LONDON — Issa, a brand that made its name with colorful, innovative prints and fluid wrap dresses for day and night, is back for a new generation of professionals and party-goers alike.
Founder Daniella Helayel is relaunching it with Rio, a resort collection, and working with the Rainbowwave showroom here. The issalondon.com site, which will include a menswear capsule collection filled with silk twill summer wear, will launch in October.
The new collection is inspired by Helayel’s hometown of Rio de Janeiro and filled with day-to-night looks, a mix of fluid wrap dresses, caftans and kimono styles, and separates that can be layered, depending on weather, occasion and mood.
In a bid to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, Helayel is also offering dress and skirt styles in various lengths, and has designed them to be worn with halter crop tops or with bow blouses and silky collared shirts for the office.
Issa’s signature wrap dresses are out in force as well, and there are even trousers with a wrap detail at the waist.
A silk jersey gown from Issa.
Eveningwear has a youthful, 1930s mood, as in a simple gold lamé column gown with long sleeves and a dropped waist. A black silk jersey dress with a deep V-neck and gentle folds at the waist has a dash of Old Hollywood glamour. Tailoring makes an appearance in the shape of a jacket, cropped trousers and a sash at the waist, in copper or white.
Prices are lower than in the past, landing between 500 pounds and 1,000 pounds. Fabrics are mainly silk, with some viscose, while signature prints include gold chains, mushrooms, animal spots, starry galaxies and a wave pattern inspired by a 16th century map of Rio.
The prints have names like Lucky Supernova, Confetti Polka Dot, and Wave Chain. As in the past, they come in different sizes and proportions, often on the same piece of clothing.
Helayel is working with a treasure chest of a color palette that takes in emerald, rubellite and amber as well as gold and silver lamé. Neutrals include olive, dark blue and black.
Although there are many nods to the past in the textures, prints and figure-flattering designs, Helayel said the latest iteration is “more sophisticated” in terms of fabric and design, while the prints are smaller. The collection is aimed at long-standing fans and a younger audience that may have missed the Issa craze in London in the early 2000s.
Issa’s patterns are inspired by the lush mountainsides and ocean bays of Rio de Janeiro.
Helayel founded Issa in 2001 and the brand hit its peak in 2010 when Kate Middleton appeared in a royal blue Issa dress with a deep V-neck and wraparound waist on the day her engagement to Prince William was officially announced.
At its height, the label was sold in 43 countries, and in more than 350 doors. Helayel eventually sold, and exited the brand. Over the years she has taken on a variety of creative projects including Dhela, a laid-back collection of dresses with bohemian flair.
But the siren call of Issa proved too loud to ignore, said Helayel, who found herself hunting for old styles online, buying them back and thinking about all the ways she could refresh them, and make the collection more versatile and lifestyle-focused.
An evening look from Issa with a fil coupé animal pattern.
The new collection also includes accessories such as bold gold and silver jewelry, and clutch bags. Helayel said she was also eager to add menswear to the offer. There will be shirts, shorts and trousers in silk twill, and swimming trunks, too, all with Issa’s signature prints.
For the new e-commerce site, which launches in October, Helayel worked with Tammy Smulders of Trends and Culture, who is overseeing brand and digital.
