COLLECTOR #3
JESSE PILKINGTON
Creative Director of Skye by Brora, Freelance Costume Designer
​DEFINE YOUR INTERIOR DESIGN STYLE
Colourful, maximalist, probably a bit much. I’m a magpie for bright colour so I end up dressing myself and my flat in the same vain - a patchwork of bold shades and textures. I’m not naturally drawn to neutrals, I love a bright yellow or green. My work is all about patterns, textures and colours so I actually find it really helpful and inspiring when I’m working from home to be surrounded by prints and colour combinations that I like. I also grew up surrounded by colour at home so I think it just feels natural. ​
MOST TREASURED ITEMS YOU OWN?
I treasure everything, I’m definitely over sentimental - but mostly the pictures, prints and art that I’ve collected so far. It’s definitely not a huge collection but it’s all personal and comes with a story; most of the paintings are either by my sisters (both painters, Nancy and Lola) or friends. My boyfriend gave me a series of 9 Ink Dots by his friend Joe Fox which I love and have collaged in my kitchen. My friend Ishbel gave me a painting of a pair of boots, which I also adore and are apt because of my boot obsession. I have a lot of cowboy boot memorabilia around the house, fridge magnets, earrings, ash trays, bookmarks, if it comes in boot form I probably own it. Otherwise it’s old movie posters and little drawings, prints of things that make me happy all scattered across the walls. Furniture wise, I have this Vintage Diablo floor lamp which I bought in the set sale on a Netflix costume job I was working on last year. They had ordered it in from Oregon and I bought it for what I thought was a compete steal but then it didn’t work at all so I had to get it completely rewired. I love it so it was worth the hassle.​​​
TELL US MORE ABOUT SKYE BRORA?
My sister Lola and I create two collections a year in a little diffusion line for Brora (@brorafashion) which we called Skye. We started in AW23 and it received such a welcome reception that we’ve continued it, the latest drop is SS25 and launched on the 7th of May; it's our 4th collection. It’s probably the most feminine collection we’ve done so far, lots of romantic lace and beautiful sheer floating skirts, with a little utility chic thrown in for a cleaner element. Skye is a more playful, youthful take on Brora’s classic collection, collaborating with their incredible in-house teams and the network of artisans and makers that they’ve worked with and nurtured over the past 30 years. ​
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT WHAT YOU DO?
The process of bringing something from imagined design to tangible reality where someone is buying and wearing your piece, is so rewarding. My favourite part of the design process is after we’ve mood boarded, discussed and designed the initial ideas for the collection, we receive the first samples and suddenly the things that were just imagination, drawings and swatch cards can now be seen, felt, touched, worn. Then when you’ve been working on a collection for a year (which is about how long it takes, for example we are launching SS25 now and this month we’ll have the initial design meetings for SS26), and then it comes out and suddenly you’re spotting people you don’t know in the street or on the tube wearing your creations. Thats also the best part, when it’s out in the wild. I’ve had quite a few instances of seeing people I don’t know out wearing Skye and it makes me so happy each time; because if they’re choosing to wear our clothes out with friends then they must feel confident and comfortable in them and that’s the most rewarding thing of all.
WHAT WAS THE FIRST PIECE YOU INVESTED IN AND THE LAST THING YOU'VE ADDED TO YOUR COLLECTION?
My Alan Davie print. At my first job after university we received a company bonus one month in and my mum advised me to invest it into something I’d have forever. I bought this Alan Davie print at auction and now it hangs above my bed. His works are pure creative chaos and I love that. My godmother also gave me one for a big birthday; they give me pleasure daily.​​​​​​​​
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HOW DOES SUSTAINABILITY AND CRAFT PLAY A ROLE IN YOUR WORK?
​We try to only use natural, biodegradable fibres when we design so lots of organic cotton, silk, cashmere, wool, leather, suede and some viscose. Of course, we use tiny amounts of elastane where it’s unavoidable for the fit, but generally we avoid ever using polyester, acrylic or nylon. Too many clothes are now made with synthetic fibres that shed microplastics into our water systems. In 2020 I worked on making Brora Carbon Neutral and mapping out a Net Zero strategy with the Carbon Credit Rating platform BeZero. We created Life Cycle Assessments for all Brora clothes/categories and I learned so much about the environmental costs of clothing production and how to reduce and avoid creating carbon emissions and offset necessary emissions through investing in carbon credits for climate positive projects relevant to your production. As of this year Brora is also a B Corp, one of only 6000 company’s globally, and very few fashion brands who have achieved this certification.
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WHO'S AN ARTIST YOU ADMIRE AND WOULD LOVE TO ADD TO YOUR COLLECTION?
There are so many but one comes to mind… My mum has this painting by Suzy Murphy which is a sort of surrealist view of the Nevada desert. I had it on loan in my apartment and loved it until she took it back last summer. In a dream world I’d save up for another of her paintings and hopefully find a similar one. I loved the colours.
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WHAT CURRENT TRENDS AREN'T YOU ENJOYING?
Anything with a lot of microplastics, spandex, latex, manmade fabrics that shed in your washer and spread microplastics into our water and bodies. Not a fan of those for obvious reasons.​
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DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE PLACE FOR DESIGN FINDS/INSPIRATION?
I have an RA card so I try and always know whats on there. I collect art and photography books, spend time on Pinterest, go to local markets and vintage shops whenever I travel, and go to Portobello market on Friday mornings whenever I can.
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WHAT CAN'T YOU LIVE WITHOUT AT HOME?
My ever growing library of books and multicoloured cowboy boots.
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FAVOURITE RANKIN PIECE?
I love the JET LAG chair in red velvet. It has a touch of Bond girl energy and I like it a lot. ​​​​​​​​
