THE COVERT COLLECTION

It's arriving in-store and online now... The first pieces of our AW23-24 Covert collection are here, and below are the traditionally overwrought collection notes (or theme, if you prefer), which explain the inspiration behind it and what went into realising it, materials and design-wise. 

Our AW23 Covert collection skulks beneath the broad brim of its wool-felt trilby and slinks back to peak-Cold War London and a slippery, cloak and dagger scene of double agents, dead letter boxes, invisible ink and immeasurable microdots.  Clandestine by nature and cloaked by the creeping shadow of the Iron Curtain, this was a parallel, paranoia-pumped world where secrets and souls were surreptitiously bought, sold, bartered and snaffled, and honey-trap hotties enticed spies of every stripe.

As adroitly audacious as any Eastern Bloc bogeyman in its approach, this is a collection that revisits and re-explores the founding raison d'être of Richard James. Traditional British textile designs are revived and intensified with colour and bold recontextualization. Savile Row’s traditions are respected, but its conventions are swiftly rejected… Sartorial standards are skewed to create a singularly sensationalistic take on the timeless.  

Rich and solid base colours of mocha, navy, mid-grey and plum are brought to life by prancing accents of dust pink and mauve throughout.

The historic mills of Yorkshire and Lancashire contribute contemporised dogtooths, herringbones and Prince of Wales checks in wonderful wool and indulgent silk, cashmere and alpaca, ensuring tailoring is suitably spectacular.

Eveningwear is expanded and further elevated, with in-house designed silk jacquard jackets, sumptuous cotton velvet cocktail suits, equally plush corduroy loungewear, and pleated shirts.

The woven silk tie returns to take centre stage, adding an extra - sometimes clashing and sometimes complementary - dash of colour and decoration at a single stroke. Shirts are bold with punchy hexagon prints and wide stripes prominent.

Catch us if you can as we step out of the shadows and hide in plain sight...