Joseph SS15

Initial reaction:

Quiffs and Brylcreem at the ready, this season Joseph took a page out of Bruce Davidson’s 1998 book Brooklyn Gang – which centered on a a close-knit pack of youths in the 1950's – reworking contemporary Joseph codes with a retro gangland edge. The ecru knitted sweaters with matching shorts, classic American sports jackets and graffiti print shirts were derived from the book.

Hidden details:

The rose print detailing on the shirts were traced from wallpapers littered throughout the dancehalls and the boys' homes featured in the book. In another nod to youth culture, the basic white t-shirt came reworked into luxury leather and suede kimono-sleeved styles.

Gang mentality:

“The book really epitomises what summer’s about. This feeling of a gang, of boys, hanging out in different places within Brooklyn and Coney Island, and they just had a real collective about them. It’s like a style that’s really natural, it comes from them, you know? There’s nothing contrived about it. It’s about an attitude. They just throw on a white t-shirt and roll up the sleeves – they want to have their arms out because they’ve got new tattoos. So, looking at that we created the luxury versions of those.” – Mark Thomas.