Savile Row tailor Richard James collaborates with DERRICK on an abstract evening wear capsule
The emerging London menswear designer drew on the tailor’s archive of eclectic tailoring for a collection that fuses tradition with artistic rebellion.
With heritage at its core, Savile Row has long carried a reputation for being a little stuffy. The DERRICK and Richard James collaboration is proving otherwise.
Beneath the surface, tailors like Richard James have consistently pushed the boundaries of menswear, introducing evocative prints, unexpected textures, and a spirit of rebellion to classic tailoring.
This season, the house has teamed up with emerging London label DERRICK, marking six years since Richard James first sponsored designer Luke Derrick’s Central Saint Martins collection. The result is a one-off capsule of evening wear that bridges Savile Row craftsmanship with East London experimentalism.
Riffling through the Richard James archive, Derrick found inspiration in the house’s 1990s camouflage suiting. Printed tailoring has long been part of Richard James’ DNA, with bold, statement-making designs famously embraced by icons such as Elton John.
The collaboration also references the Chapman brothers’ infamous 2004 Esquire shoot, in which the artists covered each other in white paint while wearing Richard James suits.
Drawing on this audacious spirit, Derrick created his first-ever print: a single brushstroke scanned and enlarged 150 times to form a fractured, abstract camouflage that subtly distorts the wearer’s silhouette, merging painterly artistry with military precision.
Key pieces in the collection, including a smoking jacket, evening trousers, a dress scarf, and neckties, are crafted in fluid silk twill and treated with Derrick’s painterly print. The capsule is a striking fusion of tradition and innovation, demonstrating how Richard James continues to challenge the norms of tailoring while celebrating London’s ever-evolving sartorial landscape.
Discover the DERRICK and Richard James collaboration here.