Emanating from the dark belly of London’s club scene amidst the pressure cooker of Britain’s chaotic political climate, is London’s brightest star, Charles Jeffrey Loverboy. History, theatre, performance art, and a rebellious defiance inform Charles Jeffrey’s aesthetic. His work is a burst of color, filled with whimsical patterns and graphic sweaters, not to mention his trademark Scottish tartan in vivid teal, royal blue, and blood red. The young designers fanciful inspired tailoring is presented on models wearing powdered and rouged faces, punk fishnet, studs, and Chuck Martens, The young designer appears to be following in the footsteps of the original rococo club kids like John Galliano and Boy George. Most fittingly he also received the Emerging Talent Award at the 2017 British Fashion Awards alongside John Galliano himself.
Previously shown in club basements or similar environments, for his Spring 2020 collection Jeffrey’s mounted a show at the British Library. This signals the emergence of his brand not just as an underground club for Britain’s LGBTQ scene, but as a serious player in the the fashion industry, and someone speaking on an even broader platform. The designers show notes voice the chaos of the time we live in as a heavy burden to bear, almost too complex and conflicting to make sense of, terribly weighty on both the mind and heart. And indeed, just turning on the radio we are inundated with a number of impending crises on multiple fronts – environmentally, socially, politically, globally and locally.
Jeffrey’s Spring 2020 collection echoes the near madness of this phycological burden in the inky blacks and swirling colors in his collection. Yet optimism and compassion shines through in the craftsmanship and the imagination of new shapes and forms, declaring we’ve been here before, we are not powerless. We are in fact surrounded with the knowledge and wisdom for anyone who desires to take it.
It is this clear voice and fresh perspective that is gaining an audience. A miraculous feat in this day and age where the corporate giants have a lock on the public’s attention and the resources to keep it that way.
Black garments in classic silhouettes inspired by 1940’s volunteer responders look as if they’ve been scratched, peeled, and chipped to reveal layers of color like an accidental discovery of excavated wallpaper. Black silhouettes burst into fractured pink and blue shards in sculptural dresses, jackets, and trousers. A joyous explosion of painterly graphics and scribbled lines communicate the buzz of overwhelming energy erupting into focused frantic action. New shapes the likes of which we rarely see from anyone besides Rei Kawakubo and Junya Watanabe feature in hypnotic swirling “wibble” dresses of teal and grape silk. Tailored plaid suits are deconstructed, stretched, twisted, warped, and then reassembled into an array of dizzying optic patterns. Yet despite the elaborate construction and imaginative silhouettes, some of the most exquisite pieces are among the most wearable, including a beautiful hand painted cosmo print rendered in heavy denim, including a jacket, jeans and even a 40’s style dress. Jeffrey’s is a consummate showman, but he also conscious of creating sellable pieces and his business savvy is becoming more honed with each collection.
See All the Looks from the Collection
