Charles Jeffrey (fashion designer): Difference between revisions

'''Charles Jeffrey''' (born August 1, 1990) is a Scottish fashion designer known for his punk-inspired, gender-fluid designs influenced by his Scottish heritage and London's queer club scene. Jeffrey has been described as "speaking to young London the way [[Alexander McQueen]] spoke to his generation,"<ref name="BoF 500,"> BoF 500,[https://www.businessoffashion.com/community/people/charles-jeffrey-1 '' Charles Jeffrey''] </ref> and by [[Vogue Magazine|Vogue]] as "the upholder of all that is human, creative and cheerful about British fashion."<ref name="Mower"> Sarah Mower, ''Vogue,'' [https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2018-menswear/charles-jeffrey-loverboy ''Charles Jeffrey Loverboy Spring 2018''] </ref> Jeffrey launched his label Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY in 2015, after graduating from [[Central St Martins]]. He has been nominated for and won numerous industry awards.<ref name="London Fashion Awards"> London Fashion Week,[https://londonfashionweek.co.uk/designers/charles-jeffrey-loverboy '' Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY ''] </ref> Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY has been worn by figures as wide-ranging as [[Harry Styles]],<ref name="i-D"> Douglas Greenwood, ''i-D,'' [https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/xwpg74/harry-styles-fashion ''a guide to Harry Styles' fashion evolution ''] </ref> [[Tilda Swinton]], <ref name=swinton> Jeremy O Harris, ''Vogue,'' [https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/tilda-swinton-interview Playful, Fantastical, Rare: At Home With Tilda Swinton On Her Highlands Estate] 14 February 2021 </ref> [[Bimini Bon Boulash]],<ref> "Bimini is solidifying their status as one of the most legendary British drag entertainers of all time" ''Gay Times,'' Honours Issue, December 2021. </ref> and K-Pop stars [[BTS]].<ref> [https://bts0715.tumblr.com/tagged/charles%20jeffrey%20loverboy BTS Fashion Finder] </ref>

Jeffrey was born in [[Bellshill]], near [[Glasgow]]. As a child he moved around a lot, due to his father being in the British Army, living in Germany, England and Wales.<ref name= "Interview Magazine"> Emma Brown, ''Interview Magazine'' [https://www.interviewmagazine.com/fashion/charles-jeffrey-16-faces-of-2016 The Menswear Designer] Dec 9, 2015 </ref> He spent his teenage years back in Scotland in [[Cumbernauld]]. Jeffrey drew from a young age, and became interested in fashion as a teenager. At eighteen, he moved to London.<ref name="Interview Magazine"/>

Jeffrey studied for an Art Foundation BA and an MA in Fashion at [[Central St Martins]], where he was tutored by [[Louise Wilson]], who had also tutored [[Christopher Kane]] and [[Alexander McQueen]].<ref name="Guardian"> Lauren Cochrane, ''Guardian,'' [https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2018/jan/10/charles-jeffrey-and-the-designers-transforming-fashion-for-a-post-gender-world Charles Jeffrey and the designers transforming fashion for a post-gender world] January 10, 2018 </ref> As a student, Jeffrey interned for four months at [[Dior]]'s haute couture ateliers in Paris.<ref name="Interview Magazine"/> Jeffrey's graduation show at [[Central St Martins]] in 2015 attracted the attention of [[Fashion East]] Director [[Lulu Kennedy]]. He was also named as one of the "3 designers to watch" out of that year's graduates by Vogue, with his collection described as "an exciting new amalgamation of pop and provocation".<ref name="Graduation Show"> Nick Remsen, ''Vogue,'' [https://www.vogue.com/article/central-saint-martins-2015-graduates-designers 3 Designers to Watch from Central Saint Martins’ 2015 Graduates] February 21, 2015</ref> It was also during his MA at Central St Martins that Charles Jeffrey developed the LOVERBOY label, which emerged from a monthly club night of the same name that Jeffrey began at Vogue Fabrics in [[Dalston]].<ref name="Dazed"> Emma Hope Allwood, ''Dazed,'' [https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/25087/1/meet-the-ringleader-of-london-s-next-generation-club-kids Meet the ringleader of London's next-generation club kids] June 15, 2015 </ref> <ref> [https://www.vfdalston.com Vogue Fabrics Dalston] </ref>

