Viva La High Street

Stefan Cooke’s SS22 campaign is very Mary Portas
By Bailey Slater | Fashion | 28 April 2022

What do leather baker boys, Geri Halliwell’s flag-flying Brit Awards dress reworked into an extremely ribbed knit, sans backside peace sign, and plaster-hued bandage vests all have in common? Together they comprise just a few of the standout pieces from Stefan Cooke’s UK-centric SS22 collection.

To jog your memory, Gimme An S was forged out of the dying embers of the British High Street. Once a bustling hub of commerce and unruly teenage chaos, the evergrowing beast of online retail has since shuttered a slew of once-great institutions (see Topshop, BHS, Woolworths). Now, these town centres not only lack spirit, but also spaces that are actually in business, and so the Cooke boys turned their attention to the late nineties with eagle eyes and an undoubted appreciation for this once thriving mecca of British shopping.

Cut to now, and the collection is about to hit stores with a slick and attitude-filled campaign that’d make the wall at your local hairdresses, shot by Theo Sion. The design duo have even revived a couple of shimmering seventies bobs for the occasion, with their models sporting updo’s that are both curvier and blonder than Marilyn Monroe (with an added hint of ginge – hello, Mary Portas; niche reference). Those aforementioned ribbed knits are front and centre too, alongside vests comprised entirely of cast iron sequins, and the boys’ fuzzy, dancing lady, who makes her own fun on the backs of jackets or as a lone red wolf in a sea of white wool.

Stefan Cooke SS22 is now available to shop worldwide. Revisit the show here

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