Titled “Portraits of a Master,” the collection is inspired by British painter and sculptor Glyn Philpot, who centered his works on queer identity and modern views.
The power of fashion goes beyond aesthetics. Among its many uses, fashion is a powerful means to create change. Avant-garde luxury brand Patrick McDowell is cognizant of the industry’s extensive influence on society. That is why during its show at the London Fashion Week on Sept. 13, the British fashion house gave a masterclass on art and true queer representation in fashion.
Since the debut of his namesake brand at the London Fashion Week in 2018, McDowell has been captivating the fashion industry with his bold, experimental, and unconventional pieces that celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. This, in addition to sustainability, is what the 28-year-old British designer has been most passionate about then until now.
“As we move forward, we’re starting to look more at how the queer world was experienced in communities thousands of years ago through our designs,” McDowell said in an interview with Hunger Publishing last April.
“As a queer person myself, I appreciate how important representation is,” he added. “It comes from a place of wanting to create something beautiful, and I wouldn’t feel like I would be achieving that if all of our models looked exactly the same. That’s the most beautiful way to display perfection, right?”
The latest development in McDowell’s pursuit of gender-neutral perfection and representation is the launch of his spring-summer 2025 collection which paid homage to British painter and sculptor Glyn Philpot from the early 1900s. “I was really inspired by his life,” McDowell told WWD. He said that Philpot’s rise and fall from society were because the artist “followed his own queer path and had a more modernist view on the world.”
McDowell delved deep into Philpot’s life by exploring letters the artist wrote to close friends and family which can be related to his works. To make the brand’s spring-summer 2025 collection more authentic, McDowell also reached out to Philpot’s remaining relatives who provided insight into the eminent artist’s life. From all there, the Gen Z designer found out that Philpot lived two lives — one of society and status and the other of queer identity and self-expression.
Titled “Portraits of a Master,” Patrick McDowell’s collection reflects how queer people live a life of duality to conform to society. It is also an artful fusion of queerness and modernity, which Philpot pursued in his life.
The show in itself is an embodiment of the brand’s strong ethos of creating state-of-the-art fashion. Held at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the show was an immersive experience that featured emerging classical musicians who shared the stage with models sporting the collection. The musicians performed haunting music as models walked in a sedate space on the runway. All these, combined with the hall’s dim lighting, turned the show into a theatrical performance done in true Patrick McDowell fashion.
McDowell’s spring-summer 2025 collection is both whimsical and striking, reflecting the concept of self-expression which Philpot has likewise shown in his works. It has McDowell’s signature exaggerated hourglass silhouettes made with modern sleek lines and attention to detail. These are complemented by overcoats that are either structured as a blazer or flowy as a sheer cape. Fur was also present to jazz up the ensembles.
Other elements taking inspiration from Philpot’s works are the patterns that either have hexagonal shapes or splashes of florals, as seen on several skirts and gowns. Another is the color palette consisting of black, cream, pale yellow, sky blue, scarlet, and a pop of lavender.
A surprising twist in this collection is McDowell’s shift from doing haute couture to pieces that could transition to everyday wear. Among the notable pieces are cropped pants with fold-over waist, sharply tailored vest coordinates, flowy monochromatic jumpsuits, a white statement shirt, and crisp pantsuits. The pieces were combined with theatrical statements that altogether embody McDowell’s camp aesthetic.
Sustainability has always been at the core of Patrick McDowell. The renowned designer made sure to incorporate that in this season’s collection through faux leather tops that were made out of mycelium mushrooms and other fabrics made out of deadstock. Textile, in addition, were dyed without petrochemicals.
With a collection that explores queer history, self-expression, and sustainability, Patrick McDowell proves to be a luxury icon that knows how to use fashion beyond the conventional.
