12 Days of Christmas: Win a Wool Coat from Hannoh Wessel
There is a soft, deliberate beauty in Hannoh Wessel’s garments — a kind of whispered poetry where tradition and modernity meet in gentle conversation. Featured in Selvedge Issue 126, Deco, Wessel has long carved out a distinctive place in contemporary fashion with a philosophy rooted in craftsmanship, timelessness, and a respect for slowness.
Born in northern Germany in 1965, Wessel studied at the École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, later honing his craft in Haute Couture. In 1993 he founded his first brand, HANNOH, in France, where he worked for over two decades. Early collections, stocked by Maria Luisa Paris, Galeries Lafayette, Henri Bendel New York and others, established his reputation for refined simplicity and meticulous construction.
Hannoh Wessel Spring/Summer 2021 collection, as featured in Selvedge Issue 126, Deco.
After closing his French atelier, Wessel rebuilt the brand from the ground up in Imola, Italy in a move that deepened his dialogue with small, family-run workshops whose expertise aligned with his ethos of care and precision. In 2015 he launched H+Hannoh Wessel, now produced entirely in Italy, drawing on the region’s long-standing artisanal heritage.
Hannoh Wessel Spring/Summer 2021, as featured in Selvedge Issue 126, Deco.
Wessel’s design process blends research and instinct: references to Savile Row tailoring, utilitarian workwear, and even the sculptural forms of 17th-century garments often sit alongside softer influences drawn from memory and nature. His palette frequently nods to Northern European landscapes — “the way the light changes in Denmark during winter,” he notes, “has a soft, sun-drenched quality.” Every garment is treated through repeated dyeing and washing to deepen tone and soften fibre, resulting in pieces that feel both lived-in and elevated.
Collaboration is central to his practice. Wessel works closely with designer Lorenza Danielli, whose technical sensitivity helps translate his layered inspirations into coherent, tactile collections. Their shared emphasis on longevity gives the garments a sensibility that resists seasonality. Wessel’s commitment to natural fibres — wool, linen, cotton, cashmere — and his resistance to disposability forms a firm sustainability stance: clothing made to last.
His garments offer depth through refined silhouettes, subtle detailing, and interiors finished with the same care as the outer shell. In a culture shaped by acceleration, Wessel’s work speaks of patience, purpose, and beauty that endures.
Today, we also share more from Hannoh Wessel in our Five Minutes with a Friend interview series. Read on to find out more, but first, a little information about this prize:
12 Days of Christmas Giveaway — Win a Wool Coat by Hannoh Wessel
The Milena Coat by Hannoh Wessel - today's 12 Days of Christmas Prize.
As part of Selvedge’s festive celebrations, we are delighted to offer the chance to win the Milena Coat, worth £670. Crafted from a sumptuous wool–cashmere blend and lined in breathable cotton, it reflects the understated sophistication at the heart of Wessel’s work. Dropped shoulders, front pockets, and soft cashmere-knit cuffs create a relaxed yet timeless silhouette — a piece designed to be cherished for years to come.
The Milena Coat by Hannoh Wessel - today's 12 Days of Christmas Prize.
To enter, click on the button below, or visit the Selvedge Enter a Prize Draw page — and don’t miss the daily prize draws running from 1–12 December.
Winners will be announced on 13 December.
Five Minutes with a Friend: Hannoh Wessel
Hannoh, what is your first memory of a textile?
Probably my first textile experience was a small velvet elephant that my mum had sewn for me. It was red and stuffed and perfectly soft. She gave it to me as a baby and I have kept it for years and years until it was totally worn out.
Can you put into words what you love about textiles?
I love the opportunity I can see in raw textile materials. You can wash and dye them, put it into shapes. It has to be the right textile for a particular use or shape. All textiles I use are made of natural fibres such as Harris Tweed wool, cashmere, linen , silk or cotton.
Where did you learn your craft?
In 1989, I came to Paris from Germany in order to do a 6 month internship prior to studying at a public design school in Germany. I quickly realised that 5 years of University might have been a loss of time and was eager to start here and now. So I went to the Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale to find an apprenticeship in Haute Couture.
First, they protested I was too old and overqualified for an apprenticeship, but finally they got me into a lovely small Haute Couture house by the name of Leconte Hemant (which has been closed since 2001).
I had to go to the apprentice’s school in the mornings and studied in the Haute Couture department in the afternoons. The Atelier was fantastic albeit very strict. My "Premiere Chief" in the Atelier had been Premiere at Christobal Balenciaga, and there was indeed a lot to learn. Since I was fast learning (and quite unruly) during school, they put me into the private school designer classes in the morning. On Saturdays I took draping classes and pattern-making at the same school.
Where is your most inspiring space or place to create?
I love my office at my Italian factory where I can drape, choose fabrics, do tryouts for colours and, most of all, work with the people I love to consult and have a dialogue with: Lorenza and Veronica Danielli, the daughters of my partner Mariagrazia Albonetti. But I also love to travel and go through thrift stores, flea markets, exhibitions, fabric fairs etc.
What has inspired you recently?
The day before yesterday I went to the Georges de la Tour exhibition in Paris in the morning. Then in the afternoon we went to see the Rick Owens exhibition at Galliera. I loved the crisp colours at de la Tour, loved the darkness at Rick Owen.
What is your most cherished textile, and why?
Harris Tweed. It can have infinite colours, has a lovely texture, and I love the challenge of inventing new patterns and shapes for this fabric each winter.
Which colours, textures or materials say “Christmas” to you?
Some kind of red or green flannel you would use to cover the table with, on which the presents are waiting. That has been the family tradition in Germany – to have the table next to the decorated Christmas tree with the little round, red candles lit just for a quarter of an hour.
What textile traditions or handmade items make the festive season special for you?
I really like naive hand embroidery that is not too perfect. I remember that my mom prepared handmade gifts for us a long time in advance in secrecy, like a wooden doll house all made by her with tables, a tablecloth, and even functioning lightbulbs.
Do you have a favourite Christmas decoration or textile you bring out every year?
I love the Saxonian tradition of little wooden figures, angels, small churches and so on which are called Grünheinicher. They are all handmade and hand-painted and a little kitschy, but I happen to like them.
If you could spend Christmas anywhere in the world to discover festive textile traditions, where would it be?
I would love to spend Christmas in Scotland, but am afraid the weather would be terrible.
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Further Information:
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Image Credits:
All images courtesy of Hannoh Wessel
2 comments
Coat looks wonderful – v
I bought one of these gorgeous coats in a small shop in Arundel some time ago.
I absolutely love it. I feel enveloped in luxury. I’m so reluctant to put it away for the summer but what a joy when the cold weather comes round again