Roseberys is delighted to present The Collection of Philippa Saphir in the November 20th Watches & Luxury Items auction. The collection includes pieces by Philip Treacy, Calvin Klein and Moschino, as well as the Saphir's own work.
Philippa Saphir is a British designer whose work bridges fine art and couture. Educated at Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art in the 1970s, she belongs to the generation that shaped London’s creative identity, between the freedom and theatricality of the late 60s and the rise of the New Romantics. Her collection, shown at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1976, captures a moment when knitwear moved from craft to couture.
Working with hand-dyed yarns and delicate silhouettes inspired by Botticelli and Watteau, Saphir created garments that were both sculptural and romantic. Her designs balanced softness with structure and celebrated the expressive potential of knit. Saphir’s craftsmanship lay in her technical precision: the manipulation of tension, gauge and fibre to create fluid silhouettes that retained architectural strength. Her knits often revealed a dialogue between softness and discipline, transforming an everyday textile into couture form. Her pieces remain a poetic record of 1970s London - gritty, raw and glamorous.
“The idea that someone will enjoy these clothes again is lovely,” Saphir reflects. “It brings me back to wearing my mother’s and grandmother’s things.”
Roseberys sat down with Philippa to discuss her inspirations, parties with the Blitz Kids, teaching Sade and run ins with HR for wearing a mohawk.
Lot 895: Philippa Saphir. A limited custom bandeau top and harem trouser set.
Estimate: £60 - £80
How did your interest in fashion begin?
My mother had a close friend who owned a dress factory in London’s East End. I used to go and visit her. The smell of fabric, the hum of the machines, it was completely thrilling! She was elegant and fashion-forward, always copying Paris models for my mother. My mother herself was stylish and she’d kept all her clothes from the 1950s, which had a huge impact on how I dressed. I started sewing and knitting – not very well at first – but my older sister Susan was much better, which spurred me on. I was always drawing too, so I was obsessed with making things from an early age.
Lot 889: Philippa Saphir. From the V&A. A collection of limited custom-made womenswear.
Estimate: £150 - £250
You originally wanted to design costumes for the theatre. What changed your path?
I loved historical dress and storytelling, so theatre felt natural. But at Central Saint Martins I discovered the sculptural side of fashion – how clothes occupy space, how they move. It was like theatre without the stage. I realised I could tell stories through the structure of a garment itself.
What was Saint Martins like in the early 1970s?
Absolutely chaotic and completely thrilling. It was the centre of culture at the time. The first project we were given was to make art from found objects and everyone turned up with used condoms! It taught me to look at materials differently and not be precious about them. There was so much freedom, so many characters. It was a wonderful, weird, experimental time.
When did knitwear become central to your work?
Halfway through my second year I had a tutor called Kate Cosserat – she really opened my eyes to what knit could do. It was soft but architectural at the same time – you could draw with it, sculpt with it, create movement. That’s when I knew I’d found my medium. I became obsessed with yarn, with tension, with gauge. I started hand-dyeing everything in my grandmother’s old bath – summer colours, winter colours, subtle tones inspired by nature. I loved the way the fibres caught the light, how the clothes felt alive, almost like you were wearing the field and the grass itself.
Lot 893 featured in the Daily Express' review of the RCA degree show
Tell us about your collection shown at the V&A in 1976.
It was very romantic – I’d been looking at Botticelli and Watteau. I wanted movement and transparency, clothes with diaphanous, kinetic qualities. There was lots of beading and accessories too – hats, huge earrings – I think I arrived at my own personal style there, the idea that accessories could really define an outfit. It was about lightness and craft, but also about structure underneath.
Lot 890: Philippa Saphir, From the V&A, A limited custom knitted evening set
Who influenced you early on?
Bill Gibb and Jean Muir were huge to me. I loved their integrity and their eccentricity. I wasn’t so focused on Paris designers – Saint Laurent was gorgeous, but much too elegant for me back then. I came to love him later. I was inspired more by the Blitz spirit in London, by the energy of people like Lee McQueen and John Galliano, who came a little later.
You went on to teach at Central Saint Martins. What stands out from that time?
It was pre-punk, around 1979. The students were wildly creative but they weren’t being taught business sense – most were just making for the sake of making. I taught Sade briefly; she was cool and focused. None of my year went on to be really well-known, though some of the generation just before or after me made a huge impact, like Pam Hogg or John Galliano.
You also worked at Marks & Spencer later on – quite a change from couture.
Yes, I realised that a small couture business with children wasn’t sustainable long-term. So I joined M&S on the corporate side for three years. It was amusing because HR was always pulling me up for dress code violations – my hair in a mohawk, wearing an M&S skirt. I suppose I never really lost my sense of theatre.
Saphir's work in the RCA degree show
What did you learn from selling your work in boutiques?
I ran a small cottage industry and sold pieces in Browns in Knightsbridge and via an American agency that supplied Barneys. I learned so much about how people see themselves – their insecurities and their confidence. Clients need someone to tell them a garment works for them.
Lot 888: Philippa Saphir, From the V&A. A limited custom made coat and hat set.
How would you describe your collection at Roseberys?
It’s a precursor to the New Romantics – very delicate and shepherdess-like with an avant-garde edge. It’s theatrical but wearable. Every piece carries history and personal meaning – from hand-dyed yarns to the tiny details in the knits. It’s lovely to think that someone else might enjoy them again – it brings me back to wearing my mother’s and grandmother’s clothes.
Newsletter Signup
Newsletter
