London Fashion Week to honour Richard Nicoll with Nicoll Blue

In honour of the sudden passing of London Fashion Week designer Richard Nicoll, last October, London Fashion Week is set to unveil a unique colour during its upcoming event which is dedicated to him, namely Nicoll Blue.

The colour, selected by a group of close friends and developed by the Pantone Colour Institue, will be featured in the Arundel St and main entrance to the Store Studios at 180 Strand, the central hub of London Fashion Week. "Richard was a designer whose talent and character inspired all around him," commented Sarah Mower MBE, BFC Ambassador for Emerging Talent in a statement.

"He registered his affinity for the spectrum of blues hundreds of times in the collections he showed in London. For a decade, Richard’s life-enhancing gift for bonding people together contributed immeasurably to the spirit of a whole London fashion generation. The visual presence of Nicoll Blue throughout the main fashion week venue is a way to remember and celebrate a great London friend and to convey our respects and eternal gratitude to his family."

The late Nicoll, who was born in London but raised in Australia, graduated from Central Saint Martins with an MA in fashion in 2002. He quickly rose to fame as one of London's new talents with his original approach to modern sportswear blended with casual tailoring, and his eponymous women's wear label saw him win the NEWGEN sponsorship in 2006, as well as three three Association Nationale pour le Développement des Arts de la Mode (ANDAM) awards. He went on to work for Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton, Cerruti 1881, Fred Perry and Jack Wills before launching his debut menswear line at London Collections: Men in 2012.

"We were so pleased to be able to work on the creation of Nicoll Blue, a unique new blue shade in memory of esteemed fashion designer Richard Nicoll," said Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute. "Modest and humble, yet at the same time lively and playful Richard Nicoll’s Nicoll Blue embodies the elegance and sensitive spirit of this much beloved designer whose innate kindness, loving soul and good natured sense of humour held a special allure to all that entered into his orbit."

In honour of Richard Nicoll work, a minute of silence will be observed before the Central Saint Martins MA show on Friday 17th February. The British Fashion Council also announced plans for multifaceted, retrospective exhibition of the designer’s work were currently underway, with the exhibition slated to launch later in the year.

Photos: Courtesy of the BFC and the Pantone Colour Institute and Jack Wills