Anest Collective celebrates the proportions of da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man
Anest Collective continues its search for perfection with a new collection that looks back to the ideal proportions of Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man

Leon Chew - Photography
When Brendan Mullane, the contributing creative director of Anest Collective, visits the Italian ateliers producing the brand’s trend-subverting silhouettes, he marvels at their attention to detail and collaborative spirit. ‘I’ve known the head of one of our knitwear factories for over 25 years,’ says Mullane, who has worked for labels including Brioni and Givenchy. ‘One of the master tailors in another factory is in his eighties. These people are just unmatched in their ability.’
Unmatched ability is integral to Anest Collective, a Shanghai- and Milan-based label launched in 2017. ‘We want to provoke a feeling, a sensation,’ explains Mullane. Its collections are entirely concept-driven, while the brand’s Instagram is populated with artworks by Man Ray, Brâncuși and Cy Twombly. Da Vinci’s 1490 Vitruvian Man, which considers the perfect proportions of mankind as sitting inside a circle and a square, inspired the A/W 2021 collection’s circular motifs. These shapes encourage a purist vision of form, with silhouettes incorporating circular motifs: hourglass waists, a cocooning back, a raglan shoulder. ‘There’s a sense of study inside the clothing,’ explains Mullane. ‘The concept is more than what the eye can see. Our collections aren’t about referencing something thematic, like the 1970s. We want to provoke a feeling, a sensation.’
Anest Collective looks back to the ideal proportions of Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man
Jacket, £2,500, Anest Collective
Mullane joined the brand in March 2020, during the first iteration of global lockdown imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic – for Mullane, a creatively liberating experience, much to his surprise. ‘I managed to take myself out of the rat race,’ he says. ‘I was able to think in a different way. I had time to think about the study of perfection.’ Mullane and the octogenarian tailor he so admires, passionate about the positioning of a seam or the dimensions of a drape, have a lot in common.
Coat, £2,880; roll neck, £697, Anest Collective
Dress, £1,700, Anest Collective. Earrings, price on request, Susan Caplan
INFORMATION
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Cicchetti Piccadilly is like dining inside a Venetian sunset. Here's what we ate
San Carlo Group’s beloved Italian haunt returns with a glowing new look, just steps from its original home
-
'What does it mean that the language of photography is invented by men?' Justine Kurland explores the feminist potential of collage
'The Rose,' at the Center for Photography at Woodstock (CPW) in Kingston, New York, examines the work of over 50 artists using collage as a feminist practice
-
Eleven fashion designers that are defining American style in 2025
As seen in the ‘Made in America’ issue of Wallpaper*, meet 11 designers and brands that are shaping the American fashion landscape in 2025, from style stalwarts to rising stars