Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY
Somerset House, London
8 June – 1 September 2024
Somerset House presents the first ever UK exhibition of Glaswegian born designer, illustrator, stylist, radical creative, and Somerset House resident Charles Jeffrey – celebrating 10 years of his fashion house LOVERBOY. The exhibition examines Charles Jeffrey’ sensational impact on the global fashion scene, from club to catwalk, and includes the full spectrum of his prolific output, with newly commissioned works.
Charles Jeffrey is one of Somerset House Studios’ original resident artists - whose studio is still based within Somerset House’s community of cultural innovators. He graduated from London’s Central Saint Martins in 2015, founding his own fashion label Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY shortly thereafter. It was named after the cult club night he had hosted weekly in East London to fund his studies and an internship in the haute couture ateliers of Christian Dior in Paris.
The exhibition is anchored by the collaborative spirit nurtured during Charles Jeffrey’s time at art school and that now sits at the root of his gender-inclusive brand’s narrative. Championing wearability and style for all, with fans including Harry Styles and Tilda Swinton, LOVERBOY has been lauded for ripping up the fashion rule book, and transcending the boundaries of art, design and music. Merging traditional tailoring with a punk ethos, its collections are both distinctly contemporary and yet also grounded in British subcultural traditions. With its colourful and cutting-edge designs, Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY champions self-expression and artistry – a voice that is threaded throughout his work across mediums and the decade.
The exhibition is displayed across three rooms within Somerset House. It includes artistic collaborations, films, illustration, painting, memorabilia, and never-before-seen material. Through a series of sensorially-led spaces rendered in LOVERBOY’s signature playful style, the exhibition provides an accessible and engaging insight into creative production and the fashion industry. It also provides the space to celebrate a new generation of young London creatives.
Each room has its own distinctive vision. Presented with an immersive multimedia installation, assembled from the LOVERBOY archive, the exhibition showcases Charles Jeffrey’s creative process across each space. The first room introduces his artistic inspirations, followed by a closer look into the development of his craft and codes, culminating in the final room featuring the brand’s most iconic and extravagant designs. It will be an engrossing insight into Charles Jeffrey’s journey and an opportunity to see his designs up close like never before.
Designer Charles Jeffrey said:
“I’m so excited to have this moment to share my journey in fashion at Somerset House. It's not just about celebrating 10 years of Loverboy; it's about sharing our approach to fashion; being creative, approachable, and not taking ourselves too seriously.”We're here to shine a light on what we've built and to show that if we can do it, so can you. Visitors can expect to see our journey, our quirks, and have a good laugh along the way. It's about making fashion accessible and fun, reminding everyone that at the end of the day, it's about expressing who you are.”
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 eighth 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.
SOMERSET HOUSE
Strand, London, WC2R 1LA
