The colorful future of the United Kingdom as imagined by Charles Jeffrey Loverboy

Now in his second show at Milan Fashion Week, Charles Jeffrey seems to feel quite at home here in Milan. With a show that is much broader in scope than the previous one, the Scottish designer brought a completely new vision for the new summer season to the runway, with a collection that opens a dialogue between the present and the UK's most mythical past - made up of Arthurian knights, tricorn hats, collars worthy of Oliver Cromwell and Elizabethan farsets. The reasoning is clear: now that Britain is at a historical juncture, where all its values and ideas of identity are at stake, using the past as a narrative filter for the present means asking questions about the future. A future as uncertain as it is exuberant and colorful in the new collection conceived by Jeffrey, whom we caught up with backstage after the show to get a better sense of the idea behind his latest show.

What can you tell us about the collection?

The collection was birthed from a pretty turbulent time in the UK. The Queen died, I was researching in September, and a lot of it was outside of my control, so for me it was interesting to use a collection to reclaim a space within that turbulence. I found out we were in a Carolean? Era, it was Elizabethan before, now we have King Charles, and my name is Charles. I want to be a new Carolean, I want to reclaim the space where everybody gets to wear the crown in a kind of joyous counter-culture:  it’s colorful, appreciative of the arts & culture, but also wellness & sportswear.

I looked at the previous Carolean era, 17th century, I looked at romanticism, like the euphoria of costumes, and I was running a lot at the time. I like the idea of being a euphoric space and reflecting that through the clothing you’re wearing.So thats where the color palette goes into a sportier bright space yet using 17th century artwork like fragrant beasts and a bunch of accessories that reflect animism. It’s my proposal of a new society about positivity, we’ve had enough of this doom & gloom.

Did the venue reflect this too?

Yes! We’re known for theatricalism in our sets but we wanted to strip that back and have that reflected only in the clothing. I actually created the soundtrack with my friend, I’m trying to use my platform to create a full-360. Another thing that's important is that being in Milan we have a duty to build the business up, so this is a very well-merchandised collection and the majority is available for sale, whereas last time most pieces were conceptual and only for the runway.

How do you like Milan?

I love it. I find it very similar to Glasgow, the way the people are. It’s a nice place to be as a brand. London is a nice place to foster a brand and grow, but for where we are at this point in time Milan is great. There’s a lot of amazing talent in Milan.