Bella Freud’s eponymous and instantly recognisable label has come to signify an intellectual playfulness, recognised for its upmarket irreverence. Bella is a storyteller who uses design as her vehicle. Controversy and innovation are hardwired into her DNA: the artistic trailblasing of her father, the artist Lucian, the psychoanalytic pioneering of... Read more
Bella Freud’s eponymous and instantly recognisable label has come to signify an intellectual playfulness, recognised for its upmarket irreverence. Bella is a storyteller who uses design as her vehicle. Controversy and innovation are hardwired into her DNA: the artistic trailblasing of her father, the artist Lucian, the psychoanalytic pioneering of her great grandfather Sigmund, are subtly woven through her work.
Bella Freud’s designs and Word Jumpers have gained a remarkably devoted following. Worn by the likes of Kate Moss, Alexa Chung, Keith Richards, Olivia Wilde, Salma Hayek, Idris Elba, Jane Fonda and Eddie Redmayne, they are the embodiment of her preoccupation with appropriating serious ideas about the subconscious into a playful fashion context.
By combining Bella Freud’s love of interiors and homeware the brand has expanded to include a range of lifestyle products including cushions, blankets and rugs. Bella Freud launched her parfum business in 2012 which has grown to include a collection of candles, perfumes and diffusers.
Passionate about cinema, Bella’s fashion film collaborations started in 1991 and include a trio of shorts made with John Malkovich: Strap Hanging (1999), Lady Behave (2000) and Hideous Man (2002). Her most recent film Girl Boils Egg, was directed by Bella and commissioned for Nick Knight’s SHOWstudio in 2013.
The launch of her first stand-alone boutique in 2015, in London’s Chiltern Street, has seen her knitwear, tailored suits, subversively demure dresses, parfums and homeware gain a cult following.
Bella Freud was born in London and studied in Rome. After training with Vivienne Westwood, she launched her eponymous womenswear label in 1990.