Latest news with #SSDaley
Telegraph
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
How folksy grandad became the coolest guy in fashion
Homespun knitwear once ran the risk of making you look like Compo from Last of The Summer Wine, however in 2025 you're more likely to see a jumper featuring a novelty mallard in trendy east London than at a country fair. Kombucha-swigging hipsters are embracing folksy grandad style, clad in artfully 'unfinished' designer knitwear featuring hanging threads of yarn and backless clogs that make the wearer look as if they probably own a ukulele. Harry Styles has become a poster boy for this boho-adjacent look, however the trend isn't just reserved for popstars with the confidence to wear a beaded necklace. SS Daley, the cult British brand launched by fashion wunderkind Steven Stokey-Daley and famed for its bird-watching shirts and farmyard knitwear, is launching at John Lewis on 19 May. It's a strategic move by the retailer to boost its fashion credentials – Harry Styles is such a fan of the house that he became a 'minority stake' investor. The goldfish jumper featured in the John Lewis collection looks as if it could have been knitted from a pattern and wool found in the store's beloved haberdashery department, which epitomises the founder's nostalgic sensibilities and the modern perspective he brings to eccentric, heritage dressing. SS Daley Archie Lambswool Fish Zip-Through Knit in Blue Fish, £525, John Lewis The makers themselves are at the heart of this homespun trend and no one epitomises this better than British brand Folk, which this spring celebrates its 25th anniversary with an archive collection that celebrates nostalgic design. To reiterate the focus on the artisan, it is also collaborating with five creatives to create special artworks inspired by the humble pencil. Another British brand that deserves an honourable mention is Story MFG – Zak Maoui, style director of Gentleman's Journal, says it is 'the label that comes to mind most for this look', as he believes 'it's the UK's answer to Bode, and is perhaps even better when it comes to its attention to craftsmanship'. 'It's not hard to see these craft-focused brands as an antidote to the digital age: something that's not fast fashion, covered in logos, and has at least some evidence of the human hand,' explains Johnny Davis, style director at Esquire. 'These clothes have an individuality, a meaning and they invite conversation.' It's also part of a wave of anti-algorithm styling – Maoui explains this is a direct protest against Shein and Boohoo's conveyor belt of polyester. The spiralling cost of luxury fashion is also sparking a renewed appreciation for the art of making clothes. 'I think we're seeing more and more people wake up to the fact that just because something is the most expensive brand doesn't necessarily mean that it's the best-made product,' says Liam Hess, American Vogue 's senior lifestyle editor. With brands like Bode, Story MFG or By Walid, 'you really feel like you're spending that money getting something unique and truly special, as opposed to a jacket from a conglomerate-owned brand that is produced in its thousands'. Hess also notes that not only is the attention to detail higher, but 'their business practices are generally more sustainable, and you're supporting an independent brand in the process'. While a Bode quilted shirt costs around £700 (enough to make an original folk grandad spit out their ginger tea), you can also master the look on a charity shop budget. 'The cool thing about this folksy, craft-led trend is that if you're into it, you can achieve the look by investing some time to scour vintage stores and eBay,' adds Hess. 'It's fun that it feels more democratic.' Plus, visible repairs and imperfections only add to the charm. 'Nothing says folksy grandad like something well-worn and mended,' adds Will Halbert, menswear writer. 'Invest in good vintage – that way, most of the mileage and natural patina is done for you – and remember that scuffs and scars are character building, as is learning how to sew on a button.' It does, however, require considered styling so that you don't actually look like Nicholas Hoult in About A Boy. 'Stick to one statement garment that leans into the trend,' advises Maoui. 'Going too OTT will make you, as with anything, look costume-like and pretentious.' Davis agrees that it's essential you 'avoid the crime of everything at once'. There is such a thing as too much craft, so don't mix patchwork with embroidery with novelty knits, or you will rapidly enter into retired art teacher territory. 