Charles Jeffrey (born August 1, 1990) is a Scottish fashion designer known for his punk-inspired, gender-fluid designs influenced by his Scottish heritage and London's queer club scene. Jeffrey has been described as "speaking to young London the way

Alexander McQueen Lee Alexander McQueen CBE (17 March 1969 – 11 February 2010) was a British fashion designer and couturier. He founded his own Alexander McQueen label in 1992, and was chief designer at Givenchy from 1996 to 2001. His achievements in fashion ...

spoke to his generation,"BoF 50
'' Charles Jeffrey''
/ref> and by

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

as "the upholder of all that is human, creative and cheerful about British fashion."Sarah Mower, ''Vogue,'
''Charles Jeffrey Loverboy Spring 2018''
/ref> Jeffrey launched his label Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY in 2015, after graduating from

Central St Martins Central Saint Martins is a public tertiary art school in London, England. It is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. It offers full-time courses at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and a variety of shor ...

. He has been nominated for and won numerous industry awards.London Fashion Wee
'' Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY ''
/ref> Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY has been worn by figures as wide-ranging as

Harry Styles Harry Edward Styles (born 1 February 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. His musical career began in 2010 as a solo contestant on the British music competition series ''The X Factor (UK TV series), The X Factor''. Following hi ...

,Douglas Greenwood, ''i-D,'
''a guide to Harry Styles' fashion evolution ''
/ref>

Tilda Swinton Katherine Matilda Swinton (born 5 November 1960) is a British actress. Known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award, in addition to ...

,Jeremy O Harris, ''Vogue,'
Playful, Fantastical, Rare: At Home With Tilda Swinton On Her Highlands Estate
14 February 2021

Bimini Bon Boulash Bimini Bon-Boulash (also known mononymously as Bimini; born 12 May 1993) is the stage name of Thomas Hibbitts, an English drag queen, author, recording artist and model based in East London, and born in Great Yarmouth, England. They are best know ...

, and K-Pop stars

BTS BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 and debuting in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The septet—consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—co-writes and co-produ ...

Early life and education

Jeffrey was born in

Bellshill Bellshill (pronounced "Bells hill") is a town in North Lanarkshire in Scotland, southeast of Glasgow city centre and west of Edinburgh. Other nearby localities are Motherwell to the south, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton to the south ...

, near

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. As a child he moved around a lot, due to his father being in the British Army, living in Germany, England and Wales.Emma Brown, ''Interview Magazine'
The Menswear Designer
Dec 9, 2015 He spent his teenage years back in Scotland in

Cumbernauld Cumbernauld (; gd, Comar nan Allt, meeting of the streams) is a large town in the historic county of Dunbartonshire and council area of North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is the tenth most-populous locality in Scotland and the most populated t ...

. Jeffrey drew from a young age, and became interested in fashion as a teenager. At eighteen, he moved to London. Jeffrey studied for an Art Foundation BA and an MA in Fashion at

, where he was tutored by

Louise Wilson Louise Janet Wilson (23 February 1962 – 16 May 2014) was a British professor of fashion design. Louise Wilson was based at the Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design in London, where she was the course director of their MA in Fash ...

, who had also tutored

Christopher Kane Christopher John Kane (born 26 July 1982) is a Scottish fashion designer based in London. Biography Kane was born as the youngest of five children in Newarthill, North Lanarkshire, to an engineer and draughtsman father and housewife mother. K ...

and

.Lauren Cochrane, ''Guardian,'
Charles Jeffrey and the designers transforming fashion for a post-gender world
January 10, 2018 As a student, Jeffrey interned for four months at

Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior (stylized DIOR), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH, the world's largest luxury group. Dior itself holds ...

's haute couture ateliers in Paris. Jeffrey's graduation show at

in 2015 attracted the attention of

Fashion East Fashion East is a non-profit designer support and showcasing scheme, a project established by the Old Truman Brewery and Lulu Kennedy MBE in 2000.Fashion East"About Fashion East"/ref> Designers can apply for support across three different programmes ...

Director

Lulu Kennedy Lulu Kennedy MBE is the Founder and Director of '' Fashion East & MAN'' and the ''Lulu & Co'' clothing line. She is also Editor-at-large of Condé Nast's biannual ''LOVE'' magazine as well as working as a consultant for brands. Early life Born ...

