Katie-Louise and Lillian Nicol-Ford are the two masterminds (Fashion Designers and co-Directors) behind the high concept, inclusive and imaginative demicouture fashion brand ‘Nicol & Ford’. They are also married.

I found myself running into Lil (Lillian) at various art events for years and I was always struck by their presence. They were magical. Confident in their calm and complete self acceptance. Fearless in expressing that self without regard to current conventions. Even more memorable was the real kindness and intelligent playfulness they seemed to exude and float within. Meeting their partner Katie cemented and expanded this impression to encompass her too.

When I asked them which historical artwork they would like to reimagine, they chose the anonymous French painting Gabrielle d’Estrées and one of her sisters (c. 1594), now in the Louvre. It portrays Gabrielle d’Estrées, the mistress of Henry IV of France, sitting naked in a bath with her sister, who is pinching her nipple. In a room behind a curtain, a woman sews baby clothes. The painting is thought to allude to d’Estrées’ royal pregnancy.

We were drawn to the debate surrounding the work’s sapphic undertones and the intended audience for this eroticized performance.

Katie and Lil wanted to reimagine it through an explicitly queer lens. In our version, it becomes a celebration of their relationship and combined creativity through the birth of Nicol & Ford. The room behind the curtain is now a version of their studio where a duplicate Katie sits sewing, their dog Maestro at her feet. Katie and Lil are nude without being naked; revealing while retaining their private selves.