Roksanda x & Other Stories Is the Ultimate Summer Collab We’ve Been Waiting For
An exclusive Spring/Summer 2025 collection blending bold colour, architectural shapes and emotional storytelling
Some collections are designed to turn heads. Others are designed to make you feel something. The collaboration between London-based designer Roksanda Ilinčić and & Other Stories manages to do both with thoughtful precision, sculptural grace, and an unmistakable emotional pull.
Landing in selected stores and online on May 15, the ROKSANDA x & Other Stories collection brings the Serbian-born designer’s signature codes – think bold colour, architectural form, and her ever-present dialogue between strength and softness – into a more accessible realm. But this isn’t about diluting her vision and instead, it’s about expanding it. “We both had a desire to create something meaningful for a broader audience,” Roksanda tells Harper’s Bazaar Arabia. “The idea of opening a new dialogue felt both timely and inspiring.”
The result is a limited-edition Spring/Summer capsule that reads like an ode to women and their multi-dimensionality. Featuring ready-to-wear, accessories, footwear and beauty, the collection blends Roksanda’s elevated design language with & Other Stories’ approach to versatile, wearable pieces. “I embraced & Other Stories’ commitment to thoughtful design while bringing in my own vocabulary of sculptural silhouettes and expressive colour,” she says. “The pricing allowed me to explore different fabrications that wouldn’t normally feature in my main collection, and with subtle details we created pieces that feel both exciting and beautiful.”
Inspiration for the collection came from a very specific and nostalgic place: summer, and more precisely, those fleeting in-between moments of light. “I wanted to capture the lightness of breezy summer mornings and the beauty of an endless summer sky at dusk,” Roksanda explains. “It’s a feeling I’ve always been drawn to, captured beautifully in the films of Éric Rohmer, where lightness and emotional depth coexist.”
The palette tells this story visually with burnt oranges and soft marigolds meeting plum, bronze, and lilac in combinations that recall the slow fade of golden hour. A bronze-and-purple halter neck dress, a plum bias-cut slip, and a marigold ruffled skirt all speak to this warm, cinematic vision. There’s a quiet drama to the silhouettes, from the voluminous blue mini dress and the sculptural red ruffle gown to the collarless white blazer and wide-leg suiting separates.
But as with all of Roksanda’s work, there’s more going on beneath the surface. “Clothing has two aspects,” she says. “There’s the physical: textures you can touch, the sensations they create, and the emotions they evoke. But then there’s the deeper, transformative quality – when you put something on and it uplifts your spirit, shifts your mood, or reinforces your sense of self.”
That emotional dimension is deeply linked to the concept of shelter – a long-standing motif in her design practice. “Our homes are sanctuaries,” she reflects. “I want my garments to offer that same sense of comfort and protection. I approach dresses like sculptures, meant to be appreciated from every angle, and crafted with the intention of nurturing the woman wearing it.”
It’s a perspective that resonates with women across geographies, particularly in the Middle East. “I’m a frequent visitor to the region and have many friends based there,” Roksanda shares. “What I find most inspiring is the appreciation for colour, bold shapes, and authentic design. These values align beautifully with the notions of elegance, modesty and empowerment that many women in this region express so effortlessly.”
The modesty and flow of the pieces make the collection highly adaptable – from elevated daywear to occasion-ready statements – without losing that distinctive sense of presence. Even the more casual separates, like colour-blocked blouses with voluminous sleeves or cream and marigold camisoles, carry a sense of intention.
Accessories and beauty round out the collection with Roksanda’s characteristic blend of polish and play. A dramatic oversized black sun hat, gold-plated sculptural jewellery detailed with natural pearls, burgundy mules, and angular high-shaft boots in lilac or bronze patent leather offer finishing touches that feel both grounded and expressive. There’s even a curated edit of lipstick and nail polish shades chosen by Roksanda herself to echo the palette of the garments.
Still, at the heart of it all is a message about womanhood – not as a monolith, but as something fluid, strong, and filled with nuance. “A woman designing for women – it’s a concept that carries a deep sense of sisterhood,” she says. “We instinctively understand what other women want – what they wish to highlight, what they wish to conceal – and we celebrate femininity in a way that’s relevant to today’s world.”
Her hope? That the women who wear this collection feel seen, powerful, and beautifully themselves. “I want them to feel effortless confidence, strength, femininity and authenticity,” she says. “And to write their own stories in these pieces.”
With Roksanda’s sculptural sensitivity and & Other Stories’ global reach, this collaboration becomes more than a seasonal highlight – it becomes a moment of meaningful expression, worn and remembered long after summer fades.
Imagery supplied