'Your grandad has always dressed better than you, it just took you this long to see it,' quips Halbert, who notes that 'the gorp-core hangover is real and skinny-fit fatigue is at full peak', so people are experimenting with looser silhouettes and returning to natural fabrics. 'The rises are getting higher, the legs are getting wider, and people are having more fun with denser textures and less conventional volumes,' he explains. SS Daley Clarence Cotton Blend Trousers in Yellow, £525, John Lewis You do need to exercise some caution when it comes to the volume, however, in order to not look like an actual grandad. 'Lots of these pieces are cut big, with natural volume, so don't lean into that,' advises Davis. 'Don't tuck shirts in, or overly layer up accessories and other distracting items.' Take the mustard yellow SS Daley trousers that you can buy at John Lewis, which have a curved, tapered leg and lots of excess fabric at the knee, for example. Davis advises you style these with a structured coat or jacket on top to focus attention on the voluminous shape of the trousers, which is 'the point of them'. The idea is to bring a youthful energy and a wink and a nod to once dusty, grandad staples. 'Harry Styles is a good person to look at, as he gives folksy dressing a modern edge, wearing band tees with cardigans and Bode shorts,' says Maoui, along with Saltburn 's Jacob Elordi who 'loves an oversized cardi'. These stars are ushering in a more playful approach to menswear, with clothing that invites conversation and has a sense of humour. If a mallard jumper can't spark some interesting chat, then what can? Folksy grandad brands to discover
The National
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Meet the three Arab designers shortlisted for the LVMH Prize 2025
Three designers from the Middle East are among the 20 shortlisted names for the 2025 LVMH Prize. The annual award is handed out across three categories. The Young Fashion Designers winner will receive a €400,000 endowment and a year of mentorship. The Karl Lagerfeld Prize winner will be awarded €200,000 and a year of mentorship, and the Savoir-Faire Prize recipient will receive a €200,000 grant along with mentorship. Now in its 12th year, the prize has thrown a spotlight on rising talent, with past winners including SS Daley, Ahluwalia, Grace Wales Bonner and Marques'Almeida. The 20 semi-finalists will present their work to LVMH jury members at the Louis Vuitton Foundation at Paris Fashion Week, from which the winners will be selected. Here's a look at the three designers from the region who are in the running. Launched in 2014, the eponymous Qatari label is one of the first homegrown women's luxury labels in the country. It creates elevated womenswear described as pret-a-couture, or ready couture. Utilising deft tailoring, bold silhouettes and roomy, architectural shapes, the brand is rapidly making a name for itself. After winning the evening wear category at the 2024 Fashion Trust Arabia awards, Yasmin Mansour is aiming for further recognition at LVMH. Lebanese designer Cynthia Merhej founded Renaissance Renaissance. The brand is the product of a strong fashion heritage – Merhej is a third-generation couturier, and combines rich femininity with a deep-rooted sense of rebellion. Its pretty pieces feature delicate elements such as bows, ties and frills that nod to historical notions of what defines 'womanhood'. Look closer, however, and the contemporary shapes and cuts are challenging and new. Frilly mini skirts, ruched tops, bulbous skirts and sheer, tiered dresses are some of the pieces that make this Beirut label beloved of the cool girl crowd, including Chloe Sevigny, while never losing wearability. Eager to protect the unique dressmaking skills of Beirut, every piece is made in the Lebanese capital. Merhej was chosen for Net-A-Porter's The Vanguard global mentorship in 2021, the same year she was a semi-finalist for the LVMH Prize. Will she strike it lucky the second time around? KML is a Saudi menswear label founded in 2022 by Ahmed and Razan Hassan. The designers have built their creations on hours of research into how humans have dressed through history and how meanings have distilled through time. This has resulted in collections that challenge the notions of contemporary fashion and what it signifies. Some labels could lose themselves in such highbrow thinking but KML retains a keen eye for the wearable, with richly draped wrap tunics, wide-legged trousers and tops with discreet cut-out panels. Clever, intriguing and thought-provoking, it is little wonder that when stylist Law Roach attended 1001 Seasons of Elie Saab in Riyadh, he did so wearing KML.