Having caught the attention of Lulu Kennedy at his graduation show in February 2015, Charles Jeffrey's work was showcased in a presentation at the [[Institute of Contemporary Arts]] as part of [[Fashion East]]'s and [[Topman]]'s joint talent platform MAN, at London Collections: Men (now [[London Fashion Week]] Men's) in June 2015.<ref name="British Fashion Council"> British Fashion Council [https://www.britishfashioncouncil.co.uk/pressreleases/Fashion-East-supports-Grace-Wales-Bonner-and-Charles-Jeffrey-at-LCM Fashion East supports Grace Wales Bonner and Charles Jeffrey at LCM] </ref> Jeffrey said the platform changed his life: “Had Lulu [Kennedy, Fashion East founder] and Natasha [Booth] not encouraged me to be braver, smarter, and taught me so much of what I now know, my label wouldn't exist."<ref Name=TheIndustry> Lauretta Roberts, TheIndustry.fashion [https://www.theindustry.fashion/fashion-east-and-topman-reveal-line-up-for-man-ss18/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fashion-east-and-topman-reveal-line-up-for-man-ss18 Fashion East and TOPMAN reveal line-up for MAN SS18] 26 May 2017 </ref> Jeffrey would continue to show as part of Fashion East and Topman's MAN for three seasons, until his first solo show in June 2017.<ref Name=TheIndustry> </ref> In 2016, Charles Jeffrey was included on the Business of Fashion 500 list as one of the most influential people in fashion.<ref name=Independent> Sarah Young, ''Independent,'' [https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/business-of-fashion-most-influential-list-kate-moss-zayn-malik-bella-hadid-charles-jerffrey-david-beckham-anna-wintour-a7344256.html THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN FASHION REVEALED – ZAYN MALIK AND CHARLES JEFFREY MAKE THE CUT FOR THE FIRST TIME] 4 October, 2016</ref> Jeffrey's shows for LOVERBOY have gained a reputation for being theatrical performances as well as fashion shows, often working with theatre and dance professionals.<ref name="id ss21"/> His "Tantrum" show in 2017, working with director [[Theo Adams]], was described as "one of those shows that will be talked about for years." <ref name="theo adams"> Theo Adams [https://www.theoadams.com/news/tantrum-loverboy-aw18 Tantrum: Loverboy - AW18] </ref>

In November 2017, Charles Jeffrey's first solo exhibition, THE COME UP, opened at the NOW Gallery in Greenwich.<ref name="NOW Gallery"> NOW Gallery, [https://nowgallery.co.uk/exhibitions/the-come-up THE COME UP] </ref> Incorporating Jeffrey's "emotive and vibrant illustrations" with "large sculptural pieces hang[ing] from the gallery's seven-meter ceiling," the installation was "an interactive and three-dimensional representation of the Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY brand and cult club night."<ref name="NOW Gallery"/> Jeffrey has contributed as editor and creative director to several editions of [[Love (magazine)|LOVE]] Magazine, including a [[Maison Margiela]] retrospective shoot (in collaboration with [[John Galliano]]), and as Creative Director of a [[Vivienne Westwood]] archive story for [[Another Man]].<ref name="BoF 500,"/> In December 2017, Jeffrey won the British Fashion Award's Emerging Talent: Menswear Award.<ref name="Harper's"/>

In 2018, Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY launched its first womenswear capsule collection, ''Awrite Hen?'' exclusively for [[Matches Fashion]]. ""The women in my life have been wearing our collections since the beginning but it's been a thrill to develop these pieces specifically with a woman in mind," Jeffrey commented.<ref name=matches> Lauretta Roberts, TheIndustry.fashion, [https://www.theindustry.fashion/charles-jeffrey-loverboy-creates-exclusive-womenswear-collection-for-matchesfashion-com/ Charles Jeffrey-Loverboy creates exclusive womenswear collection for Matchesfashion.com] 6 February, 2018 </ref> In October 2018, Jeffrey won the GQ Man of the Year Award for Breakthrough Designer.

With the [[Covid-19 pandemic]] forcing London Fashion Week to hold its first digital fashion week in 2020, Jeffrey used the occasion to raise money for UK Black Pride, in light of rising consciousness around the [[Black Lives Matter movement]]. Jeffrey held a live-streamed fundraiser from the basement of Vogue Fabrics, where the LOVERBOY club nights began, spotlighting Black artists, performers, and fashion designers from his extended queer community. Jeffrey said of his decision, "Loverboy's always been a happening, a place where people club together to do something great...I thought if I could do it then, I can do it now.”<ref name="Black Pride"> Sarah Mower, ''Vogue,'' [https://www.vogue.com/article/charles-jeffrey-loverboy-black-pride-livestream Charles Jeffrey's London Fashion Week Livestream Raises Money for UK Black Pride] June 14, 2020 </ref>

