Charles Jeffrey summed up his fashion career so far and pointed out where he's headed with his spring 2025 show in the courtyard of London's Somerset House, where he started the Loverboy brand a decade ago.
He offered a clean, commercial collection that distilled his aesthetic and values: British heritage, queer club culture, inclusivity, and appreciation for art and craft. There was even kawaii monster energy in the form of shoes with claws and hats with animal ears.
“The whole collection itself was a representation of London, this idea of building on Roman structures, but then queer them, taking all these British and London codes, turning them on their heads and regurgitating them with a sense of humour,” Jeffrey said.
The designer offered playful interpretations of the striped shirt, as well as deconstructed, oversized outerwear and visual illusion T-shirts. Prom dresses came with XL rosettes and the looks were finished off with clever banana boots.
The biggest stars of the collection were the fun knits, which now represent a major part of Jeffrey's business.
“You do all these weird and wonderful things for 10 years, and it's interesting how knitwear has been the only thing that's gotten us through. That’s why I wanted to introduce knitwear throughout the collection, in small details and huge pieces,” added Jeffrey, who sold a majority stake in his brand to brand accelerator Tomorrow in 2021.
The show featured a diverse cast, many of whom were from Jeffrey's inner circle, including photographer Jordan Hemingway; writer Tish Weinstock; and American singer Beth Ditto, whose plus-size fashion line Jeffrey used to design.
Ditto not only entered the show in a flowing scarlet and purple dress, but she also gave a rousing performance during the finale in front of guests including Tilda Swinton, singer Bobby Gillespie and “Shadow and Bone” actor Jack Wolfe .
Erin O'Connor closed the show in a flowing polka-dot dress with purple horns protruding from her headdress, shoulders and arms.
Jeffrey has certainly evolved over the last decade and, despite those purple horns, is thinking more commercially. For once, she decided not to paint her face blue for the show, a trademark of her early days in fashion. “I don't want the clothes to turn blue,” she said.
