«Silence is volume», interview with DenzilPatrick founders Daniel Gayle and James Bosley At London Fashion Week, a new chapter of “London Belongs to Me”
How do you tell the story of a city that gathers influences and cultures from every corner of the world but, due to the commercialization of aesthetics, is losing its identity? The city in question is London, and Daniel Gayle and James Bosley, respectively designer and artistic director of the independent brand DenzilPatrick, have found the answer in its architecture—more precisely in Westminster, the initial inspiration for the brand’s new collection. With another chapter of London Belongs to Me, the duo of creatives, partners in life and work, return to British Fashion Council's official Fashion Week to showcase the multiplicities of the city that raised them. «For so many people, London is a tourist destination,» explains Gayle, «it's a place to see a few gigs or to see some of its beautiful architecture. But in fact, for us, it’s our home, as for my parents and grandparents, which is where this whole project started.» The brand owes its name to Daniel Gayle’s grandparents and was created in 2021 with the goal of celebrating London and its influences, starting from the designer’s Irish and Jamaican roots. This time, however, the collection draws inspiration from the Middle Ages, the city's Gothic buildings, and the aesthetic of motorcycle racing, featuring quilted jacquard jackets reminiscent of old tapestries and metallic coats that blend biker and knight uniforms.
Even though the new wave of fashion is offering alternatives to traditional shows—such as after-parties, community dinners, or presentations—for DenzilPatrick, it is unthinkable to abandon the runway. First of all, Gayle and Bosley joke, «we are showmen; we both started our teenage years dancing,» and secondly, «a fashion show is a performance, and we love every aspect of it. We present a very classic show format because the clothes must be able to shine. For this season, we created a setup where you can almost hear the garments, you might even smell them.» This deep passion for tradition, their deep affection for the city of London, and their awareness of classism and the hypocrisies of fashion lead us to ask whether DenzilPatrick’s designs, despite being an artistic expression, are ultimately highly political. «Silence is volume,» responds Gayle. «We are humble and empathetic people who wanted to quietly, gracefully try and make a project work. There are designers I admire who are much more aggressive and powerful than us. But we simply wanted to gently walk in and see if we could take up some space. I think there is a political statement in that: this is not a place for negative energy.»