EXACTLY 24 hours before his debut collection for Mithridate was unveiled, I asked Daniel Fletcher in his South London studio what he hoped tomorrow’s reaction would be. “I would like people to be surprised and to take away a new idea about what British heritage is”.
In the span of three months, the creative director quite literally started from scratch, creating a new aesthetic for the only-six-year-old brand, crafting a new logo, dropping the complex embellishments of the past and honing in on his famed old-school aesthetic.
“This season was really about establishing what our core codes are,” he explains further. “Finding those key styles that are going to become part of the Mithridate wardrobe – like a double breasted jacket, pleated trousers, an Oxford shirt and a Harrington jacket. Everyone finds these at some point in their life and then reimagining what they look like in this context”.
His mood board was naturally filled with references to this country’s great moments, like Julia Roberts in Notting Hill, Mick Jagger in his heyday and Jarvis Cocker’s suit addiction during the nineties. The amalgamation of these heroes found a way of seeping into the patterns – all new affirms Fletcher.
The brand, originally founded in 2019 by Tina Jiang, and now still firmly headquartered in Guangzhou, China, embarked on a new era in November with this appointment, but the real task at hand was how could the very traditional English taste translate across to Asia.
“There is this notion that ‘Made in China’ means poor quality and cheap. Actually what you can see is that just isn’t the case,” points the designer at the hand-embroidered patterns on the jackets. “I was blown away by the craftsmanship that was available to us, especially in a company like thus one where you have got the resources. I was really able to go hard on the quality and craft”.
Drop-waist gowns were paired with knotted jumpers across the shoulders; Oxford shirts arrived in a parade of different stripes; corduroy blazers added some boyish charm; and coats came in all capricious forms, from trench to overcoat, laying the groundwork for next season adaptions.
But woven quite literally throughout AW25 was an acute degree of detail. “I worked with local artisans and though the look of pieces are very inspired by British heritage, we used Chinese techniques to create it. And that’s how for me, I see those two cultures merging”.
While Fletcher has a knack of bringing some of the past into the present, the future of Mithridate offers a peak into an equilibrium where familiar heritage can evolve through eastern innovation. We may be able to see the mundane elements of our style get a much needed reboost with Fletcher leading the way.
by Imogen Clark