On the eve of their Autumn-Winter 2019 showing at the recently-concluded London Fashion Week, a curious message left in the Aadnevik inbox by The Telegraph led to a prompt response from their team and despite the craziness of the fashion week, the designer duo opened up in a chat with us. Excerpts:

Congratulations on your latest AW ’19 collection! From supermodels to Hollywood A-listers sashaying in your designs, what do you think is the secret behind Aadnevik’s success story?

Kristian Aadnevik: Women feel feminine, beautiful and special in our dresses. Apart from the design in its own right, it is also about the way we make things with passion and love. We create our dresses in the atelier in Knightsbridge on a model with our experienced team of pattern-cutters and dressmakers. We, personally, follow every step and make sure that each creation fits perfectly; with exquisite materials and have our unique details of cut-out French lace, leather craftsmanship or hand-beading. Because our creations are made in such couture-like ways, they really stand out in comparison with other dresses that are often made in big factories where you have to compromise on details, materials and fit.

Hila Aadnevik: There isn’t a secret for hard work! You don’t just wake up one day and have a successful brand. It’s your life experience beforehand that brings you to be a motivated and dedicated person to create such success and then you have to maintain it, which is the hardest work of all. Of course, the biggest success is to have a talent that makes celebrities, stylists and customers across the world choose your designs above others.

Kristian, from working with the iconic Alexander McQueen to being selected as protege of Donatella Versace, how did you learn the tricks of the trade, design and contouring? Any interesting anecdotes about Versace and McQueen?

Kristian: Alexander McQueen was the designer that made me want to become a fashion designer myself. We both started out with a tailoring background. Working with Lee (Alexander McQueen) himself at a very early stage in my career was a door-opener. He was a creative genius and his work was full of drama, emotions, darkness and storytelling. At his studio, we created showpieces without any restriction and where anything would be possible. I definitely learnt a lot from him and was inspired by the creativity he put into his work. Working with Donatella was a great experience; Versace made me more attentive to sensuality and the female perspective.

Hila, how did you lend your design aesthetic to the brand?

Hila: I grew up in a design home where every little detail was important. My father was a shoe designer and had his own factories and my biggest joy was to accompany him to his work to make sure I could feed my urge to learn how the process of design was made from sketch to reality. I always wanted to wear the heels he made, but, of course, I was too young. So I dreamt of it until I was able to create it myself. You can say I was born with it as I always knew how I wanted things to look and fit. I always knew how to use my hands and eye to teach myself every step of the design. My brain can break the design in its stages to know the process to the end product.

Aadnevik designs are sensual yet edgy, with oomph. How would you define the brand’s design sensibility?

Hila: We never compromise on the craftsmanship and the materials we use and it doesn’t matter how much each garment costs to make. It must be special and with the best finish. That’s what we are mostly recognised for, along with our trademark and standout designs. We are a couture brand that manages to make it into a ready-to-wear. Most of our garments are 90 per cent done by hand and created on the body.

Kristian: Our designs are feminine and sensual yet they come with strength and empowerment to women. Our creative vision is based on contrasts of light and dark, romantic and mysterious, love and tragedy. Nothing in this world comes pure and there will not be love without loss and there will not be blossoms and colours without the darkness and cold of the winter. When we were younger we were both attracted to Goth, black metal and the nights. Now we blend those underlying gloomy tones with a more romantic and adventurous creative fantasy. Also, in our materials, you see the contrast of lightness and dark. We mix floaty chiffon, transparent tulle, delicate lace and feathers with leather workmanship, silky velvet, metal embellishment and hand-beaded crystals.

How did the brand first catch the fancy of celebrities?

Hila: You can say it was by luck as we were contacted directly through the stylists. Once you have one celebrity wear your garments, especially with the platform that social media gives, it gets immediate worldwide exposure. Your pictures then go viral and you get contacted by other stylists that represent other celebrities and then the ball keeps rolling. Of course you have to keep making designs that capture their fancy further to keep working together.

What’s been the toughest challenge when designing for global celebrities?

Hila: I wouldn’t call it a tough challenge as it’s the fun part of our business to make dresses for such personalities that inspire so many people worldwide.

Kylie Minogue wears a lot of your designs. How did she discover you guys?

Hila: We are both based in London, so naturally it’s the easiest collaboration when the star can pop in and out of the showroom so easily.

What are the trends dominating the global red carpets?

Hila: We actually don’t follow trends! We live in our own creative bubble and through our designs, we express who we are and what inspires us as individuals and as a family.

How would you define the Aadnevik woman?

Hila: For me, as a woman, I would probably have much more to say as it’s a transition through experiences that make you who you are and what you stand for. When I design something, I always first design it for myself. You must be a strong woman in this world to fight for what you believe you deserve. The Aadnevik woman is a strong woman that knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to move mountains to achieve it.

Any Indian celebrities that you would like to design for?

Hila: There are so many amazing Indian actresses that we have been asked to dress and are in the process of arranging the clothes to be sent over, including Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone.

Who: Husband-wife duo Hila and Kristian Aadnevik

Where: Based out of London

Background: Hila is self-taught and has her designer aesthetics honed by growing up in a designer’s family. Kristian holds a degree in fashion from the Royal College of Art in London, during which he had trained under Alexander McQueen and was selected by Donatella Versace for the Australian Wool Innovation’s Protege Program

Known for: A unique luxury concept blend between ready-to-wear and haute couture, offering a seasonal collection for exclusive stores through wholesale and with a made-to-measure service for clients who visit the London atelier

Design aesthetics: Luxe, edgy with oodles of oomph and sensuality

Claim to fame: A firm fixture on the London Fashion Week runway and a favourite of Holly A-listers, top models and stylists the world over

Kendall Jenner at the MTV Movie Awards in 2016. Kylie Minogue at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in 2014. Shakira at the 49th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, also in 2014. They all had one thing in common. They were all dressed in outfits by Aadnevik.

The London-based luxury couture fashion label Aadnevik secretly but surely became the darling of Hollywood A-listers and supermodels with the likes of Halle Berry, Shakira, Beyonce, Kylie Minogue, Selen a Gomez, Kendall Jenner and Camila Cabello flaunting their designs everywhere — music videos to red carpets. Designer-couple Hila and Kristian Aadnevik are the duo behind this label that has created a niche for itself with its designs that marry sensuality with edge, oomph with opulence and a strain of “gloom”.

While Kristian brings his expertise of tailoring, Hila is a self-taught designer who brings her creative expertise, gained from growing up in a designer’s home and being exposed to and involved in the creative process from its inception to build Aadnevik into what it has become today.