In 2021, the [[Theatre Royal Drury Lane]] owners, [[Andrew Lloyd Webber|Andrew]] and [[Madeleine Gurdon |Madeleine Lloyd Webber]], commissioned Jeffrey to redesign the uniforms of its hospitality staff, known as the Red Coats. Of Jeffrey's new designs, Madeleine Lloyd Webber remarked, "“As we undertook the enormous project of reimagining Theatre Royal Drury Lane, we knew we wanted to redesign our iconic Red Coats. Charles’ singular perspective, inspired creativity and incredible ethos made this an easy choice. I was particularly inspired by how Charles’ designs seemed to reflect and pay tribute to the magnificent architecture of Theatre Royal Drury Lane, which we have painstakingly restored to its former glory.”<ref name="Drury Lane"> Teo van der Broeke ''GQ,'' [https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/fashion/article/charles-jeffrey-loverboy-drury-lane Charles Jeffrey has redesigned the Theatre Royal Drury Lane's uniforms and they're brilliantly bonkers] 29 July, 2021 </ref>

Charles Jeffrey's first solo show for his LOVERBOY label was in June 2017, and he has presented collections twice yearly since.<ref name="All Collections"> ''Vogue,'' [https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/designer/charles-jeffrey-loverboy All Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY Collections] </ref>

*SS22 ''Portal'' <ref name=dazed> ''Dazed,'' [https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/54162/1/runway-shows-london-fashion-week-ss22-womenswear-richard-quinn-charles-jeffrey Your rolling guide to the must-see shows at London Fashion Week] 22 September 2021 </ref>

*AW21 ''Gloom'' <ref name="Vogue aw21"> Sarah Mower, ''Vogue,'' [https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2021-ready-to-wear/charles-jeffrey-loverboy Charles Jeffrey Loverboy Fall 2021 Ready-to-Wear] March 29, 2021 </ref>

*SS21 ''The Healing'' <ref name="id ss21"> Osman Ahmed, ''i-D,'' [https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/3anzz9/charles-jeffrey-loverboy-ss21-review LOVERBOY SS21 brings the vibrancy of queer London nightlife to you] 22 October 2020 </ref>

*AW20 ''Hell Mend You'' <ref name="id aw20"> Osman Ahmed, ''i-D,'' [https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/v74mj9/charles-jeffrey-loverboy-aw20-london-fashion-week-mens-show-review Charles Jeffrey goes primeval for AW20] 6 January 2020 </ref>

*SS20 ''Mind's Instructions'' <ref name="Wallpaper"> Dal Chodha, ''Wallpaper,'' [https://www.wallpaper.com/fashion/fashionweeks/menswear-ss-2020/london/charles-jeffrey-loverboy-ss-2020-london-fashion-week-mens Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY S/S 2020 London Fashion Week Men's] </ref>

*AW19 ''Darling Little Sillies'' <ref name="iD aw19"> Matthew Whitehouse, ''i-D'' [https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/mb85na/tim-walker-captures-charles-jeffrey-at-a-career-turning-point Tim Walker captures Charles Jeffrey at a career turning point] Jun 7, 2019 </ref>

*SS19 ''Emergence'' <ref name="Vogue SS19"> Sarah Mower, ''Vogue,'' [https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2019-menswear/charles-jeffrey-loverboy Charles Jeffrey Loverboy Spring 2019 Menswear] 11 June 2018</ref>

*AW18 ''Tantrum'' <ref name="Vogue AW18"> Sarah Mower, ''Vogue,'' [https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2018-menswear/charles-jeffrey-loverboy Charles Jeffrey Loverboy Fall 2018 Menswear] 7 Jan, 2018 </ref> <ref name="tantrum video"> Show Studio "Tantrum" video [https://www.showstudio.com/collections/autumn-winter-2018/charles_jeffrey_london_a_w_18/tantrum_charles_jeffrey_loverboy_a_w_18?autoplay=1 Tantrum Charles Jeffrey AW18] </ref>

*SS18 First solo show, ''Portrait of a LOVERBOY'' <ref name="Wonderland"> ''Wonderland Magazine,'' [https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2017/06/11/lfwm-charles-jeffrey-loverboy-ss18/ LFWM: CHARLES JEFFREY LOVERBOY SS18] June 10, 2017</ref>

* 2018 Breakthrough Designer, [[GQ]] Men of the Year Awards <ref name="GQ"> Zac Maoui, ''GQ,'' [https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/charles-jeffrey-loverboy-interview-2018 Charles Jeffrey: ‘Loverboy allows you to not know what you're doing’] 16 October, 2018

