Vibrant, experimental and, as the founder Alicia Robinson puts it, ‘a little bit nuts’, AGR is the London-based label, founded in 2018, giving knitwear the scene-stealing moment it deserves. With a signature style that ranges from acid-bright dresses to rainbow brushed-mohair jumpers, the label has already won a celebrity fanbase that includes IAMDDB, Pa Salieu and even Rihanna.
For Croydon-born Robinson, the plan was never to start a brand. ‘A few of my friends asked me to make some clothes for them to wear to Notting Hill Carnival,’ she explains. ‘Before I knew it, I was designing for 15 people and Nike had asked to be involved.’
When some photos of the group partying in their new knits and box-fresh trainers hit the internet, things blew up. ‘[Retail platform] SSENSE got in touch, helped me make my first capsule and essentially put me on the map,’ says Robinson. ‘It all happened completely organically.’
Robinson had already made a name for herself on the London nightlife scene after graduating from Chelsea College of Art. In her early twenties, she made clothes from her bedroom in Dalston in between shifts as a door girl at trailblazing nightclub Visions. ‘It was such an inspiring place,’ she says. ‘Skepta, BBK and A$AP Rocky used to come in, and then at 4am I’d go home and knit until the morning.’
She began freelancing for brands such as A-Cold-Wall* and – her personal favourite – Missoni. ‘I was the person to go to for one-off knitwear,’ she says.
Now Robinson is a 2021 LVMH Prize semi-finalist with 33 stockists, an acclaimed SS23 collection and a ‘crazy colourful’ vision that goes far beyond fashion. ‘We have a huge warehouse in Deptford now, and we’re trying to make the most of all the space by opening it up to the community,’ she says.
Most recently, that included a series of workshops for schoolkids with Nike, to keep them busy during the summer holidays by inspiring them into creative industries. ‘AGR might be a luxury brand,’ says Robinson, ‘but we won’t forget where we’ve come from.’
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