Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi first met at the age 18 in the Isle of Man where they both grew up. Starting up a shop in Notting Hill's Portobello Road was an unorthodox start-up plan, given that they didn't at that point have any clothes to sell. But it was not long before their designs were flying off the rails. Right from this start, their early one-off creations displayed many of the themes
that Preen would revisit over the next decade: Victoriana, recycling, utilitarian clothing. Always with that masculine and feminine, hard/soft mix the couple bring to their designs. Their debut collection at London Fashion Week for Spring/Summer 2001 compromised of punkish elements; vintage lace and plaited leathers with hand crafted effects, a satorial traditional clash with a very British sense of tongue-in-cheek chic. Receiving rave reviews, this collection put Preen firmly on the fashion map. Subsequent collections have built on early success with increasing sales and extensive press attention. As a regular must-see show on London Fashion week schedule, Preen made the decision to move their twice yearly runway shows to New York Fashion Week for Spring/Summer 2008, and are now much anticipated part of New York show calendar. Since showing in NY, the international exposure of Preen has magnified and sales doubled. Spring /Summer 2008 saw the launch of Preen Line, their contemporary line, giving the designers an avenue to rock and roll element of their design aesthetic, that their clientele know and love. With a strong and individual look of effortless, everyday cool, as well as a lower price tag Preen Line has had a great success world wide. Now designing six collections a year, with a style that is described as deconstructed chic with a minimal opulence, Justin and Thea have grown their label from a tiny shop in London to having their designs stocked in over 25 countries world wide. Preen designs are instantly recognisable as cool and desirable, worn by high profile celebrities including Kate Moss, Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz, Carey Mulligan, Kate Bosworth, Amber Valetta, Gwyneth Paltrow, Beyonce, and Rihanna.
