The Lore of LOVERBOY at Somerset House

From the indie East London club scene to a luxury street fashion brand worn by celebrities across the globe – including British icons such as Harry Styles, Tilda Swinton and Charlie XCX, plus K-Pop phenomenon BTS – championing the message of “hope”, Charles Jeffrey’s brand LOVERBOY celebrates its tenth anniversary by taking space at Somerset House this summer. Inspired by the plaid and leather scene of punk culture, as well as the flamboyance of queer aesthetic, LOVERBOY is a true homage to his early days of managing a club night that successfully infiltrated London’s underground culture scene and was specifically a hit within the LGBTQ+ community. The Lore of LOVERBOY is an exciting look into Jeffrey’s personal history, from a student studying his BA in Fashion Design at Central Saint Martins, curating the brand and its later evolution from club nights to runways.

Sectioned into three parts, first comes the Initiation, focusing on the early beginnings of LOVERBOY, which at first started as a Dalston club night for Jeffrey and his friends. It was a way for him to fund his studies while also finding a place for creative collaboration and self-expression. This particular area is a showcase of his early work at university, posters for club nights, his approach to fashion and art such as DIY aesthetic and availabilism, as well as his inspirations including his Scottish heritage and the likes of Andy Warhol and Vivienne Westwood. It’s a violet-drenched room full of loud punk rock music to emulate the club scene of LOVERBOY. Overall, Initiation is a peek into Jeffrey before LOVERBOY and the different things that have led to the making of the brand.

Ritual is an intrinsic display of the process of creation. Full of sketches, fabrics, design concepts and photographs, this second part of the exhibition focuses more on the journey of taking the ideas in Initiation and making a brand out of it. This section is not just a show of producing clothing and runway looks or taking bits and pieces from the club scene to incorporate into his work, it’s discovering the materials and patterns that would later become the recognisable features of LOVERBOY as a fashion brand. Jeffrey scoured history to curate the looks that would later symbolise what LOVERBOY could mean for both himself and the consumer: from gender-bent garments and silhouettes used throughout fashion history to the incorporation of Paganism into the patterns and cuts of clothing – a statement of the brand’s message of hope for a “harmonious universe”. Ritual is the coming together of Jeffrey’s muses and ideas, and this is easily seen through the chosen displays of the before and after; from the concept sketches to the fully-realised looks.

Lastly comes Manifestation within a space smaller than the previous two. This section is merely a showcase of Jeffrey’s most prestigious work. Up in the steps are mannequins of the different looks created under the LOVERBOY brand and the culmination of his years of artistry, from Initiation to Ritual and now, Manifestation. Despite the compact room afforded to these displays, the journey behind each piece is larger than life, having been commissioned by celebrities for events and worn by models on the runways. The contrast between the tiny area and Jeffrey’s influence transcending to a global scale grounds the message of LOVERBOY as a whole, of small beginnings and the consistent thought of hope for an ever-changing and progressing world.

The Lore of LOVERBOY is a wonderful walkthrough of Jeffrey’s history and creative process. It’s a display of how something small and perceived as insignificant can snowball into something bigger. The format is highly symbolic and informative, not to mention extremely captivating as one walks through the halls full of Jeffrey’s inspirations and creations. But more than that, it’s an example of how something borne out of necessity, like working to fund one’s schooling, can work its way into becoming a global phenomenon. It’s this message that will resonate with anyone lucky enough to stumble upon this exhibition.

Mae Trumata
Images: David Parry

The Lore of LOVERBOY is at Somerset House from 8^th June until 1^st September 2024. For further information visit the exhibition’s website here.