. He was also named as one of the "3 designers to watch" out of that year's graduates by Vogue, with his collection described as "an exciting new amalgamation of pop and provocation".Nick Remsen, ''Vogue,''
3 Designers to Watch from Central Saint Martins’ 2015 Graduates
February 21, 2015 It was also during his MA at Central St Martins that Charles Jeffrey developed the LOVERBOY label, which emerged from a monthly club night of the same name that Jeffrey began at Vogue Fabrics in

Dalston Dalston () is an area of East London, in the London Borough of Hackney. It is northeast of Charing Cross. Dalston began as a hamlet on either side of Dalston Lane, and as the area urbanised the term also came to apply to surrounding areas includ ...

.Emma Hope Allwood, ''Dazed,'
Meet the ringleader of London's next-generation club kids
June 15, 2015Vogue Fabrics Dalston
/ref>

Career

Having caught the attention of Lulu Kennedy at his graduation show in February 2015, Charles Jeffrey's work was showcased in a presentation at the

Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch, the ICA c ...

as part of

's and

Topman Topman is a UK-based multinational men's fashion retail brand founded by Burton Group (later renamed Arcadia Group) in 1978. Along with its women's clothing counterpart Topshop and the rest of Arcadia Group, Topman went into administration i ...

's joint talent platform MAN, at London Collections: Men (now

London Fashion Week London Fashion Week (LFW) is a clothing trade show that takes place in London twice a year, in February and September. Showcasing over 250 designers to a global audience of influential media and retailers, it is one of the 'Big Four' fashion wee ...

Men's) in June 2015.British Fashion Counci
Fashion East supports Grace Wales Bonner and Charles Jeffrey at LCM
/ref> Jeffrey said the platform changed his life: “Had Lulu ennedy, Fashion East founderand Natasha oothnot encouraged me to be braver, smarter, and taught me so much of what I now know, my label wouldn't exist."Lauretta Roberts, TheIndustry.fashio
Fashion East and TOPMAN reveal line-up for MAN SS18
26 May 2017 Jeffrey would continue to show as part of Fashion East and Topman's MAN for three seasons, until his first solo show in June 2017. In 2016, Charles Jeffrey was included on the Business of Fashion 500 list as one of the most influential people in fashion.Sarah Young, ''Independent,'

4 October 2016 Jeffrey's shows for LOVERBOY have gained a reputation for being theatrical performances as well as fashion shows, often working with theatre and dance professionals. His "Tantrum" show in 2017, working with director

Theo Adams Theo Adams (born 29 September 1989 in London, England), is a performance artist and director of the contemporary theatrical performance group Theo Adams Company. Biography Education Adams studied at Fine Arts College, Hampstead. He left the f ...

, was described as "one of those shows that will be talked about for years."Theo Adam
Tantrum: Loverboy - AW18
/ref> In November 2017, Charles Jeffrey's first solo exhibition, THE COME UP, opened at the NOW Gallery in Greenwich.NOW Gallery
THE COME UP
/ref> Incorporating Jeffrey's "emotive and vibrant illustrations" with "large sculptural pieces hang ngfrom the gallery's seven-meter ceiling," the installation was "an interactive and three-dimensional representation of the Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY brand and cult club night." Jeffrey has contributed as editor and creative director to several editions of

LOVE Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...

Magazine, including a

Maison Margiela Maison Margiela, formerly ''Maison Martin Margiela'', is a French luxury fashion house founded by Belgian designer Martin Margiela andJenny Meirensin 1988 and headquartered in Paris. The house produces both haute couture-inspired artisanal collec ...

retrospective shoot (in collaboration with

John Galliano John Charles Galliano (born 28 November 1960) is a British fashion designer from Gibraltar. He was the creative director of his eponymous label John Galliano and French fashion houses Givenchy and Dior. Since 2014, Galliano has been the creat ...

), and as Creative Director of a

Vivienne Westwood Dame Vivienne Isabel Westwood (née Swire; born 8 April 1941) is an English fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream. Westwood came to public notice when she m ...

archive story for

Another Man Another or variant may refer to: * anOther or Another Magazine, culture and fashion magazine * ''Another'' (novel), a Japanese horror novel ** ''Another'' (film), a Japanese 2012 live-action film based on the novel * Another River, a river in the ...

. In December 2017, Jeffrey won the British Fashion Award's Emerging Talent: Menswear Award. In 2018, Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY launched its first womenswear capsule collection, ''Awrite Hen?'' exclusively for

Matches Fashion MatchesFashion.com is a London-based clothing retailer. The business operates online and via three stores in London. History Tom Chapman and Ruth Chapman opened the first store in Wimbledon Village in 1987, and opened an online store in 2007. ...

