SOPHIE HICKS ARCHITECTS

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.

View / Download PDF >

< PREVIOUS

RETURN TO ALL MAGAZINES

NEXT >

FRAME MAGAZINE

ACNE’S KOREAN FLAGSHIP
By Shonquis Moreno
Photo by Annabel Elston
March 2016

IGNANT

ACNE STUDIOS · SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
by Stephanie Wade
Photographs by Annabel Elston and Fabio Ongarato
October 2019

ANOTHER MAGAZINE

AN INTERVIEW WITH SOPHIE HICKS, FASHION’S ARCHITECT
Interview by Donatien Grau
Portrait by Tim Walker
November 2014

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

CULTURED MAGAZINE

THE ART OF THE FASHION FLAGSHIP
By John Glendall
Photograph of Acne Studios Seoul by Annabel Elston
April/May 2019

ARCHITECTS’ JOURNAL

SOPHIE HICKS ARCHITECTS DESIGNS MINIMALIST CONCRETE HOUSE IN KENSINGTON
By Fran Williams
Photographs by Annabel Elston
February 2019