Reinventing Luxury: Simon Holloway’s Vision for Dunhill’s Future

Simon Holloway: Redefining Timeless Elegance at Dunhill

Simon Holloway, the newly appointed Creative Director of Dunhill, brings a wealth of experience in fashion design, having studied at Kingston University in the UK and previously holding the position of Creative Director at James Purdy & Sons. With his first collection for Dunhill set to debut in Fall/Winter 2024, we spoke with Holloway to discuss his vision for the brand and the inspiration behind his designs.

A Conversation with Simon Holloway

THE RAKE Looking at your first collection, I felt a strong sense of timeless elegance within a contemporary British style. I think that your homage to the “British classics” was more strongly expressed than ever before in Dunhill’s collections, but what do you want to keep in mind most when building a collection?

Holloway “When I design, I am always keen to explore the House’s dynamic 130-year history. From car coats and driving jackets from the pre-automobile era, to saddle leather goods from the archives, to hard luxuries and tailoring from the late 20th century, this rich heritage is at the heart of who Dunhill is and it is a real pleasure to be able to express it through my own lens.”

The Art of Tailoring

THE RAKE You also had a strong passion for and love for tailoring. What do you think a tailored product should be for a gentleman?

Holloway Tailoring has always been a part of men’s style. For some, owning a suit is a necessity, for others, wearing and having a suit tailored is a desire, but tailoring should be an expression of individuality. It can be full-body formal menswear or a hybrid style incorporating soft tailoring and knitwear. It is now common to pair it with a T-shirt or polo shirt. It is a result of the pursuit of comfort as well as style.

The Glamour of Formal Wear

THE RAKE The glamorous and elegant world of the formal collection is dreamy, but given that Truman Capote has a history of wearing a Dunhill tuxedo, is the formal world of Dunhill something you want to strongly express in your collection?

Holloway I love the image of old British and Hollywood movie stars. Cary Grant and Clark Gable, with their slicked back hair and perfectly tailored tuxedos, looked so refined, elegant and well-groomed. Having dressed Truman Capote and Frank Sinatra, eveningwear is essential for us at Dunhill. That’s why we experimented and wanted to push the boundaries of classic eveningwear. These included evening suits in rich chestnut, dark chocolate, midnight blue and grey velvet, an indigo chambray evening shirt, an oversized wool silk bow tie, a double-faced coat and a spectacular ecru three-piece evening look teamed with tailored sneakers.

The Modern Gentleman

THE RAKE What is your idea of what a gentleman should be? If so, who or what British culture influenced you to shape that image?

Holloway I see the modern Dunhill man as poised, quietly confident, with a touch of eccentricity and hedonism. Formal codes are complemented by cool irreverence and nonchalance. The collection was heavily inspired by “British Hollywood” fashion – classic, well-tailored masculinity. Who doesn’t aspire to look like a movie star?

A Vision for the Future

THE RAKE please tell us what you would like to express with Dunhill in the future.

Holloway Alfred Dunhill was a visionary with a passion for craftsmanship, innovation and excellence. I share his passion for quality, taste and the need for everything to be the best. To continue on this exciting journey of expressing luxury, I need the same level of excellence. To achieve this, I focus on the quintessential British sensibility that lies at the heart of the house. British colour palettes and British fabric patterns and textures inspired by classic menswear form the backbone of the collection. Everything is crafted with a sense of lightness and contemporary style.