LONDON — It’s been a frenetic six months for Dunhill’s creative director Simon Holloway. In February, he made his debut for the brand with a fall 2024 collection shown during London Fashion Week and now he’s all ready to show spring 2025 — in Milan.
The narrative for his sophomore collection was built on the idea of a quintessentially British wardrobe filled with tailoring, knitwear, rich leathers, soft suedes and English wool. It saw him diving deeper into the Dunhill archive, reimagining outerwear and applying a lighter hand to the tailoring.
Holloway is fascinated by the English tradition of wearing tailoring for day and evening, and said the collection explores “an idealized, pinnacle lifestyle of a British gentleman — a journey from smart clothes for town through the summer season to the coast.”
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“It’s an elegant expression for off-duty [dressing]. I wouldn’t say we’re showing beach clothes, but it’s about looking smart when traveling,” he said.
Holloway was also inspired by summer racket sports — “the mood, the clothes — both the players and the spectators. That clash of athleticism and formality in sport that only exists in England. That heritage of dressing for sport that is still relevant today,” he added.
The elements of sports are everywhere, in the relaxed shoulders; feather-light jackets; tailored sneakers made from natural rubber, and silk jacquard jackets for the tuxedos and eveningwear.
The pale color palette nods to the outdoors with shades of gray, softer variations of navy and ivory found in English rose gardens.
The show will take place in the center of Milan in a leafy garden that evokes the feeling of an English garden party, like the one the designer attended a few weeks back at Buckingham Palace, which was hosted by King Charles.
Holloway was well dressed for the unreliable English weather, and he hopes that Dunhill’s clients will take his cue going forward. “I was wearing a morning coat and a top hat with a pair of sunglasses and carrying an umbrella. It was sunny one minute, and then the clouds came, [and then there was a] downpour,” said the designer.
Operations at Dunhill moved to Milan at the end of 2022 with the commercial showroom, pre-collections and sales teams relocating there.
“Milan is the home of serious classic menswear and that’s where we need to be,” said the designer, who is British and who lived for years in Italy, working for brands such as Agnona and Hogan.
That’s also why the brand has chosen to show in the Italian city. “Although our preference would always be to show at home in London, there is almost no attendance from a menswear audience on an international level from the U.S., Asia and Europe. It really limits our exposure, and Dunhill is an international house,” he said.
In its year-end results statement, Dunhill’s parent Compagnie Financière Richemont said the most recent collections by Chloé and Dunhill had performed well commercially. Richemont does not break out results for its individual brands.
A spokesperson for the brand said the feedback from clientele following Holloway’s debut had been positive. WWD named the Dunhill show as the winner of Who Won the Day? for the first day of London Fashion Week for making tailoring exciting again
Following the success of fall 2024, the brand has been expanding in the U.S. market, partnering exclusively with Neiman Marcus in Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco. The brand is also reentering the South Korean market, where its lightweight fabrics have been well received.
“Our approach to community building is also really key for us,” said the brand spokesperson. “We look to build genuine, organic communities of like-minded people — not mass groups of followers. Whether it’s supporting the Frieze Masters Talks or our ongoing Profiles series [which spotlights influential members of the Dunhill community], we look to connect on a deeper, resonant emotional level.”
