John Skelton: Pioneering Experiences in Fashion
By Something Curated
John Skelton has an instinct for fashion buying like no-one in the business. Starting young at 17 at a retailer called Strand in Newcastle stocking brands from Raf to Prada, he later moved to London where he worked at the best known department stores Harrods and Selfridges, before working for multi-level fashion retailer Oki-Ni and realising it was time for him to decide in an unfettered way what to choose what he stocked within his brainchild-cum-otherworldly delight, the Late Night Chameleon Cafe in Dalston– also known as LN-CC for short, which he opened in 2010.
An analysis of the LN-CC store is the best way to understand Skelton’s personality, as it’s a reflection of his own taste, an evolutionary journey that expresses a discerning understanding of what the fashion world is really about and more importantly, what it needs. Similar to one of his biggest idols, Raf Simons, who has been influenced by street fashion at one moment, then by sleek tailoring the next, Skelton is constantly seeking new forms of influence and ventured into women’s fashion for the first time with LN-CC venture.
LN-CC is celebrated for its innovation and it is a true reflection of Skelton’s personal taste. It is a completely immersive sensory experience as visitors encounter different climate controlled rooms, with varying narratives of eco-consciousness, textures, and space. It is experimental as much as it is experiential. His vision isn’t constricted by a pressure to stock the established names in fashion. In true visionary style, he was one of the first to appreciate the talent of the young London-based set designer Gary Card, who worked on the design of LN-CC in both its first and second comings, although he also humbly puts the experience of LN-CC down to its co-founder Daniel Mitchell.
The experimental nature of the space is reflective of the fashion stocked inside. It is a narrative of exploring new ideas and experiences: never static, always changing. Not just for the sake of variety or being on point, but an honest emphasis on seeking out a balance between what is good both materially and in terms of conceptual development. For this reason, best-selling items from the previous season are purposefully omitted from next seasons’ racks.
A subtle undertone of the store is the archivist element. Fashion is curated alongside music and books, the latter two long being established collectors items, but Skelton is keen to develop a collectivist mentality in relation to fashion, the way art, books and music are coveted and showcased.
The store underwent a huge interior renovation in 2015, following a period of inactivity of almost one year. Skelton views this transition as much about asthetics as it is about concept: jokingly, he refers to it as an “all-white emulsion baptism,” but the motives behind the change are serious: to parse the focus of the store while also opening it up to a broader clientele of people sincerely interested in the future of fashion (the notorious ‘appointment-only’ protocol has been debunked in favour of walk-ins), not necessarily the all-stars of what’s currently in.
Skelton on why small designers struggle in the fashion business:
“Fashion, unlike music, is right in the middle between material and immaterial production: it’s as much about ideas as it is about physical product…And this is why young designers can never compete with big brands – the quality is never that good, the fit isn’t right. In fashion, having the backing of a production facility makes a real difference. Sometimes you get the odd youngster who has access to really good production – like Yang Li who uses Prada’s manufacturers – but it is very rare.”
On the 2015 redesign of LN-CC:
“We have stripped it of all the colour of the original, choosing white, grey and black in different ways; white plaster, grey metal, black glass, we tried lots of different ways to explore texture, making it a far more tactile experience this time around.”
“I would say that the offering is a transitional one that pays homage to the brands of today and even yesteryear through the current range and our archive selection, which will always be relevant to the people that are into product in a serious way. So it’s really asking the consumer ‘which side of the fence are you on?’ It’s almost like, if you want to get behind this movement then you need to be prepared to forget about looking “edgy” as that’s not what it’s about. That’s not what the future of our planet is about. It’s about coming together and collectively making changes that will shape the future of our world and our existence within it.”
LN-CC in their own words:
“LN-CC offers a novel interpretation, constantly pushing its own boundaries in expression, integrity and honesty. It’s offering; an entity that houses a unique mix of goods that are chosen and presented in a personable way, each item connecting back to the core of the brands original concept and the individuals behind it.”
Immerse yourself for a minute in the LN-CC experience here.