Penny Winter’s clothing designs are theatrical as well as classic, thanks to precision tailoring and careful attention to detail. Deft cutting and technically-accomplished patterns lend energy to her much-anticipated annual collections. Often combining classic shapes with innovative fabrics, or imaginative designs with elegant hand-woven material, Penny mingles the youthful and unexpected to curious and time-honoured effect.
Penny’s designs perfectly suit the modern woman, who is herself an irreverent mix of rebellious, elegant, contemporary and relevant.
Her current collection reveals Penny’s uncanny ability, by uniting rigid military tailoring, effortless urban style and menswear-inspired tailoring. The Fall 2010 line is designed in a soft palette of teal, olive and navy in distressed leather, vintage panne velvet, soft silks and sequins. The effect is no less than ‘Napoleon in SOHO’ with a unique and trendy appeal.
Penny Winter is an Irish-born fashion and costume designer, who trained at the Royal Shakespeare Company and the English National Opera. She started her own design label 12 years ago and together with her husband, Paul Verleysen, owns Ngong House – a tree-house lodge situated outside Nairobi, Kenya, where she operates a design studio and a boutique. Her clients include international celebrities, high-end tourists and the local jet set. Erin O’Connor, Princess Caroline of Monaco, Trudy Styler and Rachel Weisz (in ‘The Constant Gardener’) have all worn Penny’s designs.
Penny Winter’s clothes have an international appeal that makes women feel beautiful. A jewellery line using horn, brass and gemstones is sold in dozens of top American fashion department stores such as Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman. Penny also produces a clothing line for the Suno label, sold worldwide at stores like Liberty of London, Barneys New York and Marie Luisa Paris.
Her designs are cut, stitched, assembled and finished in Kenya by Kenyans, who have been empowered with a diverse range of skills that provide honest income and a strong sense of personal pride.