The Guardian
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘There's a bit of a damp spirit': London fashion week opens to hard truths
Beneath the glitter and sequins and extra-long false eyelashes, the bald truth at London fashion week is of an industry overshadowed by the luxury might of Europe and the US. Many designers have closed their doors, or cannot afford to splash out on a show. At just four days long, London fashion week has shrunk to half the duration of the Paris shows. Cash is in short supply, but ambition and creativity are not. At SS Daley, the Harry Styles-backed brand whose trench coats are now sold at John Lewis, the show opened with the sound of Big Ben, included 'Stay Faithfull to Marianne' sweaters in tribute to the late British style icon, and closed with a general clamour for selfies with front row guest of honour, the Amandaland actor Lucy Punch. Actor Debi Mazar took the stage for jewellery brand Completedworks, playing a television shopping channel hostess on the verge of a nervous breakdown, hawking the 'mermaid realness' of pearl earrings while sipping a martini. At the Tate Modern, Florence Pugh opened Harris Reed's show with a monologue in praise of 'the art of dressing up'. British fashion still has status on the world stage, leveraging soft power as a revered incubator of superstar designers. London fashion week retains a strong sense of national pride accordingly, tempered with a very British dose of self-deprecation and humour. The recent high-profile appointments of Sarah Burton to Givenchy, Peter Copping to Lanvin in Paris and Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta in Milan attest to British creatives as a highly prized resource. Steven Stokey-Daley, designer of SS Daley, made a last-minute decision to join the schedule after plans for a show in Paris last month fell through. 'There is a bit of a damp spirit, an empty feeling, to the London schedule at the moment,' admitted the designer before his show. 'The data does show that London doesn't get the same attention [as other fashion cities], so there has been a feeling of designers evacuating a bit. But London has always been good to us, and we thought it would be nice to do something to help bring buzz.' Daley still plans to show in Paris soon. 'Romantically, I love London, and we are very much about British culture. But a lot of our most important buyers don't come to London.' A recent report by Lefty, which tracks the impact of influencer coverage on brands, reported the Earned Media Value of last September's London fashion week at $20.9m, compared with $132m for New York, $250m for Milan and $437m for Paris. The latest SS Daley collection was a celebration of the classic British coat rack, with duffle coats, donkey jackets and trench coats. 'I was interested in the political ties of the donkey jacket – of who wore that in Britain, in the 1970s and 1980s,' said the designer. The elegant trench coats tipped a hat to Burberry, London's one remaining luxury house, where Daley's name has been mentioned as a future designer. For Anna Jewsbury, designer of Completedworks jewellery, the incongruity of using a catwalk to show jewellery rather than clothes is exactly the point. 'No one expects to see an accessories designer doing a fashion show. It is a way to show people that we have a point of view, a sense of humour, that is a bit different from what other brands are doing,' she said. She joined the ranks of London fashion week designers last year 'partly out of naivety – I had no idea how stressful a show would be, or the resources it would take up. But it's such a thrill.' Some designers are cutting costs by choosing to sit out alternate fashion weeks, showing just once a year. The fashion system of having a new look each September and March, which once tied the industry to biannual shows, has fallen away in favour of a more fluid era of vibes and microtrends. Conner Ives is one of the designers choosing to show annually, returning this weekend with a show in the Beaufort Bar of the Savoy hotel, based on the 1979 Bob Fosse musical All That Jazz.
