Fairfax & Favor’s Lydia Millen collaboration wasn’t just a success, it was a royal phenomenon. Within hours of launching, every single piece from the Town & Country Collection had sold out, sending fans straight to the brand’s website to secure a place on the waiting list.
With the next drop confirmed for December, pre-orders are already piling in - proof that the trio of handbags has quickly become one of this season’s most sought-after must haves. The widespread reaction has not only validated Millen’s creative vision but also positioned her as a designer with staying power.
What began as a collaboration has now taken on a life of its own, sparking conversation about whether this might be the first of more projects with the heritage label.
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In an exclusive interview with the Daily Express, Millen didn’t hesitate when asked about the possibility of another collaboration.
With a smile, she admitted: “I hope so. I always say with these things, never say never. The confidence I have in these bags - I truly hope so.”
That certainty, she explained stems from designing handbags that feel both beautiful and deeply personal.
“If we can count one person as my audience, I would love to dedicate it to my audience. I have been doing my job for 15 years and I feel so lucky to be in this position. I had them in mind,” she continued.
Millen has long been celebrated for the way she fuses polished glamour with the romance of countryside tradition, a sensibility that made her partnership with Fairfax & Favor feel almost inevitable. With the Town & Country Collection, that vision has been distilled into handbag form - designs that are elegant yet functional, heritage-rooted yet unmistakably modern.
She explained how her inspiration was born out of a desire to create pieces that carried meaning as much as style. “I wanted beautifully crafted, beautifully designed, heritage beautifulness, from the English countryside - so they were the whole inspiration,” she revealed.
Colour played a pivotal role too. “With the tones we have used, they naturally integrate into those more earthier, elegant tones that you kind of see in my countryside wardrobe. “That is really another one of the focuses that I wanted - a really pared-back classic tone. We are not looking to create anything too out there, they really are supposed to be heirlooms,” Millen continued.
The handbags mirror that philosophy - crafted to be worn, lived with, and treasured. Each design is refined, effortless to carry, and meticulously considered down to the last detail.
“Fairfax & Favor take a really lovely approach to what they create - they don’t jump on things, they quietly observe. I look at the tones, I look at the endurance of it, coming back every single year. I take those influences from fashion and the countryside, especially in England, and apply it into fashion.”
For Millen, this is also about resisting the lure of passing trends. “I think that is the best lesson we can take - that we often see the same things come back time and time again. That has been my biggest lesson, staying away from micro trends and things like that.”
Instead, the bags are rooted in permanence. “We looked at styles that have endured decades and decades when it comes to handbag silhouettes, styles and tones, and encapsulated them into the bag,” she shares.
While her audience and heritage served as key inspirations, Millen also credits her grandmother as a driving influence. “My grandma, as she is my biggest inspiration,” she says with quiet sincerity.
It is this combination of community, tradition and personal history that gives the Town & Country Collection its soul.
Together, Lydia Millen and Fairfax & Favor have created something rare: a collection that feels both practical and poetic, firmly rooted in heritage but alive with modern sensibility.
Arriving at the height of fashion’s obsession with “quiet luxury,” the bags shun loud logos in favour of craftsmanship, wearability and restraint.
In truth, Millen was there before the trend. Long before it became a buzzword, she championed investment dressing, favouring pieces designed to last rather than fade. With her Fairfax & Favor collaboration, she has made that philosophy tangible.
The Town & Country Collection is more than a sell-out success - it is a manifesto for modern British style. And if Millen’s hints are anything to go by, this debut is far from the final chapter.
