Brian Rennie, design director for Stockholm-based clothing label Gant, does not mince his words. Even though a tagline of the label's main GNH line reads 'a casual East Coast style with European influences', the 44-year-old Scotsman says he is tired of that 'American preppy' association.

The acronym GNH stands for Gant New Haven and is a tribute to the birthplace of the brand - New Haven, Connecticut in the United States, where Gant was born in 1949.

It was acquired by Swedish company Pyramid Sportswear in 1999.

Its reputation as the college kid's apparel of choice, though, has been stuck since Gant first rolled out its signature button-down shirts in sportswear fabrics in the 1950s.

Clearly, it's something that Rennie wants to change.

'American sportswear, to me, is just an easy way of dressing,' he told Urban in a phone interview from Hong Kong last month, where he had just attended the launch of Gant's spring/summer 2008 collection.

'I want to push more of the fact that we come from Stockholm, which is a very cool city with a big design scene.'

Indeed, it would be easy to dismiss this London's Royal College of Art alumnus as a prima donna designer.

After all, prior to joining Gant last September, he was the design director of German luxury women's label Escada for 20 years.

There, he was known for colourful designs crafted out of luxe materials.

The bachelor revealed that he had planned to retire from the fashion business after deciding to leave Escada in 2006.

'At that point in time, I felt that after 20 years of working in my dream job... I had reached the peak of my career and anything I do after wouldn't be exciting,' he said.

His debut collection for Gant, however, shows that he is doing anything but resting on his laurels.

For the men's range that traditionally comes in three lines - the more laidback GNH, the sports-inspired Rugger and the more formal Elliot Gant line - he has refined and upped the cool factor.

For example, he turns formal wear casual and pairs a crisp, white shirt with shorts or chinois.

As for the women's range, which also features three lines, Rennie incorporates downtown chic into beach wear.

It is the first time the women's collection is available here at the new 2,500 sq ft Gant flagship store, which opened at 03-31 Paragon on Feb 28. The collection is also available at Level 3, Takashimaya Department Store.

The women's collection will be available at the Gant outlet at Level 2, Isetan Scotts. It opens next Thursday.

Prices for both the men's and women's collections start from $69 for a tee to $489 for a jacket.

The stores are run by Hong Kong retail conglomerate Branded Lifestyle, which secured the Asian franchise rights to Gant in 2006.

Urban talks to the designer about his plans for Gant.

What made you decide to join Gant?

When Gant called, I decided to do some research on the brand and got really excited to find out that it had invented the button-down shirt and the locker loop on the back of the shirt. It's also a new challenge for me to do both men's and women's wear as, even though I trained in men's wear in college, I worked only on women's wear at Escada. The idea of taking the brand to a new level got me really excited.

What is the main difference between working for a high-end label and one like Gant?

At Escada, we had 19 designers, 45 pattern makers and 29 sewing girls all working in the office. At Gant, my team is made up of product designers, buyers and designers, so not everybody is design-trained. There are no in-house pattern makers. Everything is thus done abroad in places like Portugal, China and Hong Kong. The time we take from an idea to the finished product is much longer, which can be a bit nerve-wrecking at times because I'm used to working very, very fast. I'm having to learn to adjust to this.

How do you intend to overcome this challenge?

For the past six months, I've been spending a lot of time getting to know my team, learning everyone's strengths and teaching each of them to think more like designers than like buyers. The easiest thing in the world would be to bring my old team in and change everything, but I don't think that's respecting the traditions of the company.

What is the most important thing that you want to change about Gant?

We are stuck too much in America and that American preppy look. Gant was born in the United States but grew up in Europe. I want to push forward the fact that by coming from Stockholm, we are a lot more international and a lot more fashion forward. A European man or woman is much more fashionable than an American.

You're currently working on the spring/summer 2009 collection. Could you reveal a little about how it's going to look like?

The main GNH collection is going to have a stronger fashion objective but still be a wardrobe essential, while the Rugger collection will be more jeans-driven, younger and more fashion forward. The Elliot collection will be renamed Gant Collection next year and will be more trend-driven. The idea is to appeal to a much more fashion-forward customer while still respecting the brand values of Gant.

What is your source of inspiration?

Everywhere and anywhere. I always have my eyes open and spend a lot of time on the streets just looking at what people are wearing. I'm a big fan of having the team together and sharing ideas. I'm also a big lover of gardening. We have a big flower print season coming up in spring/summer 2009. Some of the most amazing colours come from nature, of course.

How does your background as a Scotsman and in Escada influence your designs?

The fact that I'm Scottish means I'm not one of those flashy designers who are thickheaded and arrogant. It influences the way I work. Working in Escada, which is an international name, gave me a chance to travel and learn more about and appreciate various cultures. This has given me an international outlook on design.

What would you say is your forte in fashion design?

My biggest strength is definitely organisation. I have the memory of an elephant. I never forget which is important since fashion design involves a lot of details. I also have very good vision. When I talk about something, I can already imagine what it's going to look like in the shop, the environment it should be sold in, the way it should be sold and this will help me when I'm working on Gant's image.

This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times on Mar 13, 2008.