PFWM SS20: Daniel W. Fletcher - Hopelessly Devoted

Rising British menswear designer Daniel W. Fletcher made his Paris Fashion Week Men’s debut with his preppy American spring/summer 2020 collection ‘Hopelessly Devoted’ making the switch from London Fashion Week Men’s.

The Central Saint Martins graduate states in his spring/summer 2020 show notes that while Paris has helped him “truly understand what it means to be a designer” it is the “call of America” that provides the prominent narrative arc through his collection, uprooting from his British heritage in more than just the location of the show.

In previous seasons, Fletcher has looked to his British heritage, whereas for SS20 his now-staple pieces have been reworked and inspired by preppy America, and the formal wear of an American jock on prom night, with a more formal collection featuring both casual and tailored pieces in his familiar navy, blue and monochrome colour palette, which this time has been interjected with “hopeful” powder blues and lilacs.

British menswear designer Daniel W. Fletcher makes his Paris debut

Formalwear is giving a contemporary makeover, with gym shorts worn with a sweater and a necktie for a nod to formality, while a lilac wrestling leotard is repurposed as a backdrop to a blue button-down shirt, and the sports jock is even sporting his father’s oversized tailoring, where the seams are raw and the split trouser seams flow over the models polished-up shoes.

Blazers and outerwear are a key highlight of his SS20 collection with trench coats shown with vintage moiré laced down the back while top-stitched blazer jackets have been glittered with “homecoming confetti” and other coats are seen in powder blue and navy check.

For a casual touch to the collection, team knits not only come with initials, but with unexplained rips and tears, while cummerbunds, utilising the bows from their prom dates, find themselves at the meeting point between track pants and varsity sweaters to add a formal nod to the preppy varsity colour trousers.

There is a confidence about this collection, Fletcher himself admitting that he found creativity within his own archive for this pieces, and it clearly shows that he is understanding his signature shapes and aesthetic while offering a optimistic look forward into contemporary menswear.

Images: courtesy of Daniel W. Fletcher