The colorful future of the United Kingdom as imagined by Charles Jeffrey Loverboy What would English royalty of the Regency era look like if they ran in a marathon?

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.