Preview + polaroids

Daniel W. Fletcher’s SS19 man is a sexy workaholic businessman loosening his tie
By Finn Blythe | Fashion | 8 June 2018

In the run up to his debut runway show at London Fashion Week Men’s this weekend, Daniel W. Fletcher has plenty of reason to feel good. Aside from being nominated for this year’s Woolmark prize, his eponymous menswear brand has gone from strength to strength, rehashing classic British design codes with his own remonstrative political agenda. Who can forget the impassioned outcry against Brexit with his brilliant presentation-cum-protest for SS17? This season, he’s pushed himself harder than ever before, forging a collection that can answer to the demands of the runway without compromising on the crisp, sartorial lines which underscore many of his designs.

Here, Fletcher gives us the inside scoop into his SS19 collection alongside a series of casting polaroids taken in his studio.

Gallery: polaroids from Daniel W. Fletcher SS19 casting

GALLERY

It’s your first runway show this season, did you consider this at all when designing the collection?
“Absolutely, I felt a bit more pressure but it also gave me a bit of a kick up the arse to push myself more. I took it as an opportunity to take some more risks and also to have some fun, things are quite sexy and I thought about how they would move on the runway, expect a lot of high slits up the backs and sides of pieces.”

“…this businessman has gone out on a Friday night after an 80 hour week and ended up somewhere he shouldn’t have.”

What’s on your SS19 moodboard?
“It’s quite business, which feels like my life right now. So much of my time is taken up managing the brand it sometimes feels like all the creativity is being sucked out of me, so I’ve tried to counteract that with a collection which feels like a city boy wardrobe which has gone really wrong. It’s also a bit sexier than previous seasons, like this businessman has gone out on a Friday night after an 80 hour week and ended up somewhere he shouldn’t have.”

What can we expect from the show in terms of music and energy?
“I don’t think people are going to expect my soundtrack, it’s pretty lol. Ben (Schofield – my stylist) says that the most influential song in your life is the song that was number one on your 14th birthday, my finale song was number one on his so that gives you an idea. Definitely not appropriate for a 9AM show.”

What have you more generally been up to since last season, does it relate to your SS19 collection at all?
“I think the pressures of running my own brand have worn off on me a little bit but I’ve been able to channel that creatively. I was consulting at JW Anderson, so was splitting my time and have worked on a few projects with stores too – so you could say I’ve been quite busy. The retail side of things is really important to me, I don’t think it’s enough to just do a show every six months anymore. Not everyone can relate to a fashion show, so I’ve tried to do projects with some of my stockists; I did the windows at Tom Greyhound in Paris and an installation at Liberty in London. I have just been nominated for the Woolmark prize too so I’ve got some work to crack on with for that as soon as the show is finished!”


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