Most designers would take the day off to catch up on some much-needed sleep following their London Fashion Week show. But not Malan Breton. Instead, the Taiwanese-born designer, who usually presents his collections in New York, decided instead to perform in a jazz show at Brasserie Zédel near London’s Piccadilly Circus.
“I really love Old Hollywood, so I had a four-piece band, and I sang things like Moon River…” says the softly-spoken, jet black-haired Breton. “I like to be constantly moving.”
Read more: Karlie Kloss Will Join Brandon Maxwell And Christian Siriano On Project Runway
If ever there was an award for the most colourful man in fashion, Breton would no doubt make the shortlist. A darling of the New York Broadway stage, who trained in ballet and found his route into fashion after being scouted as a model for the Versus Versace show in 1996, Breton – who splits his time between London and the US – is one of America’s most recognisable industry faces.
“I’ve been very experimental with my marketing. I’ve done a lot of things that were frowned upon in the American fashion industry,” says Breton, referring to his appearances on shows including Project Runway and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The designer, who cut his teeth as an apprentice on Savile Row, was also the star of his own reality programme, titled The Malan Show. It made him a household name in the US, and even today, he personally responds to all his clients on Instagram. “TV gave me this outreach where even people in middle America knew who I was. Social media helps me keep in touch with them.”
Much less is known about Breton in the UK, the place he calls home for two weeks every month. He enjoys the anonymity London affords him. “In New York, I have to travel to the studio by Uber from my home on the Upper West Side as I get stopped and mobbed if I take the subway,” he says. Here, however, he lives amongst the cobbled streets of Marylebone and counts Chiltern Firehouse as his local watering hole. “It’s comfortable and full of cosy corners, so it allows me to just go there with friends and be myself,” he says.
Breton has had a storied two decades in the industry. A shy character with a gentle demeanour, he quit modelling after casting agents suggested he needed a nose job. Stints working as a stylist for Kylie Minogue and Linda Evangelista followed; after being axed as a contestant from Project Runway, he received emails from the likes of Jennifer Lopez encouraging him to pursue his brand. Today, he’s dressed everyone from Ariana Grande to Lorde, costumed programmes such as RuPaul’s Drag Race, and he’s about to launch a perfume — titled “236” after his 5th Avenue address — that will be stocked in Sephora, plus a range of home candles.
Read more: RuPaul: "Drag Is The Perfect Balance To The Trump Mentality"
His new unisex jewellery collection, meanwhile, is inspired by his love for meditation, which he practises every day at 6am. On the day of his London runway show, he temporarily halted all preparations to meditate for 20 minutes. “It gives you clarity,” he says, clutching the medieval amulet round his neck that is crafted from rare Chinese jade. “Every morning after I meditate, I make about 80 sketches. It helps me see so clearly that I can come up with an entire collection in a day.”
So clear is his vision that he’s currently working on his spring/summer 2023 collection. It will be crafted from sequins and cashmere made from recycled plastics, and dyed using the contents of his spice cupboard — sustainability has been at the heart of his brand since his first collection. “Maybe it’s because I grew up on an island, but I believe in this constant flow of energy. I’m not a big hippie type. But being conscious of the earth and being in touch with my inner self keeps me peaceful,” he says, in little more than a whisper. “It gives me bit of breathing space amongst all the chaos.”
