When the world woke up to a front-page photo of Kate Moss, Sadie Frost and Rosemary Ferguson on a beach in Mustique, all three wearing Hansine Rhodes dresses, the designer of the garments, Hansine Johnston, was completely taken aback.
It was Kate’s 50th birthday, and Britain’s most famous supermodel was also wearing a headpiece that echoed the one she wore in the images that helped to launch her career – the photos taken by Corinne Day for The Face in 1990, when Kate was just 16.
"Celebrity endorsement is more than nice, it’s a fantasy,” Hansine, 54, tells hello! when we meet at her beautiful home in Notting Hill. “It was this amazing PR moment that I could never have planned or paid for."
The story behind the image is one of pure chance. A year earlier, Hansine had given Sadie a dress to take on a yoga retreat, and the two had gone on to build a rapport via Instagram.
During one of their conversations, Sadie mentioned that she was heading to Mustique in January for a friend’s birthday, and Hansine offered to give her a dress. “I knew she was friends with Kate Moss, and that Kate’s birthday was in January, but I didn’t want to assume,” she says.
There was another serendipitous twist: Rosemary had attended Hansine’s very first pop-up and picked out a red dress, which she packed for the trip.
"I couldn’t have wished for a better thing. Our tagline is modern bohemian luxury, so Kate Moss is a massive style icon for me."
Funnily enough, Kate had attended one of Hansine’s pop-up events when the brand launched in 2017. "I wasn’t there because I was watching my son in a football trial," she says.
"Kate tried on the black Rhodes dress and I tried to send it to her afterwards, but she has a lot of people sending her clothes. Luckily, it ended up being a full-circle moment."
This dress, which remains her signature, is named after the Greek island of Rhodes, where Hansine was born. All of her designs pay homage to Greek islands or figures from Greek mythology, such as Gaia, Astrea, Hestia and Medea.
Hansine has Greek, Danish and English roots. She grew up largely in Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire.
Today, Hansine divides her time between London and her family home in Nyon on Lake Geneva, Switzerland, where she has lived for the past 25 years. She lives with her husband, Brian, who works in finance, and their two children – Madalena, 22, who recently graduated, and Leo, 17 – as well as their beloved dog, Wilson, and three cats.
She earned a master's degree in Italian and Spanish at the University of Edinburgh, then embarked on a career with the fashion houses Armani and Valentino in both Italy and London. Before launching her eponymous bohemian resortwear label, Hansine spent more than 15 years hosting a radio show dedicated to style and fashion.
"It was around the time that resortwear was exploding," she says. "It was this whole thing about these rather large, bold kaftans. It was amazing, but that’s not my aesthetic.
"So I thought: 'I really want something that I can wear on holiday, but that I’m also going to be able to wear the rest of the time. And something that I can easily pack, that’s actually going to be flattering and not tight.'"
Hansine became her own muse. With her vintage-inspired style, the dresses felt like an extension of her aesthetic, which also includes layers of necklaces, a golden tan and an energetic presence. Soon, friends were asking her to make pieces for them – and Hansine, the label, was born.
Reflecting on the early days of the brand, the designer says: "I wanted to work with a sustainable manufacturer, so I searched online and found Zack Sartor, who was based in London. He produced my first collection with just two sewing machines in a workshop above a newsagent.
"Today, his company, Apparel Tasker, has grown into one of the UK's leading ethical manufacturers. He does lots of work for Burberry; it’s a really big factory,” she adds. “I’ve just been to his wedding."
In addition to celebrity fans including Lisa Snowdon, Sophie Anderton, Vogue Williams and Kate Garraway, Hansine has built a loyal following who have been with the brand since the start.
“I have a lot of clients in Switzerland, and some in London whom I’ve known since the beginning,” she says. “I have one client who has 35 Rhodes dresses, and I have clients who have 15 to 20 cardigans.
She assures us that she herself wears almost nothing but Hansine. "You could ask anybody I know. Even when it’s chucking down with rain and I’m on a dog walk, I’ll put my leggings on," she says.
When she’s relaxing at home, she’ll normally wear a Rhodes dress with one of her jumpers or cardigans. "It’s so busy having your own brand that the one thing I don’t need to think about is what to wear."
As well as cardigans and kimonos that transcend seasons, Hansine’s autumn collection expands into new categories, with pieces including a silk skirt and shirt and a slim cardigan.
She invites us into her dressing room, where the collection is hanging, and gives us a sneak preview. As Hansine explains the fabrics and details, and tries on the pieces for us, it’s easy to see why her friends were so keen to experience the brand for themselves.
