LFW AW21: Daniel w. Fletcher unveils womenswear debut

Next in Fashion star Daniel w. Fletcher has unveiled his inaugural womenswear collection for autumn/winter 2021 during London Fashion Week.

In the show notes, Fletcher reveals that the introduction of the monochromatic womenswear collection was due to the business “growing independently season-on-season” and marks the designers first fully realised collection to sit solely under the new womenswear umbrella of his label.

Adding womenswear to his label was also due to his own “growing inquisitivity, heightened by the recent lockdowns and purposefully looking towards the future for the five-year-old brand,” explained Fletcher.

The 18-look collection was presented in a look book shoot, captured at the designer’s studio in Hackney, modelled by TikTok trans twins Maddie and Margot Whitely. The look book imagery was released alongside a behind-the-scenes video on Instagram, which showed him styling the models and finishing the pieces, as well as showing his sense of humour.

The collection comprises of monochromatic separates and Fletcher’s signature refined tailoring, drawing inspiration from his menswear archive, from the slim-fit silhouette with waists accentuated with wide utilitarian belts fastened with metal hardware to the split-hem trousers.

Daniel w. Fletcher launches womenswear line with monochromatic autumn/winter 2021 collection

Fletcher added that the first womenswear collection is intended “to feel at once both fresh and familiar, being instantly recognisable with the littering of familiar tropes and core design details shared with the menswear arm”.

Top-stitch denim returns in jaunty crisp-collared jackets, reworked in new proportions with an option made reversible in optic white denim and tactile shearling. While the strict colour palette enters softer territories with a butter-soft brown hourglass-fit lambs leather riding jacket and a ribbed knit layered amongst a tonal ensemble of subtle sandy beiges.

The Central Saint Martins alum also looked to equestrian and military decorations to bring an agile toughness to the collection.

There is also a continuation from within Fletcher’s recent menswear collections to place sustainability at the forefront of his designs by reusing leftover fabrics and otherwise redundant scraps. This is seen with the checkered dress that began with Fletcher experimenting with patchworking scraps rescued from the factory floor.

Elsewhere in the collection, Fletcher showcases his commitment to British craftsmanship and heritage with the use of merino wool. Showcased with a broad-shouldered double-breasted tailored coat, called the Diana inspired by the Princess of Wales, and a pleated kilt styled over trousers, which the designer said was intentional to “blur the lines between his menswear and womenswear offering”.

Other standout pieces from the sleek modernist collection included a single-breasted wool tailored jacket accentuated with a wide equestrian-inspired belt, a ribbed military charm jumper, a contrast stitch satin firefighter coat, and a statement silk bandana dress worn with velvet elbow gloves.

Images: courtesy of Daniel w. Fletcher by Leonardo Veloce