Memories have always been key to Adam Jones’ designs. Since starting his brand in 2015 – launching his first collection during London Fashion week inside the pub he pulled pints in – the Wrexham native has explored what it means to be and look ‘British’. From distressed union jacks to discarded nos canisters, the fiercely working-class designer draws on the iconography of his youth, evoking humour and pride – steeped in nostalgia – in every garment.
Jones’ pieces are carefully crafted in his London-based studio, upcycling pub paraphernalia such as vintage beer towels and kitsch animal tapestries paired with the silky stripes of childhood football kits and your Dad’s old overcoat. His silhouettes are fluid, as are his models, and his customer base – a subtle statement that anyone bold enough to dare can wear his designs.
For his latest collection, he immortalises the specific culture-clash that he remembers growing up in the 1990s, which he says felt more like living in the 1970s due to a “post-Thatcher time-warp.” Think: bus seat-inspired woven patterns, textured tea towel jumpers, and ‘Brits abroad’ photoprinted sweater vests. His signature beer mats and hooligan-style jerseys return once again in this collection, as does the iconic The Dogs Playing Pool tapestry on a coat, skirt, and most unexpectedly, a midi-length party dress.
“1973 was the year we joined the European Union, Bob Marley was on the radio and the jumbo jet was flying the Brits – on perhaps their first-ever holiday abroad – Double diamond was the tipple de jour, people were smoking Marlboro Gold and wearing Brut. [It’s a] simpler, more optimistic time which I long for and want to encourage with this offering of clothes,” he explains.
Below, Jones shares how British sit-coms, Bet Lynch and his grandmother inspired his latest collection.
Let’s start at the beginning: what were your earliest inspirations to study/practice fashion design?
My grandma, 100% – she would show me old films and draw with me, I would dress up in her old clothes and put on shows and she would encourage me. Looking back, that was everything. She would cut out the fashion sections from the Sunday supplements and Hello magazine and keep them for me and that was my only view into this world.
How would you describe your brand in your own words?
I would say it’s colourful, nostalgic, kitchen sink, Punk, DIY and W.I, and British.
Who or what has inspired your SS25 collection?
My inspirations are definitely fluid, they develop with each collection. There’s never a full stop, ideas blend into the next offering. With this collection, I was really thinking about my upbringing in Wales in the 1990s, which I always say felt like I was living through the 1970s, as rural Wales became a bit of a time warp post-Thatcher.
I was thinking about old sit coms I used to watch with my grandmas, like Some Mothers Do Av Em, The Good Life, Keeping Up Appearances, soaps like Coronation Street – and films like Abigail’s Party, in particular – as well as locations these shows were set in – the home, the workplace and the pub. It’s all about clashing the decor of the homes from the 70s with the pub and what people wore in these surroundings, the two places people spent most of their time during the decade. Think: Margot Leadbetter and Frank Spencer.
What’s one piece you’ve made that you feel summarises your label, and why?
Probably The Dogs Playing Pool Coat from a few years ago – the image taken from the walls of the pub, the fact it’s made from a vintage tapestry wall hanging, the memories that piece can hopefully evoke for people (or at least for me). I think this summarises my work as it’s full of memories, it’s an image everyone knows but has perhaps forgotten about, so it’s fun to show it to people again in the form of a garment.
Can you describe your design process?
The materials I find are central to what I do. The inspiration is ingrained in my memory and pretty solid – that’s the easy bit – and it will probably always remain the same. The brand is all about memories of growing up in Wales and it’s about finding materials that look like they belong or have come from these memories I have and clothing people wore in those places.
My whole design process is about scouring markets and auctions sites for fabrics that evoke a memory for me. The research is already done – it’s with me always, it all happened years ago.
My whole design process is about scouring markets and auctions sites for fabrics that evoke a memory for me. The research is already done – it’s with me always, it all happened years ago.
Are there any materials that are significant in your work?
So many – bar towels, tea towels, blankets, football scarves and ribbons are probably my core go-to materials. Each season, it’s about working out how to use them differently with every collection and bringing in other materials, like tapestries, which have also become pretty significant to the brand.
How do you like to present your work? Do you think this will change in the future?
I love putting on a show – well, I don’t at the time, I kind of hate it because I do everything myself, (I’m a control freak and I’m skint). I find it very stressful, but when the show starts I love it and it’s just a chance to celebrate what I do with family and friends and get eyes on what I do. It can be lonely in the studio, so it’s fun to celebrate the work with others.
How do you think the fashion industry will evolve over the next five years? How do you feel about that change?
I don’t think it will, it’s an industry that is very slow to change surprisingly. People – or the gatekeepers – like it to operate the way it always has done. That’s kind of negative, but I am excited about the new voices in fashion sharing their opinions online without anyone editing them – they’re being honest and it’s about time people were more honest in this industry.
What changes would you like to see, if any, and how is your brand contributing to this?
I would like the industry to be a more friendly, warm and welcoming place. I think this hard front and exclusivity in fashion is outdated now, and hopefully I’m helping contribute to the change I want to see by interacting with my customers, sharing pictures of them in my clothes they have bought, involving them in events, inviting them to my shows and even having customers model on the runway.
I am excited about the new voices in fashion sharing their opinions online without anyone editing them – they’re being honest and it’s about time people were more honest in this industry.
What’s the worst advice you’ve ever been given about fashion or design?
That it’s all about who you know, and that you have to go to parties to “make it”. It’s not in my nature and it worried me when I was younger just starting out, and I have realised it’s not true – you can be a flash in the pan for hanging out with the right people, but if the work isn’t good enough, it won’t last. They will move on to the next ‘cool’ person. I think it’s good for people to hear that.
What song/album/artist/podcast are you blasting on repeat while you’re working in your studio/space?
I’m usually listening to My Therapist Ghosted Me or blasting Bronski Beat. My all-time favourite album (which is always on repeat) is Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie XX’s We’re New Here.
What fictional character would LOVE your label?
I think Bet Lynch would rock some of the pieces behind the bar, or Mr Ben, he was always up for some wild outfits.
And who IRL would you love to see wearing your designs?
Sarah Lucas, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again!
I would like to dip my toe into is interiors, or objects. I love random useless objects, so I would like to create some trinkets that people will treasure and hold onto for someone else to find at a car boot sale or charity shop in years to come.
What’s been the most memorable moment so far since launching your brand?
There have been so many, but I guess it has to be my first show. Every show is so exciting and memorable for me, I still can’t believe I get to do this.
What are your plans for the future?
I just plan to continue doing what I do and hope people continue to like what I’m doing. One thing I would like to dip my toe into is interiors, or objects. I love random useless objects, so I would like to create some trinkets that people will treasure and hold onto for someone else to find at a car boot sale or charity shop in years to come.
You can shop Adam Jones’ latest collection via his website here and follow him on Instagram here.
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