The Return of Boy London Fashion Show

In a year when it seemed that Boy London had died — unless you were reading the websites of Chinese hypebeasts, who seem to stock their wardrobes with every item bearing the iconic brand’s squared-wing logo — founder Stephane Raynor relaunched it with the help of Selfridges and a new creative team. The brand, adored by Jessie J and Rihanna among others, seems to have found its groove again, thanks to a resurgence of cult rock music and edgier club kids.

“They’re the young people who aren’t afraid to take risks and push boundaries,” says Raynor. “It’s like a counter culture that has never been more relevant.”

BOY’s history began in the late Seventies when its King’s Road shop became a mecca for the punk scene, a DIY hub for the disenchanted and misunderstood. The store was a precursor to the idea of branding, repurposing provocative tabloid headlines such as “Boy Stabs PC” and “Electrocuted at 30,000 Volts.” From there, the brand continued to define eras, creating bold logo T-shirts decades before ironic text shirts, balancing the angst of youth culture with an elegant tailoring aesthetic.

The label grew internationally as the music world took notice, attracting a coterie of pop stars from both sides of the Atlantic including Madonna, Sid Vicious and Boy George. Its logo has popped up on everything from the clothing of British punk icons to the hair of contemporary aristocracy and, in recent years, has been worn by everyone from Jessie J to Nicki Minaj to Rihanna.

Recently, the brand has made a strong move into Asia where it’s gaining popularity with the same young pop crowd that helped launch it in the West, and its logo is now a ubiquitous part of street style. Nevertheless, the brand’s growth hasn’t been without controversy; it has become the subject of a lawsuit for copycat logos that resemble its own — and some say the company is exploiting China’s growing middle class.

This week, LCF announced an upcoming exhibition exploring the appeal of teenage boys and youth culture that will feature work by fashion designers and artists. The show will also examine how these ideas have influenced their collections, with works by the likes of JW Anderson and Kim Jones included. The exhibit opens this January and will be presented at the LCF’s Slade School of Fine Art in central London. In the meantime, check out a few of our favorite shows from LFW, including Charles Jeffrey’s mystical forest show for Loverboy and Wales Bonner’s coolest unisex collection. Plus, the best venue this season was Edward Crutchley’s takeover of Skinners’ Hall for a show that looked like a modern-day version of Punk Mecca.