June 21 is surely the most longed-for date among British youth this year: It’s the day that clubs are (supposedly) slated to be allowed to reopen in the U.K. In the interminably frustrating meantime, Charles Jeffrey, whose Loverboy enterprise was always as much about expressing the mood of his community as designing for it, admits to having leaned into “feeling a bit shit.” He’s called his collection Gloom.
“It was this whole idea of feeling very kind of introspective, I think. That’s where I sort of wanted it to start. Kind of looking into oneself,” he said. “Just kind of really embracing that negative side of things and at least letting it be some sort of vehicle for creation.”
All the downtime contemplation led to him to make glitchy collaged videos for his Instagram feed—and something that looked like a doubling down on getting across Charles Jeffrey Loverboy’s brand offering. “I’ve realized we’re almost like a textile-focused brand. We do all customized fabrics.” Art-based inspirations run through it: Dr. Seuss’s darker drawings, geometrics taken from Louise Bourgeois’s dodecahedrons, splashy painterly prints from Jeffrey’s own brush. And, of course, a couple of seasonal reiterations of the Charles Jeffrey Loverboy tartan looks.
In the end, the 34 looks don’t really read as a descent into dystopian despair. Apart from the arty patterns, there are mauve suits, color-blocked jackets, printed leggings, and a “prom dress” finale. By the time these clothes are delivered in the fall, fingers crossed and everything, there should be a place and a time for Jeffrey’s fans to congregate while wearing these things. In the package he sent to reviewers, Jeffrey included a roll of flyers: Come October, he has a couple of Loverboy club nights at Vogue Fabrics in London in the works. Post-gloom, he’s holding out hope.
