Lee Cooper SS14 garden party

British denim brand Lee Cooper took over the grounds at The Grove in Hertfordshire to showcase its Spring/Summer 2014 collection with a summer garden party that brought to life their ‘Makers’ campaign.

Attended by the brand’s 46 global licensees from more than 100 countries, it was a quintessential British event, with a big top marquee, summer garden party games, bunting making workshops, and a live band.

The pinnacle of the event was an alternative fashion presentation showcasing the denim brand’s SS14 collection, where live music by seven-piece folk-rock collective Flight Brigade provided the soundtrack as 16 models emerged from the meadow to join them on stage to form a relaxed and informational scene.

Lee Cooper’s CEO Andy Dunkley said of the event: “We always like to give our partners from around the world a special event that also reflects our fantastic heritage. Having a festival in the meadow of our hotel was the perfect way to have a great time and launch our collection at an event that will have a long lasting impression on all of those who were involved.”

Discussing the collection, Dunkley, commented: “The biggest trend we have for SS14 is inverted denim, over the past few years we’ve seen a lot of raw denim, and we feel that the invert style is something different.”

The collection references artisans, craftsmen and dandy market traders who could be typically found a traditional British summer fayre, which is achieved through playful prints, relaxed silhouettes and denims with an understated, vintage feel.

Founded in 1908 in London's East End by Morris Cooper, Lee Cooper has become known for its workwear and classic, authentic denim. Currently, the denim brand is sold in more than 100 countries worldwide and it is annual global retail sales for 2013 is projected at being over 500 million US dollars.

Images: Danielle Wightman-Stone