A beautiful concoction of experimental looks emblazoned with varying degrees of the Union Jack, Hector Maclean’s Autumn/Winter 2025 collection, Bastard Aristocrats, leaves even the least patriotic hankering for a cup of tea, fish and chips, or a Sunday roast.
Taking place in late February 2025 in the open courtyard of the Actors' Church, Covent Garden, Maclean’s love letter to Perfidious Albion unfolded in quintessential British fashion. With only a moment to go before the show, the sky started to weep for the show that was about to unravel, forcing unphased guests to huddle under Union Jack umbrellas already strategically placed by the Maclean PR team in the (very) likely event it would rain. (“It only makes it more British to be watching a fashion show in the rain," confesses one spectator from the shadow of her brolly.)
Photography courtesy of Mark Gunter, edits courttesy of Sophia Stefellé
Maclean’s previous appearance at London Fashion Week left audiences thirsting for more of the designer’s provocative and audacious spirit. Drawing inspiration from Christina Rossetti’s sensual narrative poem Goblin Market, Into the Gloaming fearlessly explored ideas of transformation, temptation, and female sexuality using an innovative assortment of fabrics. However, to cultivate his latest collection, Maclean turned to a muse much closer to home—his ancestor, Lady Susan Belasyse.
The daughter of a 17th-century privy counsellor, Lady Belasyse was engaged to King James II. Though the marriage to Susan, a Protestant commoner, was forbidden by James’ elder brother Charles, Maclean discovered that the two star-crossed lovers had an illegitimate son. The revelation of his royalty-adjacent roots and its stark contrast with his council house upbringing became the catalyst for Bastard Aristocrats.
Visually capturing the tension between his newly discovered aristocratic ties and his lived experiences, Maclean constructed a Prince and the Pauper narrative by juxtaposing facets of British society: punk and elegance, trash and treasure, poor and posh. Against the ornate backdrop of Actors' Church, these opposing aesthetics seamlessly blended to create a glorious celebration of Britannia’s eclectic culture, conveying the message that ‘we are all one’—royal and not-so-royal: “I'm immensely proud to be from the United Kingdom." he says. "That’s what this collection celebrates.”
As if embodying the collection’s thematic concerns, models maintained a stiff upper lip in the face of adversity, marching rhythmically despite the hazardous damp conditions created by the very British weather.
Photography courtesy of Mark Gunter, edits courttesy of Sophia Stefellé
A cocktail of contrasts, the collection featured bold experimental looks, blending low and high fashion together. Black gowns that nodded to the famed style of Queen Victoria were paired with unconventional crowns—some sculpted from the models’ hair—reinforcing the idea that royal status is an innate as it is is imposed. A series of striking avant-garde gowns crafted from upcycled Union Jack flags and bedsheets amplified this message, paying homage to the optimism and iconography of the Brit-pop era, with music—such as that by the Spice Girls, which played in the background—speaking to reemergence of 90s trends.
The rebellious and nostalgic energy was further underscored by the models’ styling. Donning neon war paint, shaved heads, and tasseled updos, they evoked the energy of Camden during the punk era, when distorted versions of the Union Jack were used to promote an alternative version of British pride centered on the working class and anti-establishment.
Photography courtesy of Mark Gunter, edits courttesy of Sophia Stefellé
Drapery, layering, and the manipulation of both fabric and silhouette all echoed the idea that, in the world of Hector Maclean, royalty is to be reimagined as a fluid, flexible construct that anyone deserving of the title can earn as opposed to a rigid, fixed notion defined by one’s birthright.
Maclean’s British utopia closed with an extravagant puffball gown embellished with memorial poppies, which was designed in partnership with the Royal Legion using poppies that would have otherwise been sent to landfill. It left the audience reflecting on those truly deserving of royal status: the veterans and members of the armed forces who have given so much to Great Britain.
Photography courtesy of Mark Gunter, edits courttesy of Sophia Stefellé
Daisy Culleton is an Essex-based writer with a degree in BA American Studies and History from the University of Nottingham. She writes about sustainable fashion in her Substack publication VNTG.