* 2018 Finalist, [[LVMH]] Prize <ref Name="LVMH"> Abigail Southan, ''The Last Magazine,'' [https://thelast-magazine.com/charles-jeffrey-loverboy-fashion-designer-lvmh-prize-interview/ THE 2018 LVMH PRIZE: CHARLES JEFFREY LOVERBOY] May 23, 2018

</ref>

* 2017 British Emerging Talent - Menswear, [[British Fashion Awards]]<ref name="Harper's"> Ella Alexander, ''Harper's Bazaar,'' [https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/fashion-news/a14031613/fashion-awards-2017-the-winners/ Fashion Awards 2017: The winners] December 4, 2017 </ref>

* 20162015 YoungFashion DesignerGraduate of the Year, [[Scottish Fashion Awards]]<ref name="ScottishSFA Fashion Awards2015">Danielle BBCWightman-Stone, fashionunited.uk, [https://www.bbc.cofashionunited.uk/news/ukfashion/scottish-scotlandfashion-scotlandawards-businessnames-377279622015-winners/2015090417556 "Scottish Fashion Awards Winnersnames Announced"2015 winners] 21 October4 2016September 2015</ref>

Jeffrey credits the club night LOVERBOY at Vogue Fabrics in London's East End - started by Jeffrey in 2014 to help fund his MA - for helping to form his label's aesthetic: “the clothes were made in that club space, and I learned a lot about being a queer person through being there.”<ref name="Clubbing"> Emma Elwick-Bates, ''W Magazine,'' [https://www.wmagazine.com/story/charles-jeffrey-credits-clubbing-with-success Fashion Designer Charles Jeffrey Credits Clubbing With His Success] 5 October, 2018 </ref> <ref name="Dazed">< /ref> Jeffrey has described the club nights as a “no-rules nocturnal laboratory,” inspired by 1980s clubs like [[Blitz Kids|Blitz]] and Taboo, and legendary queer performers such as [[Leigh Bowery]] and [[Boy George]]. <ref name="Clubbing">< /ref>

Jeffrey's collections reflect his Scottish heritage, including kilts, tartan, and references to Scottish traditions.<ref name="Guardian">< /ref> In 2017, Jeffrey designed a signature LOVERBOY tartan, debuting it as part of his Autumn/Winter 2018 collection, "Tantrum." <ref name="tartan"> The Scottish Register of Tartans [https://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/tartanDetails?ref=12271 Tartan Details:Loverboy]</ref> LOVERBOY'S Autumn/Winter 2020 Collection, "Hell Mend You" was partially inspired by the intricate costumes worn for the Festival of the Horse, on the Orkney Island of [[South Ronaldsay]].<ref name=festival> Huw Williams, BBC, [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-51110516 South Ronaldsay's 'amazing' horse costumes inspire catwalk collection] 16 January, 2020 </ref>

Jeffrey has many regular collaborators, including make-up artist Lucy Bridge,<ref name=Bridge> Christina Kapourtzoudi, SHOWStudio [https://www.showstudio.com/news/lucy-bridge-power-make-catwalk LUCY BRIDGE ON THE POWER OF MAKE-UP ON THE CATWALK] April 1, 2020 </ref> visual artist and theatre director [[Theo Adams]], set designer Gary Card,<ref name=card> Osman Ahmed, ''New York Times'' [https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/14/t-magazine/gary-card-set-design.html The Artist Making Otherworldly Sets for London's Emerging Designers] June 14, 2018 </ref> musician Tom Furse, and photographers [[Tim Walker]] <ref name=walker> TJ Sidhu, ''The Face,'' [https://theface.com/style/charles-jeffrey-loverboy-ss21-tim-walker-fashion Charles Jeffrey's got The Healing power] 21 October 2020 </ref> and Thurstan Redding.<ref name=redding> ''LOVE Magazine,'' [https://www.thelovemagazine.co.uk/article/thurstan-redding-captures-charles-jeffreys-loverboy-backstage-for-mens-ss20 THURSTAN REDDING CAPTURES CHARLES JEFFREY’S LOVERBOY BACKSTAGE FOR MEN’S SS20] 12 June, 2019 </ref> Sarah Mower of Vogue notes how "the ‘we’ and the ‘our’ is the collective point about the Loverboy phenomenon. Jeffrey is...a ringmaster and pied piper of many who have formed a movement sprung straight out of the British art school tradition."<ref name="Mower">< /ref>