About Nigel Preston & Knight
For over three decades the British born designers Nigel Preston & Brenda Knight have been creating luxurious Leather, Suede and Sheepskin collections. They are renowned amongst the world's top stores for their inspired detailing and original approach to garment construction and design. The collections have created a loyal following of international buyers in America, Japan, Europe and Scandinavia.
Nigel Preston originally began in the sixties with his 'Maxfield Parrish' store, just off Kings Road where the bespoke collection was born making incredible made to measure stage clothes for emerging pop stars such as The Stones, Queen, Suzi Quatro, Kate Bush and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Throughout the seventies these early collections transformed leather from its tough rock'n'roll image, molding skin tight leather jumpsuits to the ebb and flow of the body as if it were silk. Nigel's other passions were simple masculine loosely tailored classics transformed into their renowned Chandleresque trench coat or Western Gambler's Jackets sweeping back through the history of 18th and 19th century's and military influences
Brenda's background was in styling, fashion show production and design and ran her own Fashion PR company in London for many years. She currently divides her time between India and her 18c. Chateau in rural France where her Design Studio and Historic collections are based. She is well-known in the fashion world, with her long red hair sweeping through the antique flea markets of Paris and London to the bazaars of Turkey and Jaipur and Delhi... An avid seeker and collector of antique garments, shawls, prints and trimmings such as 18th century lace and embroideries from which scraps she divines the Inspiration for her garments. She may take reference from an old French Priest Coats or worn out and hand mended farm workers jackets, tattered, aged and torn Edwardian 'Courtesan' laced up bustiers and bustles or sculpted fitted military Napoleonic coats through to battered leather 19th century motoring coats. Antique lace jackets, blouses and skirts are gently coerced into the 21st century whilst still retaining their breathtaking past.
Brenda is renowned for the detailed bespoke finishes she lavishes on her garments including hand painting, cutwork and intricate metallic hand embroideries through to completely hand stitched garments. Carried out in her own manufacturing and sampling workshop where she is surrounded by her handpicked team of loyal and dedicated artisan experts which she has found from every field of expertise.
She works tirelessly for months on each collection, personally designing and overseeing each intricate step of the creation of every garment which she then oversees through endless fittings until she is satisfied with her and desire that every garment should be a fascinating masterpiece, individually handmade and perfect to the highest specifications of material and manufacture.
The fabric and blouse collection was launched in 2006 with romantic historical designs, in linens, cottons and antique trim of ribbons, lace and embroidery. Through constant experimentation with quirky hand stitching and the development and evolution of ornamentation she creates clothes of idiosyncratic, poetic, wearable and original beauty.
Winter 2011 saw the launch of sheepskin and fur handbags to complement the outerwear collection and Brenda continues her mission to lead the way in the arena of luxury design with the launch this season of her personal 'Heritage Jewelry Collection' of 18th and 19th century necklaces, soutiers, rivieres, crosses and chains studded with diamonds and precious gems.
