Blondey McCoy’s ‘Thames’ SS17 Collection

Thames is just it. The SS17 lookbook for artist, designer and Palace Wayward Boys Choir original Blondey McCoy’s Thames has come at the right time. The brand was named after the famous river McCoy spent his childhood skating next to, a gleaming torchbearer for the best coming out of London today – especially poignant since the city is hurting so deeply right now. With a fresh collection steeped in true love for London town (featuring bar signs, winks to regional TV, vintage gentlemen’s mags and the Picadilly Circus Eros fountain statue) as well as nods to McCoys own art, it gives good look but also gives back by supporting a cause close to the designer’s heart.

For SS17, Blondey McCoy – himself a South London native of Lebanese descent – pays tribute to an iconic Londoner-by-way-of-Greece for SS17. McCoy reappropriated the iconic Katharine Hamnett t-shirt George Michael wore in Wham’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” video, changing ‘Choose Life’ to ‘Choose Thames’. This is not merely a fun style choice, however. In the same way the late and great George Michael gave enormously to charitable causes, all profits gained from the ‘Choose Thames’ shirt will go to KAYANY: a charity that offers nutrition, education, shelter and psychosocial support to Syrian refugees. Blondey McCoy is no stranger to giving back, last year he hosted two charity sales and an art show for “Together For Mental Wellbeing” and he’s only planning on ramping up on the activism (yes, that was a very tepid skate pun).

Good people are rare to find out there, Blondey McCoy is the prime example of a very good dude who also happens to create the most covetable fits (it’s always Thames Times o’clock from now on as far as I’m concerned). Sometimes we get lucky like that.