Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY AW18

Photography by Nicholas Andrews

Success can do strange things to a person. In two seasons, Charles Jeffrey has been hailed as the new wonder boy of fashion, made catwalk shows visually arresting and will forever have a place in the hearts of London’s club kids. It would seem that the recent accolade of Emerging Menswear Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards was enough to push him over the edge though. 

Jeffrey’s AW collection was aptly named “Tantrum”, a reaction to the phenomenon of being a young and highly lauded designer. Revisiting memories of his native land of Scotland, the offering was dark and explosive. For what seemed like an eternity prior to the show commencing, those in attendance were treated to ghoulish figures, with pale painted faces and bottles of dusty champagne rolling around the aisles. The effect was rather terrifying, with dark lighting and random claps of thunder.

But aside from the theatrics of the show (which we applaud for the way it brought back a sense of drama to the menswear catwalks) there was a great deal of beautiful clothes on show. The design and technical skills were second to none and evident in pieces like the opening tailored suit, the statement black and white overcoat and a cropped at the front but long at the back coat. Throwbacks to Scotland were all over the pieces with checked patterns dominating tailoring and knitwear.

Perhaps the most impressive factor is the intelligence of the man behind the brand. Far from just nice clothes, the show was an exploration of growing of gay, of defiance of home and revisiting bitter and hurtful feelings.

Explore further at Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY.