Multidisciplinary artist Ronan Mckenzie on a new chapter for her fashion label Selasi: ‘It feels reborn’
Ronan Mckenzie has spent the early hours of the morning at New Covent Garden Flower Market, she tells me, appearing on my screen the day before her pop up at London’s Tender Books. ‘It’s amazing there, they have everything,‘ she says of the historic site, which has drawn floral wholesalers to Battersea since the 1970s. ‘I did a course at Sage Flowers in south London last year, but I’m still a beginner florist. I got some things I wouldn’t normally go for – a lot of oranges and rusts inspired by my last collection.’Seemingly able to turn her hand to anything, Mckenzie is one of London’s most dexterous multiphyphenates. A celebrated photographer, curator, and designer, she closed her beloved gallery space, Home, in 2023 to focus her energies on Selasi, the brand she founded in the stillness of lockdown in 2020. Launched with a series of earth-toned designs that clung to the body in sensual, architecturally draped shapes, Mckenzie has steadily grown the brand over the past five years, approaching each facet of Selasi from a place of feeling. ‘Selasi comes from a very tactile place, and a place about where I'm exploring connection and comfort and how things feel,’ she says. ‘How I feel, how the fabrics feel, how I want other people to feel.’(Image credit: Ronan Mckenzie)Taking place today, the gathering at Tender Books is an example of her holistic approach, where Mckenzie will offer flower arrangements put together herself, a curation of art and architecture titles, pieces from her new collection, and the launch of the fourth issue of her broadsheet publication, Selasi Stories. ‘I've also made cute little bookmarks that my mum, bless her – my intern – is going to Huddersfield today for me to collect for me,’ she adds.Mckenzie launched the newspaper in February as a tactile way of sharing stories and ideas away from our screens. ‘I'm not very precious,’ she says, when asked why a newspaper and not something like a zine. ‘I want my pieces to be worn, I want things that I make to be used. I also wanted to connect with people in a more personal way, and so the newspaper felt like such a nice, instinctive way to do all of that.’ She holds up issue two, which has become lightly curled at the edges, and begins to leaf through its pages. ‘This one's got a bit sun-kissed because it's been in my studio upstairs, right next to the window,’ she says. ‘I just love the way that it ages.’(Image credit: Ronan Mckenzie)The fourth issue is themed on ‘inspiration’, with Mckenzie stepping into the spaces of two women she has long admired, interviewing and photographing them in a series of warm, intimate portraits. The first is ceramicist Srirat Jongsanguandi, at her east London pottery studio; the second, furniture designer Miminat Shodeinde, at her Abbey Gardens showroom. ‘In the paper I speak to them about how their work makes them feel and also what summer means to them,’ she says. ‘Having grown up in the British school system, it’s instilled this sense of summer being a refresh. It's always a time where I take a bit of a pause and explore, try new things, and really allow myself to be inspired – be that through books or films or trips. That’s what the paper’s all about.’While community means a great deal to Mckenzie – and much of her energy has gone into supporting the work of others, be it through exhibitions and events at Home, or her photographic projects – the five-year anniversary of Selasi offered a chance to take stock and look inwards. ‘The collection is called For Ronan, it's like a letter to myself,’ she says. ’Community has always been a big part of my outlook, but I think there have been times where I've put Selasi to the side. Selasi feels reborn this year, and I'm really excited to continue to grow with this new energy that this can really be for me. I can choose how to pace myself and how fast to go, what to explore, when to experiment.’(Image credit: Ronan Mckenzie)The collection began with a solo trip Mckenzie took to Lanzarote last year, translating the island’s dramatic volcanic landscapes and the heat of the Spanish sun into a wardrobe of sensuous freedom. Dresses are cut in daring, asymmetric shapes; creamy tailoring is softened with unexpected, feminine drapery; open-back halter tops and micro-shorts are hewn from supple suede; and chocolate leather cocoons the body in bulbous bombers or celebrates it in suctioned, skin-baring jackets.Undoubtedly her strongest collection to date, its confidence reflects five years spent patiently refining the language of Selasi. ‘The colour palette is inspired by seeing all the whites of the amazing carved buildings and houses against really dark black and brown sand and rock beaches,’ she says. But beyond the beauty of Lanzarote, the collection’s spirit takes after the experience of exploring a new place alone. ‘I think the act of taking that time for myself, eating all this amazing food, seeing all thesve beautiful things really inspired me. I wanted this collection to really sing to who I am and what I can do.’Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.(Image credit: Ronan Mckenzie)A mainstay on one of central London’s most charming streets, Cecil Court, for a decade, Mckenzie chose Tender Books for the event not only for its curation, but its lasting presence as a nurturing independent space in the city. ‘I think the book world can sometimes be intimidating, and what's so special about Tender Books is that it's so open and appreciative of people who step in,’ she says. ‘That mirrors how I feel about Selasi. I think where there's so much stuff being made all the time now, I'm conscious of making things that are positive and make people feel good – whether that’s through a bunch of flowers, a book or a newspaper.’While A/W 2025 represents a letter to herself, the event at Tender Books is about the joy in sharing everything she’s built over the past five years with others. ‘My mum will be there tomorrow wearing a full look,’ she says. ‘It's part of the exchange for her going to Huddersfield for me. Friends will be there too, like my friend Jamila, who bought a scarf dress and wore it for her 30th birthday last year. When I say Selasi is for me, it's also for those around me, and anyone else who wants to be part of that is a bonus. That’s why I don't have a target audience. It's more like opening my arms – anyone is welcome.’The pop-up, open for one day only (31 July 2025) at Tender Books, launches the fourth instalment of Selasi Stories, as well as featuring products from the brand and the opportunity to pre-order the A/W 2025 collection. It is open from 12pm - 6pm. Selasi is also available from the brand’s website. selasi.cotenderbooks.co.uk
