Ian McKellen Opens S.S. Daley's AW23 Runway Show

​Following a meteoric rise that saw him win the 2022 LVMH Prize, designer Steven Stokey-Daley wanted to take a 'freer' approach to his collection this season, which was themed around the idea of being lost at sea. 

Tying into the theme, Steven also discovered via his grandmother that his great-grandfather had been in the merchant navy, sailing all over the world. Nautical references can be found throughout the collection, from the sailor collars to his take on the naval stripe, featuring SS logos integrated into design.

While SS Daley’s past two shows have included memorable theatrical performances, the designer had planned to pare back his runway show this season. That all changed though, when theatre legend Ian McKellen rang him up. “We got this crazy phone call [from McKellen], who wanted to do something at the show,” the designer says. The actor opened the show with a powerful reading of 'The Coming of Arthur' by Alfred Lord Tennyson, which inspired Kate Bush’s 'The Ninth Wave'.

YOUTH MODE collaborated with S.S. Daley to construct the show's soundtrack, featuring Kate Bush - Waking The Witch, Maxwell Sterling - Hollywood Medieval, and Kelsey Lu - Dreams.