MOST fashion savvy Huddersfield women have heard of the designer label Kevan Jon.
Back in the early 1990s it was synonymous with skimpy, figure-hugging and figure-revealing outfits, bought for nights out by size 8-10 teenagers.
Kevan’s first shop in the Byram Arcade became a regular haunt of those who wanted something different to flaunt themselves in. The label also sold in London and had clients in other major cities around the world.
The then 25-year-old Kevan Jon Aspinall grew his business rapidly, eventually moving his shop to Trinity Street. Over the years, as both he and his customer base matured, his focus shifted to glamorous evening wear, prom dresses and bridesmaids dresses.
Last year Kevan, who lives in Edgerton, closed his Huddersfield store and moved to new premises in Berwick Mills, Halifax, where he has a showroom (by appointment only) and workshop.
“I have grown up along with my customers,” he said. “They now have daughters of their own who come to me for prom dresses. In the early part of the year prom dresses make up 60% of our work, while the spring is a busy time for weddings and race outfits.”
Although Kevan still designs styles for teenagers and younger women, he is perhaps best known for his bold, dramatic evening wear in colourful, exotic silks and satins.
“It’s not about disposable fashion any more,” he said. “My customers want something they can wear again and again. Most of our dresses are in fully washable fabrics.”
Brought up in Skelmanthorpe, Kevan studied fashion and design at Dewsbury College and Epsom School of Art and Fashion Design and was a high flyer right from the start.
He won a scholarship to study with fashion designers in Russia and had a work placement with a pupil of the legendary evening gown designer Valentino.
The fact that he’s still going strong in such a highly competitive industry when so many labels come and go speaks volumes about the desirability of his clothes, which command anything from £90 up to £600 or more.
This autumn will see a departure from his comfort zone of evening wear when he launches Kevan Jon Mode, a collection of wool coats, suits and all-hours wear.
“The collection is influenced by one of my favourite movies, Blade Runner, which came out in 1982, and has feminine hourglass shapes, nipped-in waists, pencil skirts and a monochrome palette,” he explained. “The 80s are making such a comeback.”
Kevan’s current season evening wear and Mode collection were previewed in a recent fashion show at Ripon racecourse – the beginning, he hopes, of a new direction.
As he takes his label forward into the next decade he wants to build up the wholesale market, taking the name Kevan Jon into many more outlets.
Back in 1995 when I went along to interview the young designer in his first shop he was just three years out of fashion college and bursting with ideas.
Two decades later, he jokes, most of his hair has gone but, quite clearly, his flair for design and business remains intact.
