Charles Jeffrey brought East London punk energy to Paris with “a happening” in the basement of Dover Street Market.
Jeffrey, who spent many nights at the nightclubs in Dalston with his face painted blue, said a happening blending music, theater, and makeup felt “more experimental and liberating” than a conventional runway show.
For his second season in Paris, the Central Saint Martins-trained designer spent five days painting the set. He confessed that everything happened very last minute — friends, including Baby’s Berserk, who performed at the event and who used to be Jeffrey’s model — were conscripted just a few days before the presentation.
Despite the rushed execution, there was lots of energy in the room. Models sashayed down the venue in signature Loverboy ensembles, playing mix and match with torn tartans, ’80s cuts, hourglass lines, ruffles, and English tailoring, as Baby’s Berserk performed one electrifying song after another.
Key pieces also included the crochet accessories – more beanies and animal-shaped bags – and an expanded range of footwear based on the brand’s top-selling banana shoes and claw boots.
Jeffrey, who grew up in Scotland, said the fall 2026 collection was based on Scottish romanticism. “We wanted to look at that idea of queering nationalism. We looked at a lot of national costume and we’ve sort of working with the styling as a navigational tool for the design process,” he added.
Overall, Jeffery said the Paris showcase is a deliberate return to his early creative roots. “For me, it’s the thing that made us really successful at the beginning. It was that kind of queer curiosity that meant the idea of availableism, as well as a way of pushing that kind of idea of Loverboy, narrowing down our art direction to make sure that it’s really consistent,” he added.
