Charles Jeffrey – The Lore of LOVERBOY opens this week at Somerset House this landmark exhibition will examine the story of Scottish-born designer and illustrator Charles Jeffrey – one of Somerset House Studios’ original artist residents. The exhibition will include the full spectrum of his prolific output as well as iconic collaborations, celebrating 10 years of LOVERBOY.
For the first time, audiences will have the chance to explore the origins of LOVERBOY from its inception in the eponymously named club night, through Jeffrey’s early development as a student at Central Saint Martins, to the trailblazing titan it is today, favoured by fashion icons around the world. On display will be his early works inspired by style icons such as Andy Warhol and Vivienne Westwood – figures who influenced the playful spirit of the label today – as well as more recent dazzling and creative LOVERBOY pieces. Highlights include outfits worn by famous faces such as Harry Styles, Charli XCX, Tilda Swinton, Faris Badwan of The Horrors and K-pop star Mino.
Inside the exhibition
The exhibition will tell the story of Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY through three distinct spaces: Initiation, Ritual and Manifestation, conveying different ways of interpreting the creative energy at the heart of the brand. Each room in the exhibition highlights LOVERBOY’s collaborative practices and characteristic use of pattern and colour. The rooms also reference Jeffrey’s Scottish heritage, which remains a constant source of inspiration – clearly seen in a selection of garments created using LOVERBOY’s signature tartan.
The first room, ‘Initiation’, will introduce artistic inspirations in an all-encompassing immersive experience; lifting the curtain as we dive into what made the label today. Contextual objects will augment chosen garments, but also allow the visitor to understand not only Jeffrey’s development of LOVERBOY but how, crucially, this journey has been one where collaboration, process, community and ritual have been at its heart.
Sketch books, tattered club night posters, personal photographs, hand-written scribbles and intimate stories – all unique items from the vast LOVERBOY archive will be on display for the first time. Early collaborative work with the likes of visual artist Jack Appleyard and artist / designer Joshua Beaty, as well as Jeffrey’s love of cinematic references, all fed into the brand’s early work. The development of LOVERBOY’s hallmark gender dismantling is also explored in this space marking a shift in contemporary cultures, as discourses of queerness and performativity reached a new point of amplification and visibility. This is exemplified by the original sketch of a jumpsuit (silver jumpsuit 2017), later worn by Harry Styles and presented in the last room.
The second room, ‘Ritual’, takes a closer look into the development of Jeffrey’s craft. It unpacks the design process as a ritualistic method – from actions, behaviours, to methods that are performed at specific stages which help complete the task at hand.
LOVERBOY’s pattern cutting table – just like the one the atelier team use daily in the fashion house’s home in Somerset House Studios, situated only two floors below the exhibition space – will be recreated. Fabric swatches, research sketches and mood boards are on display, as visitors will see how LOVERBOY continues to challenge fashion norms and gender stereotypes. This room culminates with a showcase of sophisticated and stylised garments inspired by historicism, heritage and folklore, in a space revealing the design process itself, the business development and creative work made within the building of Somerset House, and demonstrating how Somerset House Studios has also supported this creative journey.
The final room, ‘Manifestation’, this space celebrates LOVERBOY’s most iconic and extravagant designs. Included are custom designs and one-off runway pieces, such as the famous silver jumpsuit (2017) worn by pop star Harry Styles, and armour created using distinctive Wedgwood ceramics, a result of LOVEROY’s collaboration with the iconic British brand. Included is also the custom-made outfit designed for actress Tilda Swinton for The British Fashion Awards 2022.
The Lore of LOVERBOY will be a scintillating celebration; a joyous and surprising tour through a fashion label that effortlessly transcends disciplinary boundaries across art, design, and music.
Charles Jeffrey is one of the British fashion industry’s most vibrant ambassadors, living proof that you can still do it yourself and fly high in a class all your own. This exhibition marks a critical turning point for Jeffrey. The Lore of LOVERBOY allows us to consider what his brand has achieved since its inception as an independent fashion business built on the contributions of many different collaborators. Not only will it lift the veil on the fascinating research and design process as it has evolved across the last decade, but the exhibition will also crucially consider the cultural context in which Jeffrey founded the brand as a young queer Londoner in the naughties—one who sought commune in chaos and creativity.
Bunny Kinney, co-curator of the exhibition
The exhibition has been co-curated by Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY, Jonathan Faiers, Bunny Kinney and Somerset House. The exhibition designer is David Curtis-Ring.
Charles Jeffrey – The Lore of LOVERBOY, 8th June – 1st September 2024, Somerset House
Tickets for the exhibition will operate a ‘pay what you can’ scheme to ensure accessibility.
About
LOVERBOY is a creative force springing forth from the mind of Scottish Creative Director and Designer, Charles Jeffrey. Based in London – in the catacombs of historic Somerset House, to be exact – LOVERBOY continues to build on its stellar start in the fashion industry, taking on new challenges and reaching new customers year on year. From humble beginnings in Charles’s East London bedroom, LOVERBOY is now an international fashion powerhouse, carried in over 90 stores across the world, and employing a team of ten full-time staff. Drawn to the inherent magic in queerness, Charles and his collaborators create fashion dreamscapes, adding new layers to the brand’s story with each passing season. Together they weave the folkloric thread of Scottish history into the rich tapestry of London’s queer nightlife and music scenes.
A radical sensibility informs all LOVERBOY’s output, and the brand is proudly committed to making clothes that can be worn by anyone, in any conceivable way. With LOVERBOY entering its tenth year, Charles and his team of fashion visionaries are taking this approach to new heights, drawing inspiration from art, music and unconventional sources of queer joy. Renewed connection to nature, the body and notions of queer wellness are all key creative stimuli in LOVERBOY’s current future-facing phase. The brand will also continue to renew its focus on collaboration through partnerships with artists in residence who act as contributors to the design process. @charlesjeffreyloverboy