The Guardian
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
A grand exit: why four-figure coats have become a high street fixture
If you were given £1,000 to splurge on the high street, what would you buy? Perhaps a head-to-toe new season wardrobe from Zara? Enough knitwear to see you through several winters, or maybe a lifetime supply of socks from Marks & Spencer? Whatever you decide, you'd need to factor in the cost of a taxi to lug all those bags back from the shops. Or at least, once upon a time you would. These days, a grand is easy to spend on a single item – and it's all thanks to the rise of the four-figure coat. Outerwear with outsized prices have emerged as a firm fixture on the high street in recent years. Arket is selling a biscuit-coloured shearling coat for £1,299, while its sister brand Cos, which is also owned by the H&M Group, has a funnel-neck shearling coat for £1,190 and a leatherand wool coat for £1,000. At Whistles, a mid-length shearling coat costs £1,499. Now John Lewis, the British department store that prides itself on competitive pricing, and its 'never knowingly undersold' pledge, has joined the trend. The forthcoming spring collection includes a gabardine cotton trenchcoat by S S Daley which retails at a steep £1,475. S S Daley is one of 49 new brands John Lewis is adding to its fashion roster for spring. Steven Stokey Daley, who launched his eponymous brand in 2020 is now backed by the pop star Harry Styles. His price points are more typical for a catwalk brand – about £500 for a jumper, or indeed a trench sneaking in at just under £1,500. If Daley is an exception at John Lewis, prices in general are rising on the high street. This correlates to price hikes in the luxury sector, too. A classic Chanel 2.55 flap bag cost £2,500 in 2019. It now retails for £8,850. Some high street brands are attempting to recast themselves as mid-tier luxury labels. In 2022, Cos launched its diffusion line, Cos Atelier, during New York fashion week with prices typically double that of the main line, while last year Zara collaborated with Kate Moss on a capsule collection that included a leather jacket costing £699. Graeme Moran, the associate editor of the retail industry magazine, Drapers, says four-figure coats are the next step in these brands changing how they are perceived. 'Many of these retailers are, or at least would like to be, seen as more 'luxe' brands at the premium end of the UK high street and are keen to create an air of luxury online or in store. Sprinkling four-figure statement coats among their somewhat more affordable assortments certainly works to elevate the offering.' John Lewis has credited a bounceback in footfall and consumer confidence as the factor driving its mid- to premium-pricing strategy. While Daley, the designer behind John Lewis's four-figure trench, prides himself on a commitment to craft and upcycling, with many of his pieces made in the UK, the same cannot be said for other high street brands. While shearling and leather typically demand higher prices, there is often a lack of transparency around sourcing and production. Jane Shepherdson, the former brand director of Topshop and the ex-CEO of Whistles, says high prices don't always equate to higher quality. 'Increased margins play a huge part but the sad thing is that none of it is actually going to the producers. It's mainly lining the pockets of the people that own the companies.' Sign up to Fashion Statement Style, with substance: what's really trending this week, a roundup of the best fashion journalism and your wardrobe dilemmas solved after newsletter promotion Double breasted trenchcoat, £159, Nobody's Child Single breasted trenchcoat, £155, Albaray Reversible trenchcoat, £189, Aligne Oversized trenchcoat, £275, Sezane Organic cotton trenchcoat, £310, Pangaia
The Independent
12-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
John Lewis to sell Harry Styles-backed brand in bid to lift fashion credentials
John Lewis is set to partner with dozens of new brands, including a Harry Styles-backed fashion label, as it seeks to sharpen its style credentials. The historic retailer said it is working with 49 new brands for its spring and summer 2025 collection, as part of efforts to revive clothing sales. It said the choice of new labels also reflects a customer shift towards 'more exciting' menswear lines. John Lewis's fashion director, Rachel Morgans, said the brands and products should make customers 'sit up and take notice'. It comes after the retailer, which runs 34 department stores across the UK, reported weaker sales from its fashion arm in the first half of the latest financial year, as it blamed pressure on customers' budgets. However, rivals Next and Marks & Spencer have revealed stronger trade in clothing in recent months. John Lewis said the launch of new designers is part of an effort 'to modernise its offer' under recently appointed boss Peter Ruis. The new brands include SS Daley, founded by London-based designer Steven Stokey-Daley. Styles invested in the label last year after the designer was asked to dress the former One Direction star for the video for his song Golden. Other new additions include Scandi brands NN07, a favourite of actor Jeremy Allen Scott, and Norse Projects. Following the new launches, John Lewis will sell around 350 fashion brands, alongside its own-label ranges. The retailer is also expanding ranges from existing label with exclusive lines from Barbour, Gant and Ralph Lauren's 'Polo Bear' collection. Ms Morgans said: 'Our fashion range certainly isn't 'as it was' – we've still got the quality that people value but are introducing sharper designs from exciting new designers, which will make our customers sit up and take notice. 'Designs from the likes of SS Daley are the types of pieces that make people stop and ask 'Where did you get that?''
