“Sitting there in the dark, silence falls and the music bass kicks in. Sometimes at this point, I can’t tell if its the music or my heart.” Nicola Ball, Creative Director at Halo&Co
The epitome of bridal cool, accessory label Halo&Co recently took to the runway in collaboration with the one and only Bora Aksu, proving their sartorial, high-voltage status and instantly enticing glittering allure. Breathing space-age cool with ‘flutter-by glasses’ and pearl ring bars, the synergy that clearly runs between the brands is achingly cool.
What else is clear is the drive and intriguingly explorative nature of Halo&Co. Forever striving for the new and what’s next, this is an accessory brand that every every fashion-forward bride needs to know about. With their finger on the pumping accessory pulse – no trend, material or new style wave – gets past. They’re always ahead of the accessory game.
I caught up with the label’s Creative Director, Nicola Ball to talk everything from the importance of brand synergy when it comes to a collaboration to the adrenaline rush that comes with your designs taking to the runway…
#1 What do you love about the Bora Aksu aesthetic and how does it work in synergy with Halo & Co?
“Bora Aksu redefines the definition of beauty. With a romantic sensibility, raw elegance, delicately textured fabrics and whimsical detailing. Underpinned by a distinctive twist on tailoring, Bora Aksu’s inspiration always has the sense of a strong powerful woman that he captures with delicate modern femininity. This is also very much at the heart of a Halo & Co creation. I adored the time we spent with Bora in his studio, it’s like a trip into Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland! Just the surroundings are inspiring. It’s like entering a small part of his mind and seeing through his eyes the wonder of the world. One of the best parts of being a designer is working with other creatives.”
#2 I love the ‘flutter-by glasses’ – very space-age cool. Talk us through your design process for these. What inspiration informed your material choices for the sunglasses?
“Working on collaborations is fusing together everyone’s ideas, thoughts and creations. Mixing them all together, reinventing them and hopefully by the time it re-emerges it is more than the original concept. The process begins with Bora sharing his collection, inspiration and details with us. Everything is top secret at this point and non-disclosure contracts are in place to ensure nothing is leaked before the launch dates. Its quite high pressure. For us the fact that someone has entrusted us with the most important details and secrets is special. We are trusted to bring our own bit of magic to their collection. Our work has to be on brief and it must capture what is in Bora’s mind. This is why you have to work with others that you share the same vision with. It can be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to work with another designer that you have no synergy with. After initial designs are agreed we then begin making prototypes and each step has to be approved. As the collection was very fluid with fabric choices the glasses were made in an arts and crafts style in distressed metalwork. With added pearls in the jewellery, it softened the hard metalwork look.”
#3 Did you design the pearl ring bars too? What were your design-led thoughts behind these?
“We designed all of the jewellery for the show and as there are multiple models it can work out to be quite a few pieces. I personally love the ring bars and I have managed to get one for myself – which is rare as samples don’t hang around long at Halo HQ as we have press call in’s all the time! The jewellery was all designed to have the feel of the story behind the collection.”
#4 Describe the collection in three words:
“Delicate. Bold. Boundaryless.”
#5 What’s it like watching your work take the runway?
“Sitting there in the dark, silence falls and the music bass kicks in. Sometimes at this point, I can’t tell if its the music or my heart! I love a fashion show. I spent my internships dressing at New York Fashion Week and working with Kate Moss and Naomi Cambell (to name a few) and the shows were the best part of fashion for me. Still, are. Now to have my own designs included is amazing and very VERY SCARY!!! I keep going on about it being a big responsibility but can you imagine ruining someone’s runway show?!! With all the press, VIP’s and celebs in attendance!! So the pressure is big, with that comes great reward. The clicking of camera shutters from the press bank is exhilarating and the raptures of applause make all the stress, sleepless nights and fear worth it!!”
#6 Has Halo&Co collaborate with Bora Aksu before? Or any other high-end fashion brands?
“We have worked with Bora a few times now on different seasons and it’s always a creative challenge. Other exciting projects we have worked on include designers like Suzanne Neville, Sassi Holford, Alan Hannah, Jimmy Choo, Paul Mitchell, Princess Anne, and most recently the Spice Girls accessories for the Spice World show. There are too many things to list and I hope it always continues as it pushes us to do things we never thought we could!”
All photography courtesy of Davide Cossu.
Discover more about the collaboration here on Halo&Co.
For further information about the accessory label click here.
Explore more about Halo&Co with Bridal Editor here.
