A minutes silence for Queen Elizabeth II prefixed Daniel w fletcher’s SS23 show, a collection coincidentally dreamt up in homage to London’s royalty – not only those who inherited their jewels, but also those subcultural icons who had to carve their own and whose names dance across the rich tapestry of the city’s streets. 

Daniel moved from his home of Cheshire to London ten years ago. In that decade, he has risen from budding designer to one at the front of London’s fashion scene, opening this season’s Fashion Week schedule. SS23 was his tribute to the city that made him.

“It’s been ten years since I first moved to London and I was thinking a lot about that when I was designing [the collection,” Daniel told us in an exclusive preview. “The people and experiences that have inspired me since making it my home, but also the artists, musicians and subcultures that came before me and made the city what it is today.”

An all black morning suit opened the show, crafted in British wool and worn with a black armband in tribute to the Queen – a powerful moment that was as subtle as it was special. Titled Stand and Deliver, it was a concept show of sorts, taking us on a 24 hour London ride: from daytime – immaculate tailoring representing workers wearing Saville Row suits strutting into boardrooms alongside louche satin tie-collar shirts that spoke of Daniel’s evergreen moodboard faces – Bowie, Jagger – to night, where dresses glistened like stars and satin cummerbunds loosely knotted at the back winked at after-hours allure.

This was the ultimate London mash-up told through Daniel’s experiences and memories. Prince of Wales check, tartan, gingham, leather blazers with matching berets, naval uniform details, country kilts spiced at the hip and wrapped in faux fur. Tradition and subversion in harmony, rowing blazers glistened with rebellious studded rivets, mini skirts swung to a 60s beat and the queer streets of East London returned from the opera with exaggerated faux fur (the joy of dressing-up is universal – some just do it differently to others). In hand, models held boxy shearling bags created in collaboration with Axel Arigato and decorated with Daniel w. Fletcher badges – you couldn’t help but imagine a young Fletcher stuffing all his belongings in one as he boarded the train from Lancashire to London in search of this very feeling.

This was a moment not just for Daniel, but for a city not quite sure how to respond to the Queen’s passing. Yet this was spot on: a royal salute as London’s effervescent fashion community knows best.