Let’s hear it for the BOY

11^th March 2012

11 March 2012

Stephane Raynor’s cult label BOY London was founded in 1977 and immediately became the label of choice for youth counter-culture and celebrity alike. From new romantics and punks, to club kids and the rave generation (and thus inevitably, the fashionistas), BOY has outlasted many of the movements that adopted it as their badge.

At the height of its fame, the brand simply shuttered, but in 2007 Raynor resurrected BOY London in London’s East End at his SICK boutique. The classic designs, alongside new ones developed in collaboration with cutting-edge designers, have once again been adopted by the youth underground and the London gay scene in particular. BOY London has been well and truly on many of our fashion radars for some time now, however it has –or at least had – maintained a certain underground association.

That all began to change with the adoption of the label by hip, high street streetwear purveyor Urban Outfitters last year and now, with much fanfare, BOY London has launched in super department store Selfridges.

Perhaps the ultimate scoop for the label, proving her own star power and the power of celebrity endorsement in one, was Rihanna’s recent UK television appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show. This singer was decked out from head-to-toe in BOY. One of the biggest and most well-known recording artists in the world right now, Rihanna’s stepping out in BOY London has well and truly catapulted the label into mainstream attention, with Selfridges reporting a 45 per cent jump in sales since the interview aired. (A recent visit to Selfridges did indeed seem to prove this with the BOY London section looking particularly sparse).

For Raynor and his iconic brand however, it remains to be seen as to whether this is a good or bad thing. Will history repeat itself, or can BOY London stand the test of time?

Ian Turner