Daniel Craig's Loewe makeover has earned him fashion's no.1 style spot
A quick flick through the fashion index will result in terms such as ‘cool-girl, ‘Y2K,’ and quiet luxury.’
Cue Daniel Craig, who has unapologetically entered stage right and ripped up the style rule book with a helping hand from Spanish luxury fashion house Loewe.
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Starring as the brand’s AW24 muse, the former 007 has booted the aforementioned trends in favour of, well, all things anti-chic. The LVMH-backed campaign showcased the actor decked out in grandpa knits, gaudy palettes and East Ender staples, from popped-collar leather jackets to loud fairisle knits. Dani Dyer, but make it fashion.
The campaign makes a case for conventionally ‘unfashionable’ fashion. Shot by prolific Nineties photographer David Sims, the shoot pits the plimsoll-wearing 56-year-old in a totally new light, a hop, skip and a colossal leap from his signature sharply-fitting tuxes, Omega timepieces and hunky on-screen shirtless appearances.
Now, debuting an rugged, unshaven aesthetic enhanced by flattened side bangs that feel oh-so Blur, Daniel has solidified his ascension up the fashion ranks.
His collaboration with the ever-popular luxury label, which secured third place in Lyst’s Index’s Q1 report, marked Mr Craig’s official entry into the fashionscape.
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And it’s been a hit. With his velvet pink Savile row suit sported to the No Time To Die premiere previously taking top spot for his most outrageous look to date, Daniel has upped the ante with his Loewe English teacher ‘fit.
His relationship with fashion hasn’t always been smooth. Double denim concoctions, tight-fitting cardigans, conservative colourways and the odd cropped tracksuit (yes, really) have all featured in his arsenal. More Q than Quantum of Solace.
How could this be? This is James Bond we’re talking about. Forever suited, booted and aesthetically reputed.
Daniel’s breakthrough role came in 1996 when he starred in the BBC drama serial Our Friends in the North. So, his introduction to the British film scene arrived in the late Nineties and Noughties, arguably not fashion’s finest moment. Hence, some interesting red carpet looks.
Then came his big break. The actor exploded onto global screens in 2006, starring as Ian Flemming’s suave protagonist in Casino Royale. Press events called for a string of red-carpet ready looks, spanning then on-trend oversized brown pinstripe suits, low-slung bootleg jeans and wraparound shades.
Stepping in the secret agent’s footsteps arguably narrowed the actor’s style. Suit-upon-suit began to saturate his wardrobe, leaving little to experiment with.
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Only once he stepped down as James Bond did the actor break free of his spy-style shackles. Later appearances in Knives Out and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery catalysed Daniel’s fashion renaissance. Portraying the deliciously cool, Texan investigator Benoit Blanc broadened his costume horizons. Salmon pink linen shirts, bottle green suits and nautical polos fashioned the It-Brit as something of a style muse.
All doubts of Daniel’s potential fashion career dissipated in 2023. We’re thinking of a certain, desperately sexy Belvedere vodka advert starring the Critic’s Choice Award winner.
Clad in buttery soft black leather and a Central Saint Martins-coded black tank top, the actor shimmied (well, semi-thrust) his way into the public imagination under the Oscar-winning direction of Taika Waititi.
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The rest is history. Daniel was snapped up by the first luxury label willing to splash the big bucks on the former Bond. On behalf of us all, our sincerest thanks, Loewe.
We can only expect bigger and better looks from the actor. He is set to star in Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming film Queer, which will premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Considering Guadagnino’s history of kick-starting trends (tenniscore à la Challengers and more specifically, Zendaya) we wait with baited breath to see what Daniel has in store for us as fashion’s foremost fixation.
