Designer Daniel W. Fletcher dedicates Style Award to queer kids
"You can do anything you like and it might take you a while to get there, but when you get there, it's f***ing fabulous"
The winner of the Attitude Style Award, supported by Jaguar, Daniel W. Fletcher, has dedicated his award to young queer kids.
The British designer collected the award at the 2023 Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards, powered by Jaguar on Wednesday (11 October)
Fletcher, whose designs have been worn by the likes of Harry Styles, accepted the award from Beauty and the Beast actor, Luke Evans.
Speaking at the ceremony at the Camden Roundhouse Fletcher said thanked everyone who’d been with him along the way.
He then went on to say: “When I found out I was winning, they asked me when I knew that I wanted to be a fashion designer, and I really had to think quite hard about it. For me, saying I wanted to be a fashion designer was like coming out, actually.
“And I was able to pinpoint it to one year. It was 1997 when two huge culturally significant moments happened: 101 Dalmatians was released on VHS, and Shania Twain released the ‘Don’t Impress Me Much’ video.”
He said this was the moment he realised he wanted to design clothes. He also recounted growing up not being able to be out.
“It wasn’t until I was 20 and I moved to London and I met like-minded people and I was like, ‘You know what? I’m gay, and I want to be a fashion designer.’
“So, this award is dedicated to all of those kids out there who don’t feel like they can be who they want to be. And I want to say to them, you know what? You can do anything you like and it might take you a while to get there, but when you get there, it’s f***ing fabulous.”
Fletcher graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2015 and has barely stopped since. After working at Louis Vuitton, Victoria Beckham, and Fiorucci Daniel’s own brand – Daniel w. Fletcher is now his focus.
Issue 355, the November/December issue of Attitude, is available now.