Late last month, subversive Scottish designer Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY debuted an unexpected collaboration with Walpole member Wedgwood during his Autummn/Winter 2024 catwalk at Milan Fashion Week, which featured garments created from vintage jasperware pieces repurposed into armour. In the press release for the show, the label teased that there was "a prelude to future LOVERBOY x Wedgwood capsule collections". Now, the two brands have revealed all.
Given free reign to reimagine Wedgwood's creative codes by the ceramics house's Creative Director Alice Bastin, Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY has brought his subversive, expressive signature to a variety of mediums. Firstly, through a limited-edition collection of pre-loved Jasperware pieces, from urns to pin trays to tea cups, each uniquely decorated in the designer ’s distinctive graphic and illustrative style and hand glazed, with an unrestrained abstract paint technique using a vibrant colour palette, for a radical take on Wedgwood’s most iconic ceramic material.
Secondly, through a series of ten one-of-a-kind hand-drawn illustrations, all inspired by the third element in the collaboration: a song and music video filmed at the Wedgwood factory in Barlaston in Staffordshire – embedded below.
In the video, Charles Jeffrey, alongside Robert Fox and Tom Furse, bring a mod-inspired musical visual revolution to Wedgwood. Dressed in sleek LOVERBOY suits and donning edgy black modish hairstyles, the band arrive at the Wedgwood factory as their alter egos. The mission: to disrupt and infuse Wedgwood with a post punk jingle, symbolising the brand’s embrace of radical change.
"Throughout its illustrious history, Wedgwood has opened its doors to many revered artists. Art and creativity have always been at the core," says Bastin of the collaboration. "Our new vision is to reinstate Wedgwood as a creative hub for artists, welcoming mavericks and thought leaders to express themselves freely through Wedgwood. It simply had to be Charles to start this new movement. Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY reflects a freedom of expression, optimism and authenticity in his multidisciplinary approach which juxtaposes perfectly with Wedgwood’s iconic jasperware."
"Collaborating with Wedgwood has been an incredible journey which allowed us to fuse music, art and craftsmanship into a bold and transformative experience," adds Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY. "We not only had the opportunity to reimagine Wedgwood’s iconic jasperware but also to infuse it with our own distinctive creative voice. Upcycling pre-loved Wedgwood jasperware became a medium for us to breathe new life into these cherished pieces, adding a unique touch and vibrant, expressive energy.
"Wedgwood’s trust and support in letting us unleash our creativity without limitations is something we deeply appreciate. This collaboration embodies the spirit of innovation and mutual collaboration, where boundaries are shattered and new narratives are crafted. We are grateful to Wedgwood for providing us with this platform to push the boundaries of art, music and design and create something truly extraordinary."
See the Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY x Wedgwood collaboration now at wedgwood.com
