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On Friday morning, fashion’s finest stumbled out of bed – heads sore from the previous night’s opening fashion week celebrations – and made their way to the Old Selfridges Hotel for one of the first shows of LFW. As a sedate poem soundtracked the dark, foggy, and mirrored room, the lights – and techno beats – rose as Stefan Cooke sent his first look down the runway.
The Central St Martins alumni and previous NEWGEN recipient’s SS24 collection felt undeniably recrafted. Blanket capes and maxi skirts in sunshine shades were covered in deadstock leather studs, proving once again that gendered clothing is no longer a consideration for Cooke and his generation of menswear designers. Bright block bursts of primary colours or sumptuous hand-spun lambswool textures interspersed the stark monochrome staples that built each look. Foam was bleached in the sun for sculptural pieces – cinched at the waist with a simple belt – reminiscent of sun-soaked foam fingers, while actual stadium souvenirs were carried down the runway alongside pre-loved Mulberry bags.
Cooke collaborated with Mulberry for 27 one-of-a-kind bags, reworked with Stefan Cooke motifs and spiced up with oversized tassels, beaded straps, or by clipping on a humble baseball cap.
Images courtesy of Stefan Cooke.