A Quaint Perspective: Spotlight Feature- Fabian Lintott

Spotlight Feature- Fabian Lintott

Monday 20 January 2014

Founded in 1978 as a two man workshop, Hidesign has grown into a global brand recognized for its quality, ecological values and personalized service. Hidesign has grown from its artisan roots to an international brand with over 60 exclusive retail stores and a distribution network across more than 20 countries.As premium luxury, Hidesign fulfills the lifestyle needs of our audience globally, at work and at leisure.

As a ardent fan of the brand, I was thrilled at the opportunity to interview Fabian Lintott, the distinguished lead designer for men’s fashion at Hidesign.

A brief introduction of Fabian Lintott

Fabian as Hidesign’s lead international designer for men brings great innovative talent and experience to the team. Fabian comes with tremendous design experience and is among

’s top men’s designers. He is a graduate of Central St. Martin’s College of Art and Design, London, which is regularly ranked as one of the world’s leading design schools. Fabian brings to Hidesign the British quality of quirky innovativeness in modern, urban lifestyle. He identifies himself as part of the contemporary design movement that has seen many British designers become the creative heads of several top luxury houses.

Fabian Lintott

AQP: What is your personal style?

FL: My personal style has its roots in tradition. For special occasions, I like wearing a 3 piece suit twinned with my Omega pocket watch, but I would mix the look with a more contemporary twist and add a floral shirt or a contrasting waist coat or bright shoes.

Every day. I range from smart-casual which would be a shirt, v-neck and jeans to casual- a simple t-shirt, sweat shirt and jean combo. I would say I have an eclectic style with a touch of heritage. I like to own things with a story. For instance, my pocket watch was made in the 1900’s. I like to think about the people who have owned it before and how it has survived the test of time. I find a lot of my inspiration for my work at Hidesign by looking through our archives and looking at retro styles.

AQP: Where do you draw inspiration from?

FL: Inspiration comes from everywhere. As a designer, you have to be like a sponge soaking up all sort of information. It can be really random things that spark an idea. Anything from a maasai to a leaf in autumn. I always carry a sketch book because you never know when you might see something that will spark an idea.

AQP: Which brands do you admire globally and why?

FL: One of my favorite brand is called "the Duffer of St. George" a UK based brand. It has a very heritage feel to its collections and really makes a good pair of jeans. Ettore Sottsass is one of the designers that I really like. He’s not really mainstream. He was big in the 80’s and helped create the Memphis group. Their designs were fairly crazy but it’s their courage to try a new direction which really inspires me. It reminds me to keep strong and fight for ideas when I need to.

AQP: How is Indian market different from the rest of the world?

FL: Deep down I don’t think there is a real difference between the Indian market and the rest of the world. We may have different cultures but our desires are much the same. We want to be respected for our choices. We want our purchases to make us feel good and our bags/accessories must continue to grow into our lives. So we are intrinsically linked to our products which evoke the memories of the journey we have taken. The items we buy express the person we are, in a way that makes us feel good about ourselves.

AQP: What is the design philosophy behind the brand Hidesign and what is the one differentiating factor that sets it apart?

FL: Hidesign offers a unique lifestyle choice. There is a purity and dedication to our products which isn’t so apparent in other brands. We constantly strive to create products that are made with the love and commitment our customers deserve. As an international design team, the effort put into our products ensure that they are truly unique. We never sacrifice the quality of our bags at the expense of our customers. Hidesign is a brand that evokes confidence, quality and excitement when you make your purchase. There is no smoke and mirrors- what you see is what you get.

I would say my uniqueness comes from my attention to detail in my designs. It gives my bags at Hidesign a unique feel which makes my products recognizable. One of the best things about Hidesign is that we are among the few brands that offer a unique product. The whole brand package is very individual to Hidesign.I have bought a few things in since I began designing for Hidesign internationally, including the improvements in the wheeled luggage and the functionality of the bags.

AQP: What are the upcoming themes and styles for men at Hidesign?

FL: Colour continues to be the revolution hitting men’s wear and our latest collection is no different. We are seeing much braver use of colour with bright colours popping up across the catwalks. As a designer this is really exciting. We are bringing this adventurous spirit to the men's line with this collection with the Corvette range which combines our brown classic leather with a bright tan leather trim.

AQP: What is the elemental difference between designing for men and women?

FL: Men tend to like muted styles that are not too outwardly outrageous. They like to be practical and stylish. Women are into the glamour of bags and want their bags to be more noticeable, colourful and really bring a statement to their outfit.

AQP: What are the current trends in the men’s accessories?

FL: Accessories in India are very similar to the accessories you find abroad. As for Hidesign, every season, we offer the same collection across all regions. What changes though is the product mix. Depending on the preferences, we order the styles to suit the sensibilities of the different cultures we are present in. A bag may be ordered in a black, olive and midnight blue in UK, but in India we could order it in black, red and mango green – colours that are favoured more in India. The bag remains the same but we tailor them to suit the preferences of all our customers.

Here is a sneak preview latest collection at Hidesign for Men.