For most US fashion labels, designing a ‘quintessentially British’ range would mean little more than plastering an over-sized Union Jack across their existing products.
Happily, iconic footwear brand Hush Puppies has found a more aesthetically sound way to incorporate UK sartorial heritage. Its premium collection for autumn/winter 2012 is the brainchild of 25-year-old designer Jack Hemingway (son of bespectacled fashion guru Wayne), who has conjured some superbly eye-catching creations steeped in British club culture.
Each style’s name provides a helpful clue to its design – from the mod-inspired Chelsea boot (Tommy) to the Fifties-style brogue (Teddy), via the razor-sharp two-tone desert boot (Greaser).
The eight different styles come in a variety of colours and are made from top-of-the-range suede or pigskin. What’s more, the reasonable prices (£110 for the shoes and £125 for the boots) are in keeping with the unfussy, retro feel.
The fittingly old-fashioned dance moves are optional.
