Up-and-coming designer Harris Reed kicked off London Fashion Week with a regal February 2022 collection, inspired by Sir Herbert Maxwell’s 1897 book about Queen Victoria, “60 Years a Queen.” 

Reed, a 26-year-old recent graduate of Central Saint Martins, has been making waves in the fashion world for years, from designing pieces for Harry Styles in Vogue to dressing Iman for the 2021 Met Gala.  

The 2022 collection is steeped in monarchical beauty with jewel tones and dramatic draping, but also retains a layer of “club-kid” coolness, a nod to the royal-inspired ruffles, masks, and painted faces that litter the club-kid scene. The collection fits squarely within Reed’s signature of exploring gender and identity in fashion, with playful experimentations with proportions and genderless tailoring. “60 Years a Queen is a queerer interpretation of kings and… kweens,” the brand said in a statement. The finished product is a glam-rock collection sure to appeal to people, in the broadest sense of the word, that just screams Reed. 

The collection also stays true to Reed’s focus on sustainability. Fabrics for the collection were donated by the Bussandri family, with whom Reed connected with on a trip to Northern Italy. The family’s 100-year-old upholstery fabrics were transformed for the collection, injecting the pieces with a true Victorian flair.  

Reed has been a name to know for so long that it’s hard to comprehend how this collection is the designer’s first that was made in a true studio (previous pieces have been created across hotel rooms, apartments, and at Central Saint Martins). In fact, the showcase at London Fashion Week was the designer’s second-ever show, made all the more impressive by live vocals from singer Sam Smith. 

No details were left behind in the collection. Reed repurposed the iconic feather headdress worn by Iman at the Met Gala by hand-paining each feather black, to match the “60 Year’s a Queen” vibe. Reed also worked with Vivienne Lake to perfect the signature wide-brim headpiece that the designer is known for, and made new platform boots with British company ROKER.

Finally, Reed worked alongside artist Cassie Rendle to create a half-male, half-female torso chest piece that truly drives home the fluidity that the collection is steeped in.