. ""The women in my life have been wearing our collections since the beginning but it's been a thrill to develop these pieces specifically with a woman in mind," Jeffrey commented.Lauretta Roberts, TheIndustry.fashion
Charles Jeffrey-Loverboy creates exclusive womenswear collection for Matchesfashion.com
6 February 2018 In October 2018, Jeffrey won the GQ Man of the Year Award for Breakthrough Designer. With the

Covid-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

forcing London Fashion Week to hold its first digital fashion week in 2020, Jeffrey used the occasion to raise money for UK Black Pride, in light of rising consciousness around the

Black Lives Matter movement Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police br ...

. Jeffrey held a live-streamed fundraiser from the basement of Vogue Fabrics, where the LOVERBOY club nights began, spotlighting Black artists, performers, and fashion designers from his extended queer community. Jeffrey said of his decision, "Loverboy's always been a happening, a place where people club together to do something great...I thought if I could do it then, I can do it now.”Sarah Mower, ''Vogue,'
Charles Jeffrey's London Fashion Week Livestream Raises Money for UK Black Pride
June 14, 2020 In 2021, the

Theatre Royal Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dru ...

owners,

Andrew Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in List of countries where English is an official language, English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is freq ...

and Madeleine Lloyd Webber, commissioned Jeffrey to redesign the uniforms of its hospitality staff, known as the Red Coats. Of Jeffrey's new designs, Madeleine Lloyd Webber remarked, "“As we undertook the enormous project of reimagining Theatre Royal Drury Lane, we knew we wanted to redesign our iconic Red Coats. Charles’ singular perspective, inspired creativity and incredible ethos made this an easy choice. I was particularly inspired by how Charles’ designs seemed to reflect and pay tribute to the magnificent architecture of Theatre Royal Drury Lane, which we have painstakingly restored to its former glory.”Teo van der Broeke ''GQ,''
Charles Jeffrey has redesigned the Theatre Royal Drury Lane's uniforms and they're brilliantly bonkers
29 July 2021

Collections

Charles Jeffrey's first solo show for his LOVERBOY label was in June 2017, and he has presented collections twice yearly since.''Vogue,'
All Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY Collections
/ref> *AW22 ''Art of Noise'' *SS22 ''Portal'' ''Dazed,'
Your rolling guide to the must-see shows at London Fashion Week
22 September 2021 *AW21 ''Gloom'' Sarah Mower, ''Vogue,'
Charles Jeffrey Loverboy Fall 2021 Ready-to-Wear
March 29, 2021 *SS21 ''The Healing'' Osman Ahmed, ''i-D,'
LOVERBOY SS21 brings the vibrancy of queer London nightlife to you
22 October 2020 *AW20 ''Hell Mend You'' Osman Ahmed, ''i-D,'
Charles Jeffrey goes primeval for AW20
6 January 2020 *SS20 ''Mind's Instructions'' Dal Chodha, ''Wallpaper,'
Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY S/S 2020 London Fashion Week Men's
/ref> *AW19 ''Darling Little Sillies'' Matthew Whitehouse, ''i-D'
Tim Walker captures Charles Jeffrey at a career turning point
Jun 7, 2019 *SS19 ''Emergence'' Sarah Mower, ''Vogue,'
Charles Jeffrey Loverboy Spring 2019 Menswear
11 June 2018 *AW18 ''Tantrum'' Sarah Mower, ''Vogue,'
Charles Jeffrey Loverboy Fall 2018 Menswear
7 Jan, 2018Show Studio "Tantrum" vide
Tantrum Charles Jeffrey AW18
/ref> *SS18 First solo show, ''Portrait of a LOVERBOY'' ''Wonderland Magazine,'
LFWM: CHARLES JEFFREY LOVERBOY SS18
June 10, 2017

Awards

* 2018 Breakthrough Designer, GQ Men of the Year Awards Zac Maoui, ''GQ,''
Charles Jeffrey: ‘Loverboy allows you to not know what you're doing’
16 October 2018 * 2018 Finalist,

LVMH LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (), commonly known as LVMH, is a French holding multinational corporation and conglomerate specializing in luxury goods, headquartered in Paris. The company was formed in 1987 through the merger of fashion house ...

