When collections are presented to us as polished, ten-minute runway presentations, it can be easy to forget that often months of research go into their conception. This is especially true of London design duo Casely-Hayford, who last season showed a collection which referenced the anarchy of youth tribes and traditional British tailoring and remained firmly rooted in multiculturalism. “Every season is different,” admits Charlie Casely-Hayford, “but it always begins with us discussing a topic as father and son and communicating our different perspectives and how they collide.”

For AW16, the starting point was the range of psychedelic prints that adorned The Beatles’ iconic 1967 Sgt. Pepper album cover – these were then fused with visual references from the punk and skinhead subcultures. The process of utilising and then distorting these initial aesthetic ideas is unravelled in the moodboards below, as Charlie reveals more about the conceptual workings of Casely-Hayford AW16.

SGT. PEPPER

Charlie Casely-Hayford: The AW16 collection began as a discussion between my dad and I about why so many British subcultures that have emerged over the last 50 years have chosen to appropriate establishment military clothing to make an anti-establishment statement. The Beatles' Sergeant Pepper album was a strong influence on the highlight colours in the show, the psychedelic print and the hand embroidered regimental gold ornamentation – with particular reference to their album cover.

SKINHEADS 

Charlie Casely-Hayford: As ever, skins were a really strong influence for the collection. We referenced the MA1, M65, as well as the flight jacket and dhobi coat that were all appropriated in both the 60s and 80s. Moving the appropriation in a different direction to the original skinheads, we gave these highly functional garments like the M65 a couture feeling through hand embroidered gold ornamentation.

CRUST PUNK

Charlie Casely-Hayford: The denim patchwork was a nod to the crust punk movement. Combining it with MA1 fabric and gold detailing, and pairing it with silk woven trousers in the Sgt. Pepper colours created an interesting dialogue between different decades.