British GQ Style

Luke Leitch Luke Leitch is an esteemed fashion journalist and critic who writes for Vogue and Vogue Business. For this issue of GQ Style, he spoke to Jonathan Anderson. “The frustrating thing about Jonathan as an interview subject is that you can tell his conversation is as carefully curated as his designs – he is very much in control of what he gives you. The flipside of that, though, is that what he does give you is fascinating. Only rarely have I interviewed a designer who possesses such a clear and overarching vision of the shape of the fashion industry and their chosen place in it, which is right at the very apex of the game.” Joel Palmer Joel Palmer is a British-born QPOC artist who specialises not only in photography contextualising themes…

MAYBE YOU FEEL IT TOO. There’s a high simmer in the background of the culture. As I write this, a half-dozen things have just gone down in the world of fashion. Harris Reed, the young designer whose superlative collections have long since dominated the British fashion zeitgeist, has been named the creative director of Nina Ricci. Maximilian Davis, on the eve of his debut collection at Ferragamo, just dropped a new logo for the brand – and also dropped the “Salvatore”. In Milan, Rhuigi Villaseñor, the globetrotting designer at the intersection of nostalgia and new luxury, is revealing his new vision for the Swiss house of Bally (dive into that on page 156). These are three of what feels like a zillion data points, all indicating the same thing: a once-in-a-generation power shift is taking…

Kojey Radical has brought groundbreaking realness with his soulful breed of hip-hop – and his style is just as expressive. Read about his breakout year on p.64 In an era where a heap of designers are verging on the futuristic, Dunhill’s Mark Weston is still betting on unabashed elegance – like a triple-layer of checks. A Goyard bag isn’t exactly news – the Parisian house is nearly 230 years old, after all – but there’s few prettier things you can sling around your shoulder. Big lapels, bigger colour: there’s a reason every rock star from Harry Styles to Nick Cave rocks a Gucci suit: designer Alessandro Michele has the silhouette dialled up to 11. Designed in 1927 by René Lalique and handcrafted in France from satin-finish crystal, Lalique’s iconic Bacchantes Vase is a seriously…

◼ AFTER CASTING OFF LAYERS of coats, Kojey Radical (who was born Kwadwo Adu Genfi Amponsah) is buoyant and radiant – though a hit of that shine is coming from his newly purchased grill. He’s also keen to shed something else: the crown of “alternative rapper of 2022”. “Deep down, who really gives a fuck?” he asks, chuckling. Those monikers have always come with baggage: an attempt by the industry to nudge subversion outside of rap’s mainstream. In recent history, “alternative” has been attached to rappers from Little Simz to Loyle Carner who create soundscapes outside the neat constructs of drill, grime and Afro-fusion. For 29-year-old Radical, the term feels pointless. “At the end of the day, it’s all hip-hop,” he rationalises. “Whether it’s grime, drill, R&B, whatever, it comes from…

IN A SEMI-INDUSTRIAL NEIGHBOURHOOD in Milan’s north east, Formafantasma has transformed an old warehouse into a tasteful oasis of cool. The studio’s cofounders, Simone Farresin, 41, and Andrea Trimarchi, 38, offer a welcome that’s as serene as the space they’ve created. Their Italian greyhound, Terra (meaning “earth”), roams around refined white couches and pale ash-wood tables. Since founding their design practice in 2009 in the Netherlands, these impeccably turned-out partners (in life and business) have gained adulation at the upper reaches of the design community. But after returning to their native Italy in 2021, and with a growing roster of big-brand clients including Prada, Flos, Fendi and Hermès, Formafantasma is on the cusp of making even larger strides out of the rarefied world of design and into the creative mainstream. “We wanted…

ALFIE TEMPLEMAN Earlier this year, when Bedford-born 19-year-old Alfie Templeman dropped his debut studio album Mellow Moon, we were introduced to a whole new wave of Wombats-esque indie rock – as well as Templeman’s killer mop of hair. “Since I was about 13 I’ve always grown out my hair. At first it was to hide my forehead – because people used to take the mick out of how big it was,” says Templeman. “But I genuinely just love how it looks. At the moment I’m kinda just letting it do its own thing. I don’t really brush it, I just mess around with it using my hands throughout the day. I like the wild, crazy look.” Later this year, Templeman is taking that mop around the country, embarking on his biggest…