Jack Wills appoints Richard Nicoll as creative director

Nicoll replaces previous creative director Sarah Holme, who revealed she was departing from the preppy fashion brand in November last year after seven years with the company.

Nicoll will work for Jack Wills on a part time basis as he continues to work on his own brand, showing it seasonally. He has just showcased his autumn/winter 2014 collection at London Fashion Week.

His first collection with Jack Wills will be unveiled in Spring 2015.

The young fashion retailer believes Nicoll’s success as an independent designer will prime the brand for global growth while keeping its British design.

Jack Wills chief executive Wendy Becker said: “Richard’s arrival shows how far Jack Wills has come – and indicates our ambition as we grow further. His collections have global appeal, but he is a British designer at heart and will lead the creative direction of our brand into its next important phase.”

Nicoll has shown every season since his debut in 2006. He was awarded three Association Nationale pour le Développement des Arts de la Mode (ANDAM) prizes in 2008 and named Best Young Designer at the Elle Style Awards in 2009. He has also twice been a BFC Vogue Fashion Fund finalist and has previously worked with Cerruti, Louis Vuitton, Topshop and Fred Perry.

Nicoll added: “I’m excited to be working with Jack Wills, this is an opportunity to take a successful British design aesthetic and drive forward the product and vision. Wendy has exciting plans to evolve the Jack Wills brand and I am looking forward to being a part of that.”

Nicoll’s appointment comes after a number of new appintments at Jack Wills. In November Jack Wills promoted Becker to chief executive and earlier in the year it hired former Reiss commercial director Sanjay Sharma as its international director and LK Bennett sourcing director Mark Strachan in the same role. Emma Sheller who comes from Gap and Louis Vuitton was appointed chief marketing officer, former William Hill retail operations director Alan Johnson was appointed retail director and former Fat Face chief financial officer Emily Tate was hired in the same role.