These New Caroleans
'A sound in the distance, an echo from the future. The rhythmic thudding of a forward march, the amassed footsteps of These New Caroleans. We swear that we will pay true allegiance to each other, and to our limitless potential, according to law. So help us all.'
As we leave behind an Elizabethan era of intense social and technological change and embark on new beginnings under the reign of the new king, it is a time to take a breath, reflect on what has been and what is to come, what we can learn from and the new possibilities afforded by a fresh slate. As we step into the next era under the title of Carloeans, it is a fitting theme for Scottish Creative Director and Designer Charles Jeffrey as his brand LOVERBOY steps into the next chapter physically and technologically exploring location, identity and innovation. This season the designer presents his latest collection entitled ‘These New Caroleans’ in Milan. Establishing the city as his new home earlier this year has offered the designer and his team a new perspective. From its humble genesis in his East London bedroom, LOVERBOY is now carried in over 90 stores worldwide. Now based in a new city, it’s a chance for the designer to look at the brand through fresh eyes whilst continuing to embrace the unparalleled British irreverence that underpins the LOVERBOY aesthetic and sentiment.
It is a time of significant change in the physical and the digital world as both converge evermore, particularly through creativity as AI fuses with art, word and fashion. LOVERBOY SS24 steps into this brave new era exploring AI-assisted design, a fusion of past and present, where the Carolean attire of 1660 melds with high-tech sportswear through the visionary use of image generation technology. Ai-assisted pattern and palette convene with traditional Carolean silhouettes in fluoro shades and fitted sports silhouettes bare regal symbolism while continuing the designer's interest in wellness and activewear. There is also a contemporary take on the traditional petticoat breeches of the old Caroleans, nodding to 17th-century accents and an underlying feline theme depicting lion crests while bringing a fresh take on tartans and denim. Chunky brogues are decorated with steel claws - spurs protecting each brave foot forward in designs that have no gender boundaries, only inclusive intent. Showstopping theatrical pieces serve as mastheads to the theme, merging old and new and playful experimentation in the form of Wedgewood suits of armour. Each delicate armour plate is a reworked original from the English fine china, porcelain and luxury accessories manufacturer. The sartorial safeguards serve as a preface to the designer's capsule collections with the iconic ceramicist's brand spearheading our way as we enter the future.
The stunning SS24 collection stomps down Milan's runways to a soundtrack written with Jeffrey's music collaborator Tom Furse as it references a new era for both designer and his homeland. Through sound and aesthetics, These New Caroleans intends to carry the torch of visionary British design through a fresh lens, underpinned by the power of queer voices in society and creativity, taking influence from new surroundings, viewpoints and technology. If this is an emblem of the Carolean era, of what's to come, there is much to enthuse about and much significant and positive change to anticipate.
“It’s a chance for the designer to look at the brand through fresh eyes whilst continuing to embrace the unparalleled British irreverence that underpins the LOVERBOY aesthetic and sentiment.”
Find out more about LOVERBOY here: https://charlesjeffreyloverboy.com
Creative Director: Charles Jeffrey
Show Art Director: Bunny Kinney
Stylist: Ben Schofield
Casting: Sabrina Mastrangelo @streetpeoplecastingitalia
Hair: Claire Moore for @schwarzkopfpro #sessionlabel
Make up: Terry Barber for MACcosmetics
Movement Director: Kate Coyne
Production: Daniel Hettmann
Lighting: Hydra Design
Press: Purple PR and GMPR Milano
Words: Harald Smart
Trainers by: Umbro
Film: Thomas de Cruz Media
Team:
Naomi Ingleby, Diani Diaz, Daniel Rozsahegyi, Emma Istvanffy, Sophia Cook Browne, Christopher
Goodman, Raquel Maillo, Charlie Hughes, Gloria Mach, Caoimhe Kelly, Mauricio Stein,
Nataliya Brady, Lucy Sinnot
Assistants:
Danis Thapa, Erika Laura Kaija, Pernilla Weinholz, Aruzhan Moldasseitova,
Golsa Kabir, Xinyue Zou
Wedgwood sculptural pieces designed by:
David Curtis-Ring