It’s been a “golden” week for up-and-coming designer Steven Stokey-Daley. The 24-year-old Liverpool native watched as his social media cred rapidly spiked following the release of Harry Styles’ sun-soaked music video for the fifth single from his platinum-certified album Fine Line. That’s because the “Golden” vid, which dropped Oct. 26, has already amassed more than 27 million views (and counting!) and features Styles running along Italy’s breathtaking Amalfi Coast donning a variety of duds from Stokey-Daley’s sustainable fashion line, S.S.DALEY.
And is it ever a match made in fashion heaven: Stokey-Daley certainly has a knack for crafting billowy linen shirts, floral high-waisted trousers and crocheted boating hats – all of which fall right into Styles’ book of fashion must-haves. From prep to pearls, Styles has consistently moved gender-fluid fashion into the mainstream and this latest video is no exception thanks to his collab with S.S.DALEY.
Related: Here is Harry Styles’ Style Evolution.
So, how exactly did Stokey-Daley become an overnight sensation? It all started with an unassuming Instagram call-out initiated by British style powerhouse Harry Lambert wherein he mentioned he was looking for young up-and-coming designers to DM their portfolios for an upcoming project. Stokey-Daley, unaware that Lambert was Styles’ right-hand, was in for the surprise of a lifetime. As he recently told Vogue UK, “A few days later he [Lambert] said, ‘This is a project for Harry Styles’, and I was just like… Wow.”
As cited in Teen Vogue, Stokey-Daley’s mood board is an amalgamation of stills from Brideshead Revisited and Cecil Beaton photographs – which makes sense given that Styles’ aesthetic in the video practically screams E.M. Forster (for the uninitiated, check out the literary icon’s queer love story, Maurice).
Bonus: as the designer touts on his website, he handmakes only “sustainably conscious menswear” with “ecological integrity.” We love to see it! Meanwhile, fans need only briefly peruse Stokey-Daley’s online shop to realize that 90 per cent of his products have sold since the “Golden” video dropped this week.
Related: 10 androgynous staples you need in your closet.
“Golden” is the fifth single from Styles’ hit album Fine Line, following “Lights Up”, “Adore You”, “Falling” and “Watermelon Sugar.”
