Stefan Cooke kicked off London Fashion Week, taking the ‘summer’ in Spring/Summer 2024 “quite literally.” “It’s always difficult for me and Jake [Burt, his partner] to say what something’s ‘about,’” the eponymous founder told Vogue. “Because there are always a hundred different references that go into it.”

The burgeoning design duo pulled from sport and summer camp and military garb, emerging with a decidedly androgynous, preppy collection, as joyful as it was high-fashion. There were wide-checked capes and trousers, dotted with studs; champion sashes, slung over knit dresses; tops that channeled the “quarterback silhouette,” complete with shoulder pads and a cinched waist. The show, titled Away, further marked the label’s collaboration with Mulberry. Most of the looks involved a vintage bag from the luxury house, decorated with Stefan Cooke signatures: oversized tassels, silk scarves, button straps, as well as argyle carving and leather bows.

As a whole, the collection was optimistic—clear-eyed in terms of vision, marked by bold simplicity. “I like [it feels] like the real story of several things put together,” said Cooke. “I think the maximalism of [the garments] is what is really appealing.”