Adam Jones' Latest Collection Is Kitsch, Campy, and Ironically British
Ladish subcultures meet Welsh grandmas and East London’s favorite soap opera.
The Welsh emerging designer Adam Jones doesn’t do seasons per se, so for his latest installment, Jones takes us back to the pub to drink up all of his iconic British references once again. However, this time around the combination of mundanity and camp humor, kitsch taste and nostalgic references come together in the designer’s most evolved collection thus far: it’s grown-up while being utterly and refreshingly youthful, with shirts appearing — just not how you’d expect.
Indeed, shirts are adorned with lace patches on the shoulders and again on the hems of the shirt and cuffs, while traditional Welsh lady collars with lace trims are attached to hoods for something that’s part A$AP Rocky-approved babushka, part your nan going to the post office couture. Regardless, it works, especially when paired with sweater vests made from vintage beer mats and a pair of shorts that’s made using a vintage second-hand material that’s printed with fawns, as if it’s an ode to classic Babycham bottles.
Elsewhere, the British soap opera Eastenders sees its legendary Queen Vic pub referenced in red across various garments, while vintage football scarves have been ironically subverted and turned into very cropped jumpers, referencing when the “football lads” lift their tops in celebration of a goal. Deadstock alpine knits sourced at a car boot sale are combined with the designer’s own old materials to make new jumpers, while rugby jumper sleeves add just the right level of campy masculinity to soften the look while keeping the idiosyncratic British undertones relevant.
Adam Jones’ latest collection can be seen in the Roshan Whittaker-shot lookbook above, and will be available to purchase from the likes of APOC Store in the coming months.
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