THROW a question towards Reynold Pearce and Andrew Fionda and the duo glance at one another before intuitively deciding who is going to answer. As the conversation progresses, they jump in spontaneously, agreeing and endorsing one another. Talking to them is a bit like, well, talking to one person. And if Pearce and Fionda - take away the 'and' for their tradename - work together in the same bantering, zealous style, it is hardly surprising they are the brightest new stars in British fashion today . After their first rousing collection during last London Fashion Week, retailers from all over the world pitched up at their Highbury studio and started making offers. For a debut show, this young design duo had done astoundingly well, and scouts from Bergdorf Goodman in New York, Neiman Marcus in Los Angeles, and Liberty and Harvey Nichols in London all wanted a part of the action. In Hong Kong, Pearce Fionda's debut spring has been marketed through Joyce. The duo had heard enough about Joyce Ma to have been suitably impressed when they were approached by a representative. 'We've been completely overwhelmed,' said Fionda of the enthusiastic response he and his partner received for their first show. 'It was better than anything we imagined.' Fashion critics said the same thing about the duo after their first collection, which was featured extensively in the press. That they got any coverage at all was a challenge: during the London Fashion Week show, Pearce Fionda were one of several designers participating in the New Generation collection. With the competition as heavy as it was, it was more likely they would slip into obscurity. 'We've been really shocked,' said Fionda. 'We were told at the beginning that people wouldn't buy it because it's so new.' All that changed once press and buyers got a glimpse of their stunning, if somewhat monochromatic, first range: precise cuts, jackets that seem to encase the body and those wonderful Fortuny-pleated skirts that everybody tries but few actually succeed at. It was an almost entirely black-and-white collection - long on drama yet thankfully short on silly theatrics. Fabrics were heavy crepe georgette and silk gazar - of high enough quality to justify the relatively expensive prices, about GBP500 (HK$6,165) for a jacket not being unreasonable. 'Some buyers didn't even bother asking for prices. They just wanted the clothes,' said Fionda. Pearce Fionda has kept in line with next season's throwback to the days of Golden Girl glamour, 'but with clothes that are comfortable for a woman, that don't overtake her personality,' said Fionda. 'Our inspiration has come from the Retro look, but we don't follow it blindly all the way through. We've put it in perspective,' said Pearce. They intend to establish a particular image which they will continue through the seasons. 'The colour palette won't be a million miles away because a client will need to wear last season's jacket. There will be follow-through without confusing everybody with completely different looks.' The success of their first range was the confirmation Pearce Fionda needed to continue in this vein, with the same attention to design detail and emphasis on quality fabrics. 'People are now interested in talking to us,' said Pearce. 'We've been approached by people from Italy and other parts of the UK interested in working with us as a team.' And that is how the design duo work together, one cutting and the other sketching, but at the end they both have to like what they've created. It helps that Pearce and Fionda have the same design outlook, citing 'glamorous but elegant' clothes as the basis for their collections, and for the sort of women who wants to buy their clothes. 'Our clothes are not cheap. Our type of client is someone who is elegant, has money, reads Vogue and Harper's Bazaar and likes to wear designer clothes without showing off. She's pretty gorgeous,' said Pearce. They embrace the same fashion philosophy - simple, understated lines - as their favourite designers: Jil Sander, John Galliano and Calvin Klein. 'There is a certain timelessness to these clothes, the ability to build upon a wardrobe every season,' said Pearce. 'So many British designers have either gone under or gone abroad. We know we can't rest on our laurels even if there is huge pressure on us now to do better and better. But now is the time to go for it.'