Prize Abigail Southan, ''The Last Magazine,'
THE 2018 LVMH PRIZE: CHARLES JEFFREY LOVERBOY
May 23, 2018 * 2017 British Emerging Talent - Menswear,

British Fashion Awards The Fashion Awards, known as the British Fashion Awards until 2016, is an annual ceremony established in the United Kingdom in 1989 to showcase both British and international individuals and businesses who have made the most outstanding contribu ...

Ella Alexander, ''Harper's Bazaar,''
Fashion Awards 2017: The winners
December 4, 2017 * 2016 Young Designer of the Year,

Scottish Fashion Awards The Scottish Fashion Awards was an annual awards ceremony honouring Scottish designers, photographers, models and fashion industry leaders. Founded in 2006, the event organiser was Tessa Hartmann, owner of a Scottish-based PR firm to promote her ...

BB
"Scottish Fashion Awards Winners Announced"
21 October 2016 * 2015 Fashion Graduate of the Year,

Danielle Wightman-Stone, fashionunited.uk
Scottish Fashion Awards names 2015 winners
4 September 2015

Influences and collaborators

Jeffrey credits the club night LOVERBOY at Vogue Fabrics in London's East End - started by Jeffrey in 2014 to help fund his MA - for helping to form his label's aesthetic: “the clothes were made in that club space, and I learned a lot about being a queer person through being there.”Emma Elwick-Bates, ''W Magazine,'
Fashion Designer Charles Jeffrey Credits Clubbing With His Success
5 October 2018 Jeffrey has described the club nights as a “no-rules nocturnal laboratory,” inspired by 1980s clubs like

Blitz Blitz, German for "lightning", may refer to: Military uses *Blitzkrieg, blitz campaign, or blitz, a type of military campaign *The Blitz, the German aerial campaign against Britain in the Second World War *, an Imperial German Navy light cruiser b ...

and Taboo, and legendary queer performers such as

Leigh Bowery Leigh Bowery (26 March 1961 – 31 December 1994) was an Australian performance artist, club promoter, and fashion designer. Bowery was known for his flamboyant and outlandish costumes and makeup as well as his (sometimes controversial) perform ...

and

Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer, songwriter, DJ, author and mixed media artist. Best known for his soulful voice and his androgynous appearance, Boy George has been the lead singe ...

. Jeffrey's collections reflect his Scottish heritage, including kilts, tartan, and references to Scottish traditions. In 2017, Jeffrey designed a signature LOVERBOY tartan, debuting it as part of his Autumn/Winter 2018 collection, "Tantrum."The Scottish Register of Tartan
Tartan Details:Loverboy
/ref> LOVERBOY'S Autumn/Winter 2020 Collection, "Hell Mend You" was partially inspired by the intricate costumes worn for the Festival of the Horse, on the Orkney Island of

South Ronaldsay South Ronaldsay (, also , sco, Sooth Ronalshee) is one of the Orkney Islands off the north coast of Scotland. It is linked to the Orkney Mainland by the Churchill Barriers, running via Burray, Glimps Holm and Lamb Holm. Name Along with North R ...

.Huw Williams, BBC,
South Ronaldsay's 'amazing' horse costumes inspire catwalk collection
16 January 2020 Jeffrey has many regular collaborators, including make-up artist Lucy Bridge,Christina Kapourtzoudi, SHOWStudi
LUCY BRIDGE ON THE POWER OF MAKE-UP ON THE CATWALK
April 1, 2020 visual artist and theatre director

, set designer Gary Card,Osman Ahmed, ''New York Times'
The Artist Making Otherworldly Sets for London's Emerging Designers
June 14, 2018 musician Tom Furse, and photographers

Tim Walker Timothy Walker HonFRPS (born 1970) is a British fashion photographer, who regularly works for ''Vogue'', '' W'' and ''Love'' magazines. He is based in London. Life and career Walker was born in England in 1970. His interest in photography bega ...

TJ Sidhu, ''The Face,'
Charles Jeffrey's got The Healing power
21 October 2020 and Thurstan Redding.''LOVE Magazine,'
THURSTAN REDDING CAPTURES CHARLES JEFFREY’S LOVERBOY BACKSTAGE FOR MEN’S SS20
12 June 2019 Sarah Mower of Vogue notes how "the ‘we’ and the ‘our’ is the collective point about the Loverboy phenomenon. Jeffrey is...a ringmaster and pied piper of many who have formed a movement sprung straight out of the British art school tradition."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeffrey, Charles 1990 births Living people Alumni of Central Saint Martins British fashion designers Scottish fashion designers Artists from Glasgow People from Cumbernauld