Interview: Hector Maclean

Tell us more about your latest collection Bastard Aristocrat and your own background that inspired it?

The collection BASTARD ARISTOCRAT is based on myself and my ancestor Lady Bellasis who had an affair with King James II and had an heir that was acknowledged by the royal family. I didn’t actually find out until not that long ago! The idea is that we can all come from royalty; that royalty is for everyone; we don’t know people’s backgrounds and heritage; we all come from ancestors, and history doesn’t define the individuals that we are. Britain is such an electric mix of high and low, punk and aristocracy; it’s a crazy island that personifies extravagance and punk rebellion, but at heart we are all one, and I’m immensely proud to be from the United Kingdom. That’s what this collection celebrates.

What excites you about the fashion world right now? And what worries you?

I’m really enjoying the massive silhouette cuts and drapes that we’re seeing more of within our industry. Also of course John Galliano’s comeback with his inaugural haute couture collection for Maison Margiela excites me, and that idea of romance returning to fashion – there’s this fight between quiet luxury and extravagance, and from an extravagance perspective I so hope we win. What’s also exhilarating is the heightened sustainability practices we’re witnessing in our industry.

Sustainability seems to be a big part of your ethos – what is your approach? 

Sustainability is a huge part of Hector Maclean. All our fabrics are recycled, donated or saved from landfill or dead stock. We try and save every single scrap from our studio and reuse it for other looks, and we do zero waste pattern cutting. Environmental issues are huge to me, I think harking back to my background with things being quite hard growing up – I was always loathe to throw things away and I think that has carried through to the brand, where we try and be as ecological as physically possible, and use synthetics as little as possible as they don’t biodegrade; we try and use natural fibres where we can.

What work are you most proud of?

I’m most proud of aiming to bring a new silhouette to the industry, and projecting British representation in the fashion scene as there aren’t that many UK designers showing in London right now. I’m also immensely proud to have been showcased in Vogue Poland – my grandmother was in the concentration camps and it’s funny that Polish Vogue was the first Vogue I was featured in… I think that would have made my grandmother really proud, and it deeply touches me.

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Bastard Aristocrat, LFW 2025, image: Mark Gunter

Do you have a muse? And can you tell us more about this idea of having a female protagonist in your work.

 I have many muses, one being my grandmother, of course, my sister, my mother and my ancestor Lady Bellasis, as well as the likes of Virginia Woolf and Tilda Swinton who has always been a huge influence – generally, inspiring female figures, hence me referring to Christina Rossetti in previous collections. There’s something insanely wonderful about women, who drive me to create, and that’s the ethos of it all. I love women, I respect women, and have such admiration. I’m trying to uplift intelligent women and make idols of female figures who have said something and said something powerful. My female protagonist is bolshy, she’s strong and immensely smart, yet playful silly and ridiculous. One of my main muses is named Rose – I grew up with her, she went to Cambridge and now works in banking; she is simply the most intelligent woman but dances like a complete freak and has always been such an inspiration to me. I’m proud of my muses being themselves.

Which designers do you admire?

I would say my favourite designer is Hussein Chalayan. He’s always been a massive inspiration – the way he innovated and pushed technology in fashion is remarkable and he’s always been somewhat of an icon to me, achieving things I’m not even sure I ever could. It’s how his brain works and how he melded technology with his work that is just astounding. Other designers I admire are Alexander McQueen and John Galliano, of course.

How did your career begin? Tell us about your time at Vivienne Westwood?

I started sewing when I was eleven and then my sister who was beautifully curvy found that nothing ever fit properly, so I started designing for her and fell in love with it. I then saw the shows of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano and was like, damn! I didn’t know fashion could be this; this is like art, another world like the world in my head but in reality, when the world seems so coarse and so intense, there’s this other beautiful realm of fashion where beauty and high drama can exist. My time at Vivienne Westwood was fun and ridiculous, and was great going to Paris Fashion Week. Witnessing how Vivienne worked with her quarter mannequins was phenomenal; she’d send pieces down to us and we had to ascertain how she draped and put things together, examining the way she saw the world. It was truly astonishing to view and be a part of the high end of the industry.

What was it like designing for Kate Middleton? Which VIP clients do you enjoy working with? 

I was designing for a brand who dressed Kate and Pippa Middleton who are of course such illustrious female icons, so it was an immense honour. Dressing the inimitable Priyanka Chopra was such a pleasure – she’s an incredible woman who champions diversity, who represents strength and who may be perceived as older in the acting industry; I loved making her feel beautiful. As for Ashley Graham, I adored making her feel like the goddess she is, standing out with her such wonderful curves, and I’m thrilled that she made copious best-dressed lists with the piece I put her in.

How do you like to dress?

I dress in a panic almost every morning as I do a lot of admin so I don’t dress particularly well. I try and have key pieces that are beautiful however, as with many fashion designers, I typically dress incredibly badly as I’m just too busy trying to dress other people!

Where do you live and what do you love about where you live?

Outside of work, what are your main passions?

Creating, expressing myself, inspiring other people, and showing them a different perception of the world we live in.

Your near-death experience… How did you recover from that terrible fall down a lift shaft in 2014? Did it change your attitude to life in any way?

It was really hard; I had a break up around that time so was dealing with heart break as well as broken legs… multiple things in my body broken all at once! Being so young and realising mortality is quite tricky. But it made me stronger, and I think you just kind of deal with it. It showed me that life really is short and we have to appreciate every second we have, and every opportunity we’re given. It could end any moment, so just aim to express what you’re trying to get out of your body. With me and fashion, it’s like I’m on fire – I have to get it out of me otherwise it burns me up. I get frustrated and hate being bored. If I didn’t do fashion, I don’t know what I’d do! I have to; I have to create, and I think that burning desire is never going to leave me. I’m never going to stop designing. I’m never going to stop doing this because it’s what I’m made to do. And I think that’s maybe what this accident also taught me.