Whipplesnaith at 100: KENT&CURWEN Rewrites British Tradition in the Shadows
Under the vaulted halls of Westminster School, KENT&CURWEN marked a century in fashion with a special off-schedule presentation that was equal parts historic and subversive. Titled Whipplesnaith, the Autumn/Winter 2026 collection, led by Chief Creative Officer Daniel Kearns, pulled guests into a world of tradition and quiet rebellion.
The show drew a crowd that mirrored the brand’s evolving identity: young, culturally tuned-in, and effortlessly cool. Familiar faces, including Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Xin Liu, Nabhaan Rizwan, Emma Appleton, and Luke Bracey, filled the space, adding to the sense that this wasn’t just a fashion show, but a moment.
At the heart of the collection lies the mythology of the Night Climbers of Cambridge, a rebellious 1930s secret society who turned the city’s architecture into their nocturnal playground. Their spirit is channeled through the lens of Whipplesnaith, the pen name of Noel H. Symington, whose writings romanticized the thrill of seeing the world from a different vantage point. That idea of perspective, of stepping outside expectation, runs through every look.
Kearns doesn’t abandon British heritage; he distorts it, reimagines it, and brings it back to life. The palette moves like dusk into night: inky blues and blacks fade into muted taupes, autumnal browns, and uniform greys, before being interrupted by jolts of collegiate red, lilac, and burnt orange. It’s grounded but never predictable.
Silhouettes play with that same tension. Traditional tailoring appears sharper, slimmer, but never stiff, while outerwear leans into experimentation. Trenches arrive in glossy patent finishes, softened structures, and dramatic high-collared cape forms that feel theatrical without losing wearability. Elsewhere, deconstructed knits and exaggerated volumes introduce a sense of movement in pieces that don’t just sit on the body but evolve with it.
There’s also a quiet whimsy woven throughout. Accessories feel intentional yet playful, while delicate corsage details and the house’s embroidered insignias nod to legacy without feeling stuck in it. It’s this balance between past and present, order and rebellion that defines the collection.
But more than anything, Whipplesnaith is about belonging. Not in the traditional sense, but in the way subcultures create their own spaces, their own rules. The Night Climbers didn’t just break boundaries; they made something of their own in the shadows. And that same energy pulses through KENT&CURWEN’s centenary moment.
Rooted in heritage yet never confined by it, KENT&CURWEN has always walked the line between tradition and quiet rebellion. Founded in London in 1926, the brand began as a maker of club and college ties for Oxford and Cambridge, helping to define the visual language of British collegiate style. From there, it quickly expanded into sportswear, outfitting rowers at Henley, rugby players at Eton, and cricketers nationwide. Its reach extended beyond the playing field, dressing students, royals, boxing clubs, and bankers alike. Today, that legacy continues to inform a broader vision: one that captures the subversion and eccentricity of British style, reinterpreted for a global audience that embraces individuality just as much as tradition.
A hundred years in, the brand isn’t looking back; it’s looking upward and into the unknown. And in doing so, it reminds us that the most interesting perspectives are often the ones found just outside the expected.