Zoë Jordan Knitlab:XY unisex range launch

Words by
Sphere Life

9th March 2016

What does it take to launch a new men's knitwear line in London? A super-starry pub quiz, gallons of Guinness and some raucous music, as it turns out.

Designer Zoë Jordan took over The Larrik pub in Marylebone for a knees-up, putting fashion folks head to head with music insiders – as her father, former F1 boss Eddie Jordan, provided musical accompaniment. Patrick Grant of E. Tautz and Norton & Sons led the winning team to victory, answering tricky questions like how many bridges are there in London or who was the last band member to join the Rolling Stones.

One boffin who knew this answer straight away was Leah Wood, daughter of Ronnie (also known as the last band member to join the Rolling Stones), who was there with her music-savvy posse. Zoë Jordan’s new menswear knit collection, KNITLAB:XY, features Roger Taylor of Queen’s daughter Tigerlily Taylor and her boyfriend Henry Pedro Wright in the campaign, who also made an appearance at the convivial gathering. The range is designed as unisex, featuring Jordan’s signature cut-out armholes as well as a crew neck in camouflage, a hoodie, a graphic print and styles with double cuff detailing. Colours focus on such muted hues as ash, slate, cobalt, moss and ember. The 12-piece capsule collection is also made from the softest cashmere blend.

‘We trialled the product on men, and started getting orders from their wives and girlfriends,’ says Zoë Jordan. ‘It felt right to target everybody, because androgyny is often a design catalyst for us; creating clothes for women from shapes that originally belonged to men, like parkas and slouch pants. The formula of designing to be comfortable on either sex is ingrained into the brand’s DNA.’

Zoë Jordan KNITLAB:XY is out now, with prices ranging from £245 to £300 – discover the range at zoe-jordan.com