trends shaped my collection. I wanted to highlight the value of sustainability and collaboration above all” not before finally mentioning “What needs to be iconic is the woman, not the dress”.

When it comes to values, sustainability and craft, Roland believes in putting the woman and his consumer first as he believes in what the Mouret woman wants, she will wear it confidently and unapologetically. Focusing on ideals that project femininity, flow and modernism, Roland reflects his values from his collections into his own routines. “Right now, I’ve been using the 111SKIN Vitamin C Brightening Booster, I appreciate when products are both effective and make innovative changes towards sustainability” further elaborating “It is always very important for me to use products personally and for the show which resonates with our brand values” and as the beauty industry as a whole “it could become a leader in sustainability by removing single use my removing single use plastic from everyday life”. Aside from his grooming routine, Roland uses the Boiler Plate three times a week for a workout, a high-speed workout using multi-directional vibrations to contract and relax the muscles. These vibrations then cause the body to work harder to maintain sustainability. High speed in his workouts and high-speed in his day-to-day with his iPad being his on the go essential, Roland leaves little time for rest unless it involves breaking away from London for the weekend or winding down in the evening with a glass of a good Japanese whiskey.

“At the moment, I’m trying to reduce my carbon footprint, so I’ve been enjoying the UK, splitting my time between London and my cottage in Suffolk.” Breathing in the wonders of the countryside, he adds “My cottage is the place where I relax and re-charge my batteries. I have rediscovered the countryside, which I thought I had left behind when I moved away from my family home in France”. Aside from taking in the beauty of the English countryside, Mouret enjoys the arts and frequently presides in the beauty of art, dance, theatre and film.

The best advice you have ever received? If you feel old, smile

The brand relaunched in 2006 in partnership with Simon Fuller’s XIX entertainment and is now sold in over 40 countries globally. The collections are best discovered in the Roland Mouret flagship townhouse at 8 Carlos Place in London.