Skepta Champions Change With Relaunch Of Menswear Label: “Fashion Is In A Stagnant Place”

Skepta is reliving his childhood passions with the relaunch of his fashion label Mains at London Fashion Week on Saturday night (September 16).

The U.K. Rap legend was joined by his family, including his rapper/producer brother JME, who also took to the runway in his siblings’ designs, alongside some famous friends, including Naomi Campbell, Stormzy, Little Simz and Letitia Wright. The “Praise the Lord” hitmaker ended the show with an adorable finale, racing down the runway with his little girl.

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Skepta took a very hands-on approach to his collection and spent two days painstakingly embroidering bouclé bomber jackets with crystal-encrusted monograms, according to an interview with fashion bible Vogue.

“People will think this is just a money thing,” Skepta explained to British Vogue. “It was the same thing as when I started DJing, but I was DJing before I was rapping. It’s not like my mum’s gonna come and defend me in the comments and tell people I used to knit or go up to the high street to buy fabric and sew my own clothes.”

Skepta Says “I’m Not Trying To Humiliate People With My Clothes”

Elsewhere during the interview, he also explained his long-term vision for Mains and his desire to shake up the industry.

“We didn’t wanna delete our DNA. It’s real council estate style. But elevated,” Skepta explained. “Fashion is in a stagnant place. Think of the old Chanel shows when the models would just walk and spin and get to the camera and f###### pose. Now it’s like ‘What’s the craziest thing we can do? Can we send someone out in a dress made of sweetcorn?’ I’m not trying to humiliate people with my clothes.”

He added, “I want you to feel good when you’re walking around. I want to make clothes that are in vintage stores in 200 years. I want someone from the streets to wear this and feel f****** luxurious.”

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Stormzy shared some images from the “legendary night” on Instagram. One slide revealed he and fellow Londoners Little Simz and Letitia Wright shunned the city’s fancy eateries, opting for McDonald’s instead.