Atlas of Fashion Designers

295

Joe Casely-Hayford

Joe Casely-Hayford

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Joe

Joe Casely-Hayford quickly realized he wasn’t going to continue in the academic tradition

of his Ghanaian family. As a child, he was fascinated by the urban tribes of the 60s and

70s—by their aesthetic identities, their personalized composition of style. For this reason,

at the age of just fi fteen, he was creating garments out of the remnants of second-hand

clothes.

 is taste for the mechanics of clothing and the composition of an outfi t came to fruition

in his intense tailoring training in London. Subsequent training in art history and studies

at Central Saint Martins rounded out his education.

Joe’s technical training has endowed him with the skill of making nearly perfect suits.

His masterful designing of patterns and an engineering-like knowledge for assembling the

pieces of unique, custom-made combinations are astounding. Add to this a special sensibil-

ity for capturing styles that originate on the street and you have the best of English tailoring

at the service of a modern vision.  e result: a rakish, elegant and impeccable look—or, in

other words, the purest Joe Casely-Hayford style.

It is therefore no accident that this designer has dressed musicians such as Lou Reed, Neneh

Cherry, Liam Gallagher and the members of U2, as his garments exude a dark, distin-

guished, rock-and-roll charm, a refi ned yet dangerous club look. Joe achieves these accom-

plishments by overcoming the rigidity of traditional suits, endowing them with a certain

chaos.  e union of tailoring tradition and youth culture. Exquisite, elegant suits cut by

the hand of a true master.

Photography by Dan Annet

296

Joe Casely-Hayford

Designs from the Fall/Winter 2004–

2005 collection. To the left, high waist

mini-short and mini-jacket of brilliant

tweed. To the right, also in bright

material, a black trench dress.

Photography by Paul Bliss

297

Joe Casely-Hayford

Photography by Paul Bliss

298

Joe Casely-Hayford

- What inspires you?

I am inspired by individualism and creativity.  e constraints of Western society make it increasingly diffi cult for

genuine individual expression. I admire those with the courage and conviction to create their own statement, whether

this is through literature, art, fashion or music. It’s great to be inspired by ideas that aren’t necessarily the result of com-

merce.

- What is your dream as a designer?

As a designer, I dream of a point when we can redefi ne the creative process and the function of the fashion designer

in the twenty-fi rst century. I believe that today there is little purpose in seasonal collections, which become devalued

before they reach the stores. All colors are simultaneously in and out of fashion.  e role of the “conventional” catwalk

system is more or less defunct. I dream of a time when designers can collaborate with scientifi c laboratories and techni-

cians to make clothes that may not be seasonal, but get closer to fulfi lling the requirements of the twenty-fi rst century

consumer.

- What has been the most important achievement of your career?

My most important achievement has been designing some original products that have transcended fashion and have

become new classics. I think that some of the stage costumes I created for groups like  e Clash and U2 have infl uenced

popular culture in some small way.

- How important are trends?

Trends today are more signifi cant than before, but they last for a shorter time.  ey sometimes have varying degrees of

impact within the many social groups that make up the fashion audience. Because the media today has a more power-

ful infl uence, an idea can grow from underground to global in a very short period of time and then die just as quickly.

In order to become less susceptible to trends, fashion brands are investing more in developing a house signature than

being trend-led.

- Fashion has always refl ected a certain era. What does fashion refl ect in the twenty-fi rst century?

 e twenty-fi rst century refl ects the best bits of the twentieth century, streamlined and polished up for easy consump-

tion. I think the strongest signature of the twenty-fi rst century is not aesthetic but an increase in our appreciation of

quality and fi ne detail. Postmodernism has homogenized our vision.

- What book would you recommend to every fashion designer?

I would recommend every designer read Against Nature, by Huysmans.

Joe Casely-Hayford

19-23 Kingsland Road

London E2 8AA

United Kingdom

www.joecaselyhayford.co.uk

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Joe Casely-Hayford

Sketch courtesy of Joe Casely-Hayford