PIN-UP
SOPHIE HICKS – THE ALAÏA-CLAD STYLIST WHO REFITTED HERSELF AS AN ARCHITECT
By Emily King
Photographs by Andreas Larsson
Fall/Winter 09/10
FRAME
HOME AGAIN
by Tracey Ingram. Portraits by Andrew Meredith. July/August 2019
SOPHIE HICKS had an ace up her sleeve when developing fashion-forward retail concepts for the likes of Acne Studios, Chloé, Yohji Yamamoto and Paul Smith. Before becoming an architect, the Londoner worked for visionary fashion designer Azzedine Alaïa and as a fashion stylist for British Vogue. ‘Fashion people speak a different language,’ says Hicks, ‘but
I understand that language.’ Interested in architecture from a very young age, she made the switch ‘before becoming tired of fashion. I left on an up.’
Hicks formed SH Ltd Architects in 1990 while studying at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. With a few staff members on board, she juggled refurbishing residences with the responsibilities of motherhood. ‘It’s quite unusual to start a practice while studying, but as a mature student I could cope.’
Tom Hopes joined Sophie Hicks Architects in 2011. Maintaining the ‘unusual’ way of working she established during the days of rapid roll-outs for Chloé, Hicks and Hopes are a two-person show with multiple extras. ‘My main forte is design detailing whereas Tom’s is design for construction, but we work incredibly closely. Any support we need is farmed out to other people.’ And they’ll continue to work in this way as the studio shifts away from the retail realm and dives deeper into residences – back to where it all began.
MAGAZINES
THE NEW YORK TIMES STYLE MAGAZINE
EDIE CAMPBELL ON THE INFLUENCE OF SEOUL
Photos by Mira Heo
November 2015
DOMUS
THE ART OF LOOKING
By Deyan Sudjic
Photographs by Lee Funnell
March 2001
RIBA JOURNAL
1A EARL’S COURT SQUARE
By RIBA
May 2019
W MAGAZINE
HIP TO BE SQUARE
By Alice Rawsthorn
Photographs by Adrian Gaut
March 2019
YAMAMOTO & YOHJI, RIZZOLI
EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK
Contribution by Sophie Hicks
Photographs by Milo Keller and Johannes Marburg
November 2014
THE NEW YORK TIMES
SOPHIE HICKS, CHLOÉ’S ARCHITECT
By Stephen Heyman
Photograph by Jacob Sutton
June 2010
WSJ MAGAZINE
TRACKED SOPHIE HICKS
By Ned Beauman
Photographs by Julia Grassi
December 2018 / January 2019
FRÄULEIN MAGAZINE
SOPHIE HICKS, WAS WÜRDE SOPHIE TUN?
By Aicha Reguieg
Photographs by David Fischer
April 2012
ANOTHER MAGAZINE
AN INTERVIEW WITH SOPHIE HICKS, FASHION’S ARCHITECT
Interview by Donatien Grau
Portrait by Tim Walker
November 2014