Chateau Orlando: Luke Edward Hall does optimistic fashion

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Jan 12, 2023

Leave it to Pitti to herald a fresh luxury concept, in this case Chateau Orlando; an unusual hybrid brand where fashion meets décor and design, and the brainchild of Luke Edward Hall.
 
A genuinely brilliant illustrator, Hall has been collaborating for several years with high-end marque Ginori 1735, with whom he created a series of porcelains dedicated to Neptune, the Roman god of the sea.

Created as a sort of creative mood-board, Chateau Orlando links his work for Ginori, Hall’s taste in fashion and fresh ideas for home décor.
 
The thirty three-year-old Englishman is a brilliant illustrator, who also showed his latest sketch for Chateau Orlando, a drawing of a Renaissance dandy with a Florence dateline at his presentation.

Hall unveiled his growing collection with an installation inside Pitti’s nerve center, the Fortezza da Basso. His catering was as quirky as his knits – guests enjoyed pea and truffle mini sandwiches washed down by chilled prosecco. All served under a fab’ mock jousting tent.
 
“Chateau Orlando is about blurring the boundaries between fashion and interiors. It’s a menswear brand but I want the clothes to be for everyone, so it’s about pattern, color and optimism. Storytelling inspired by nature, flowers, books, music and travel,” Luke told FashionNetwork.com

Uber optimistic, the collection features jumpers, cardigans, polo shirts and knit vests, all with designs based on his sketches, and even a few trays.
 
No ingenue, Hall has previously worked with major marques like Lanvin, Gant and Burberry. Since 2015, when he set up his own studio, he has exhibited ceramics, drawings and paintings in major galleries on both sides of the Atlantic. And even found time to author Greco Disco: The Art and Design of Luke Edward Hall. 
 
Décor-wise, Luke also helmed the re-design of Le Deux Gares, a new hotel and bistro with thirty-three rooms located in the 10th arrondissement of Paris.
 
Chateau Orlando is very much a direct-to-consumer new brand with an elegant website and backing from Milanese consulting specialist, Wemanage Group.

 
Coinciding with the inauguration of the collection launch, Chateau Orlando opened a pop-up store in the Parisian department store Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche, since activations are a key part of its long-term strategy.
 
“But today we are in Florence, a city close to my heart. We are only a year old but we are really lucky that Pitti was kind enough to invite us. I feel optimistic,” smiled the ever boyish Hall.