CHARLES JEFFREY: BRAND INTERROGATION

Charles Jeffrey’s background and university experience massively informed the making of his brand and where it is today. I feel it is beneficial for me to explore this further to grasp an extensive understanding of LOVERBOY, what it entitles, and how I could transcend my findings into my final project.

Coined as the ringleader of London’s next generation of club kids (Allwood, 2015), Charles Jeffrey injected his love for the 80’s and 90’s and teleported his community back to the raving club scenes in numerous collections.

His brand LOVERBOY originated as a club cult night which funded his MA Fashion Design degree, gifting him the distraction from his work pressures to be completely free and to join his friends on the dancefloor in the most exuberant costumes and fantasy-wear. The nights aimed to provide a cathartic outlet and safe space for his contemporaries to celebrate the joys of dressing up (Disegno, 2018) but, also, gave him the core field of primary research, as well as key collaborators to achieve the success of building his own brand, LOVERBOY.

I feel this has been rightly reflected within his brand philosophy as it centralises on community, gender, and individuality and has rooted itself for providing an escapism for one to be themselves within the playfulness of his garments.

Since its launch in 2015, LOVERBOY has maintained a communal spirit within its brand values, welcoming LGBTQIA+ members, alongside anyone who wants to join Jeffrey’s army in sparking a social revolution to deconstruct gender norms.

Colour has been a significant player in supporting this, and I discern an analogy with the punks when they subverted traditions by wearing reds, black and grungy hues. It could be assumed that there are underlying political references in his productions, again, like the punks, but these are highly saturated by the LOVERBOY tartan, cacophonous energy, and unrestricted nature of its consumers.

I admire how Charles Jeffrey has established a brand which has considerable meaning and substance to it. It envelops eras like the 70’s but has its own contemporary spin so its messages are less severe, yet still as strong.

If I am to take Charles Jeffrey forward towards my collaborative process, I must consider- how would I show the frustration of Generation Alpha through a modern lens, as well as through such themes like colour and identityareas that are significant to LOVERBOY.

As mentioned, LOVERBOY has a firm acceptance for individuals of any gender, race, or association and this has been inspired by Charles Jeffrey’s surrounding of creatives from artists to musicians to performers. LOVERBOY was massively influenced by the 80’s/90’s Club Kid Scene and I want to delve into this as it is a subject, I am not knowledgeable of and I believe is a significant facet to be translated into my project, if he was to be taken forward.

The Club Kids originated in New York City in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s as a relief mechanism and reaction to the AID’s crisis and societal downfalls of the previous decade. The youth-centric personalities rose to prominence for their flamboyant outlook and daring charisma, with a strong willingness to challenge conventions and push the boundaries of fashion and art. Administered by Michael Alig and James St. James, the duo created a cultural atmosphere, throwing parties across the country for a “scene of broken, damaged, and lost souls, trying to find themselves”. Here, I can see a youth very comparable to Generation Alpha. Amidst breakdowns and pressures, it begs me to question whether this generation will seek an escapism in something so outrageous and destructive, like the Club Kids.