River Island unveils latest designer collaboration with Liz Black

The latest designer collaboration for the high-street's giant Design Forum

Liz Black for River Island

Liz Black is the latest luxury womenswear designer to collaborate with British high-street giant River Island – and creates a regal collection of tailored dresses and statement coat.

The Venezuela-born London-based designer has created a nine-piece capsule collection inspired in Imperial Russia. It was unveiled this week on River Island’s website and presented in a fashion film, premiered at London Fashion Week’s Fashion Film event yesterday.

The video directed by Mary Nighy is inspired by Princess Anastasia’s escape through the Russian woods, highlighting the inspiration behind the collection, which symbolises the late princess’ rumoured survival during the Russian Revolution.

Black is the latest designer to join the store’s highly successful Design Forum, a platform which showcases some of the best British emerging talent. Previous collaborations include Eudon Choi, Katie Eary and Joseph Turvey.

Black is a 2010 Central Saint Martins alumna and 2011 Fashion Fringe Awards semi-finalist, was also recently nominated Scottish Fashion Awards in the ‘Creative Excellence’ category and Lady Gaga is one of her celebrity fans.

This capsule collection is Black’s first high-street collaboration and although it promises to be more affordable than her mainline collection, with prices ranging from £30 to £100, it also promises to keep her trademarks: sculptured neoprene, laser-cut leather and abstract prints. Highlights of the collection include dresses with corset silhouette and a contemporary black coat with big furry cuffs.

Black told The Independent: "With this collection I tried to identify each woman with Anastasia, someone who was brave and served as inspiration of many."

With her high-street debut also comes her shoe and bag debut, and the collection includes a pair of black heels, and a peculiar oval clutch bag which emulates the Romanov family’s extensive collection of Faberge eggs.

The collection’s colour palette is royal, dark blue tones, grey and the ever-classic black.

Black said: “The first time I visited London I went shopping in River Island, where I ended up buying much more than I intended! I never imagined that 14 years later I would be asked to design a capsule collection especially for them. Working with the River Island team has been a fantastic experience and professionally very rewarding.”

Sketch for Liz Black's capsule collection for River Island

The collection is now on sale online and in selected UK and international River Island stores.

riverisland.com