Bag these designs

Fabian Lintott, accessories designer

Iwish I had been around at the dawn of “luggage”. The large leather suitcases of yesteryear are so beautiful to look at — totally impractical for today’s traveller perhaps, but fantastic to look at and the workmanship was incredible.

I truly believe that the difference between a bag you like, and one that you love, is in the level of subtle details. A product should become something you love using, I think it should capture your imagination every time you look at it. I like adding small details to my products, which add interest.

One of the big trends emerging in men’s wear globally is an explosion of colour through accessories. I am working on a line that incorporates a lot of dark red and dark green.

Design to me is taking a spark of an idea on a blank page and turning it into a commercial product. The trick is to balance the commercial side with the design side. These two have to work in harmony otherwise the product fails.

I always try to start the season with a blank mind and fill it with interesting ideas. I travel around with my sketchbook, filling it with ideas, then I use this as a resource for the season.

Among the designers I really like is Ettore Sottsass. He’s not really mainstream — he was big in the ’80s and helped create the Memphis group. Their designs were fairly crazy but it’s their courage to try a new direction which really inspires me. It reminds me to keep strong and fight for ideas when I need to.

Among Indian designers, Raghavendra Rathore gets my vote at the moment. I like the mix of contemporary and traditional that he brings to his designs.

Fabian is the lead designer for the men’s line at Hidesign