Ahead of Friday’s parliamentary elections, Daniel Fletcher told WWD he would dye his whole spring collection black should Theresa May win. Though the Conservative prime minister did claim victory, it wasn’t exactly a landslide, and so the designer changed his mind — fortunately. It would have been a shame to miss out on the pops of acid yellow, burgundy and blush pink that informed his summery-fresh offering.
Examining what it meant to be young, male and British in 2017, Fletcher played with heritage staples, including macs and trenches, which he rendered in nubuck leather and cotton twill. But he mixed them with more youthful options, such as one beach-and-street-friendly ensemble made of a hand-painted pair of striped short-shorts and matching top, injecting enjoyable, quirky twists.
Elsewhere, traditional wrestling singlets harkening back to photographs by Luke Smalley, which in one instance were worn underneath a karate-style jacket, fed into the lineup’s retro-tinged, athletic theme.
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A baseball cap with the word “OUT” embroidered on it remained as the sole sign of his political protest. “I designed the cap pre-election, but now it has taken on a whole different meaning. The Tories have formed a government with the [Northern Ireland] Democratic Unionist Party, a party that has described the LGBT community as ‘an abomination.’ As a gay man, I’m disgusted by it. So now, for me, the cap means out and proud,” he said.
See More From the London 2018 Men’s Spring Collections:
Stella McCartney Screens Men’s Wear Short Film at 16th-century Pub: Steven Tyler, Steve Coogan were among the guests at the Tudor-era watering hole.
Charles Jeffrey Men’s Spring 2018: A riotous cast of characters, unified in their theatricality and Jeffrey’s joyous treatment of his theme: debauchery.
Cottweiler feat. Reebok Men’s Spring 2018: Dainty and Cottrell looked to the optimism and escapism of off-grid desert communities for spring.
What We Wear Men’s Spring 2018: Tinie Tempah fused the brand’s minimalist aesthetic with a sportier one for spring.
Wales Bonner Men’s Spring 2018: This focused yet subdued collection saw Grace Wales Bonner musing on a “blue mood.”
Christopher Raeburn Men’s Spring 2018: There was a lightness and transparency to Christopher Raeburn’s signature practical silhouettes.