How new brand alert! Already a huge hit in the UK, it’s now ready to cause a sartorial stir in the UAE – English brand Merchant Archive has arrived in Dubai at Boutique 1.
Emirates Woman, spoke to Sophie Merchant, the fabulously stylish founder of Merchant Archive ahead of the English brand’s arrival at Boutique 1.
Sophie Merchant
The Inspiration
I was given a bicycle last summer and found it completely liberating. I started looking at how cycling has freed women’s fashion over the past 100 years and that became the inspiration for the autumn/winter 2015 collection. I love the idea of the change from Victorian restraints to modernday wear being in part due to cycling.
The Collection Is…
A considered collection with historic references, made for the modern woman.
The Palette And Fabrics
The colours in our autumn/winter 2015 collection are imagined through the idea of dampening. Cycling in the rain… We are a British brand, after all. All the colours start bright and then are tempered as if dampened. Fabric is so important to me, quality of cloth is everything. I just can’t compromise on that. We use Italian silk mostly, Italian jacquards, British tailoring cloth, we also use couture cloth and we print in the UK.
Favourite Pieces
I just love the double skirt, it’s long and elegant but has a playful edge. I’m also a big fan of the inset lapel jacket, which looks great with a kick flare trouser. It’s easy to wear day to night and very flattering.
The Merchant Archive Woman Is…
Confident, she knows herself, loves detail and simplicity in equal measures. Merchant Archive is for women who love design and want to buy something to keep, to hand down. This isn’t fast fashion. I like the idea that they are of our time yet timeless.
Merchant Archive In The UAE
I think the brand is perfect for the Middle Eastern woman. It’s a luxury offering in exquisite cloth and we often create pieces which cover the body but with clever tailoring, which allows the wearer to feel incredibly special.
Check out our fave pieces from the Merchant Archive collection at Boutique 1
