JUSTIN AND THEA OF PREEN ANSWERED THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
1. What inspired your beautiful floral print for Fall? What is your favorite flower/plant?
The botanical studies of Beatrix Potter and Victorian scrapbooks.
Our favorite flower is the hydrangea.
2. Who would you say is your muse?
Our muse is an amalgamation of friends and people we meet.
3. Who is your favorite artist?
Justin: Mark Rothko
Thea: Jeff Koons
4. What is your favorite smell?
Justin: Fresh cut grass
Thea: Lavender
5. Your last meal on earth would be?
The last one I eat before I die.
6. Favorite room in your house is?
The library.
Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi, first met at the age of 18 on the Isle of Man where they both grew up.
In 1996, Justin and Thea, set up shop on Notting Hill’s Portobello Road, an unorthodox start-up plan, given that they didn’t at that point have any clothes to sell. But it wasn’t long before their designs were flying off the rails. Right from this start, their early, one-off creations displayed many of the themes that Preen would revisit over the next decade: Victoriana, recycling, deconstruction, utilitarian clothing, always with that masculine and feminine hard/soft mix the couple bring to their designs.
Their debut collection at London fashion week for Spring Summer 2001 comprised of punkish elements - vintage lace and plaited leathers with hand crafted effects, a sartorial tradition clash with a very British sense of tongue-in-cheek chic. Receiving rave reviews, this collection put Preen firmly on the fashion map.
Subsequent collections have built on this early success with increasing sales and extensive press attention. As a regular must-see show on the London Fashion week schedule, Preen made the decision to move their twice yearly runway shows to New York Fashion week for Spring Summer 2008, and are now a much anticipated part of the New York show calendar. Since showing in New York, the international exposure of Preen has magnified and the sales doubled.
Spring Summer 2008 saw the launch of ‘Preen Line” their contemporary line. This gave them an avenue to display a contemporary collection with the rock and roll design element that their clientele had come to know and love. With a strong and individual look of effortless, everyday cool, as well as a lower price tag Preen Line has had great success worldwide.
Now designing six collections a year, with a style that is described as deconstructed chic with a minimal opulence, Justin and Thea have grown their label from a tiny shop in London to dressing the very best of young Hollywood. With their designs now stocked in over 35 different countries world wide, Preen is set to go from strength to strength.
Preen designs are instantly recognizable as cool and desirable, worn by high profile celebrities including Kate Moss, Scarlett Johansson, Carey Mulligan, Kate Bosworth, Diane Kruger, Gwyneth Paltrow, Penelope Cruz, Rachel Bilson, Beyonce and Michelle Obama.
