Unconditional

Fashion designer Philip Stephens talks to Gossip about his hot label Unconditional over breakfast at The Velvet...

"I think there's something in my collection for everybody,
probably why we have such a diverse client base"

UNCONDITIONAL luxury menswear was launched by Stephens in 2003 as a small capsule collection in Soho’s Concrete shop, just off Carnaby Street, and was followed two years later by his debut ladies wear collection to great critical acclaim.

Showing at London Fashion Week for the past seven seasons, Unconditional has an ever-growing list of celebrity fans from the likes of David Beckham, JLS, Tinie Tempah, Gwen Stefani and Madonna. Now, reaching a worldwide following, Unconditional has been picked up by famous names across the Atlantic with Brad Pitt, Jared Leto, Kelis, Cameron Diaz and Rihanna being spotted wearing the label.

I'm curious to know how he gained such a strong
celebrity following, but before we go there...

I ask him Where does a young lad from Manchester begin to start a successful fashion label and create an impression in such a ferociously competitive industry?

"Well the whole thing has been a very organic process for me, I've always been very interested in fashion. 13 years ago I started 'Concrete' a PR and marketing company for fashion and lifestyle and I literally just launched a bunch of new designers, I used to work very closely with the designers almost as a consultant really, we would also sell the collections and it just so happened that a lot of my ideas were the ideas that sold, so that gave me a certain confidence.

"David Beckham came in and bought two of my sweaters"

I started a store called Concrete, a sort of spin off, a show case to the world of the designers we managed, It was a different time economically, everything was different, we did a lot of show pieces and the store was a big hit, we had a lot of celebrities come in, a lot of celebrity stylists who were buying for pop videos and that side of things, Jude Law had an office for his production company next door called 'Natural Nylon' with Sadie Frost and Sean Pertwee, we became a real destination in Soho, our shop was all alone in the middle of a cul-de-sac".

"I remember we needed a luxury basics line for the store and there just wasn't anything, there was a gap, there was something I wanted that I just couldn't find, at that time I had a a connection at a knit wear company and they said they would make some Jumpers for me so I designed three styles of jumper, each in two colour ways and they literally arrived at the store and the same day David Beckham came in with his stylist to buy some Tsubi jeans and as well bought two of my cashmere sweaters so that was a terrific beginning, we always had buyers from other stores coming in to see what we were up to, and people started asking to buy UNCONDITIONAL and we started wholesaling - it then just organically grew from there.".

"I dont think that most buyers are reactive to
what's being sent to them in the post, they're
more proactive in going to search for new things"

Considering Philip has such a massive day infront of him, he is appearing very relaxed, friendly and a great conversationalist, I don't want to tip the applecart but i'm keen to understand the reasoning behind choosing to locate his Manchester stand-alone debut in the Triangle, when the rest of the cities more discerning labels appear to be filtering more toward Spinningfields and The Avenue..

"We think of ourselves as a destination and the space itself is 'very me'

It's a clean space, and it has that industrial feel and for that reason it didn't need an awful lot doing to it, and it's very central. It won't do any harm to be near Selfridges and Harvey Nicks, being in the triangle has a lot of plus points." he said.

What next for Unconditional?

So what do you do next when you have a store in Soho, one in Manchester, and you sell your clothes across the globe to A-listers celebs?

"I think it's very likely we'll open a store in LA, there are two stores in LA that have said they would like to help me to do something.

“It is much more feasible to open a store with a local partner , who already has that knowledge and expertise... otherwise it would be just a nightmare, if not impossible right now. Through these stores in LA we have already sold to many, many celebrities from Cameron Diaz to The Black Eyed Peas; LA could work very well for us I think, both commercially and as a great marketing tool".

"My clean design aesthetics mean my clothing can sometimes be seen as fairly straight forward - but even the most simple pieces have nice details and an UNCONDITIONAL twist, and we always use great yarns and fabrics. Yes, most of my clothing is fairly accessible and wearable - we don’t really do things for the red carpet for example; celebrities tend to wear it in their real lives rather than for those occasions, although we do quite a lot for rock and pop stars on stage. I guess we are a sort of niche, cool clothing company? It’s difficult to put into words yourself ; I have heard lots of things said about my collections. It’s quite a big collection, with different facets; I think there’s something in it for almost everybody, which is probably why we have such a diverse client base"

Along with exclusive designs only available to the store, Manchester will offer UNCONDITIONAL homewear, including new scented candles being made in Paris all together bringing this well loved brand back to the North, Unconditional + Manchester aims to add a revitalizing option to the Manchester retail scene.

For more details see Unconditional