September 19, 2022 |
Since joining Fashion East in 2017, Stefan Cooke has garnered a cult fanbase amongst a cool London crowd where the brand’s cult skeletal argyle jumpers are adored by all genders. Yet for SS23, Cooke and his partner, Jake Burt bring womenswear into their arsenal for the very first time. Cleverly, our introduction to the Stefan Cooke woman sees her borrow the same shrunken silhouette from her male counterpart. This is a shared look, and although the brand has based itself around elevating everyday men’s staples, these pieces have vast shopping appeal.
Here, the design duo brought over a slew of techniques from their back catalogue. Last season’s trompe l’oeil cording featured on collar-less leather and denim jackets (floor-length denim skirts circled with visible seams were also terrific). The pair took the baker-boy hats from their high street-inspired SS22 show and turned them into a graphic seen across silk bombers and a shadow of their scooped-out knitwear also became a print, seen across a white zip-up.
Elsewhere, ribbons zhuzh up leggings and long sleeves akin to old-fashioned under garments, as well as tight on-the-body mini dresses which had ruffled hemlines. Two T-shirts – one advertising a foam party, the other stamped with a menacing Jack-o-lantern – dripped with giant paillettes, giving a Stefan Cooke revamp to the sort of garb you’d find buried in the back of your wardrobe. It all leads back to the brand’s admiration for the mundane. Ask the pair about their work, and they’ll modestly reply that they’re just making clothes – pretty spectacular clothes at that.
Photography courtesy of Stefan Cooke.
