Matthew Williamson Turns His Full Attention to Interiors, Partners With the Fragrance Group
SWEET HOME: Matthew Williamson has fully immersed himself in the world of interiors, leaving fashion behind him.
After the designer reorganized his brand in 2015 to focus on a direct-to-consumer fashion and lifestyle model — releasing seasonal see-now-buy-now capsules and a wide range of collaborations from stationery to coloring books and rugs — he is now turning his attention exclusively to homewares.
The latest line of products on which he is adding his exuberant, nature-inspired prints is a series of candles and home diffusers, created in partnership with the Fragrance Group.
“I’m focusing on interior design at the moment and that’s been a gradual process over the last couple of years, [moving on] from a former career in fashion. So the candles to me were almost like the jewel in the crown of an interiors project, a sort of cherry on the top,” said Williamson. “They really do bring schemes together and also from a sales perspective, they are an affordable price point. It’s a category that ticks many boxes in moving our interiors business forward.”
For his first home fragrance collection, Williamson looked to an expert in the field like Jo Malone for advice and created five different scents that have personal meaning and a storyline attached to them.
“Everyone can make a fig candle, so it’s really about story-telling and making it a personal expression of you. That’s really how I created the five scents, by looking at times in my life and places that meant something. Every scent is a marker in my life and very geographically linked,” added the designer.
He pointed to “Jaipur Jewel” a scent that expresses his ongoing love affair with India’s colors and vibrant culture and features an intense, almost “monastic” scent with notes of musk, patchouli and incense.
Another scent in the collection, dubbed “Summer Siesta,” offers a stark contrast, with a fresh smell based on mandarin, jasmine and lemon notes that bring to mind Mallorca, one of Williamson’s favorite holiday destinations.
Prices for the collection range between 49 pounds and 140 pounds.
Williamson added that three additional scents are in the works for next year. He plans to stay focused on working on interiors projects — ranging from commercial hotel projects to private residences — as well as broadening his home product range, through partnerships.
“I’m thinking more of a licensing route. We’ve had a good track record with brands such as Osborne and Little where you essentially fuse two brands together and each brings their respective strengths to the table. I’m not a wallpaper manufacturer; I don’t know how you go about producing wallpaper, but I know how to design them — the same can be applied to chinaware, plates or glassware,” he said.
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