“We just wanted to make something real.” That’s how Stefan Cooke sums up Altitude, the Fall 2025 collection that marks the brand’s return after a self-imposed hiatus. No hype, no theatrics—just gorgeous tailoring, obsessive craftsmanship, and the expansion of their ever-growing universe. And this time, womenswear isn’t a guest star—it’s fully embedded in the DNA of the brand.
When I arrive at Stefan Cooke and Jake Burt’s East London studio, their dog, Ralph—a lovely black and white Jack Russell and toy poodle mix—greets me enthusiastically and wanders through the space, unbothered by the steady hum of work around him. A year in the fold, he’s become a familiar presence to the team, a small but constant part of the studio’s daily rhythm. (I’m also mad gassed that he immediately liked me.)
After stepping back for a season to recalibrate, Cooke and Burt—partners in life and work—are back in London Fashion Week’s orbit with a refined perspective. “It felt like another collection and another collection, and it wasn’t what we wanted to do,” Cooke admits. So, they hit pause. They traveled—to Seoul, Tokyo, and beyond—restructured, and rethought everything from business models to button placements. The result? A collection that’s more intentional, more exacting, and crucially, more them.
The latest collection plays with speed, movement, and the mechanics of fashion itself. No runway, no distractions—just a tightly curated, intimate IRL experience complete with a gorgeous lookbook to boot. “The show is really about the image,” says Cooke. “But we wanted people to see the details, the craft.” This move away from the spectacle of the catwalk feels strategic. It’s less about the Instagram moment, more about the long game: clothes designed to be worn, not just admired from afar.
And they’ve been considerate of sizing, too. “We started looking at our sizing a lot more,” Burt explains. “Even on the runway, we wanted things to feel more applied to everyone—we’d make pieces guys loved, but then they’d try them on and the armholes were tiny. Now, it’s about making sure things fit properly and feel good to wear.”
Menswear remains a stronghold, but this time around, womenswear takes equal footing. “It’s 50/50,” Burt asserts. While this isn’t their first venture into womenswear, it is their most considered. No afterthoughts—this is a fully realised proposition, standing confidently on its own while still feeling unmistakably Stefan Cooke. There’s a new ease to their signature deconstructivism—rugby shirts dissected and reassembled, patchworked leathers, and those hallmark cut-out motifs. The real magic lies in the details: vintage silk scarves washed and sliced into intricate negative spaces, rugby tops morphing into couture-level collage pieces.
This season, the duo has gone full Made in Britain. Brexit complications forced them to rethink their supply chain, leading them on a grand tour of the UK’s best mills and factories. “We’ve mapped England,” Burt jokes, referring to their push for English-made textiles and construction. Nearly every piece, from suiting to shoes, is now sourced and crafted domestically—a rare feat in modern fashion. It’s not just logistics; it’s philosophy. Cooke and Burt are in it for the long haul, building something sustainable, both in ethos and execution.
Womenswear gives them an expanded playground. “There’s just more freedom,” Cooke muses. The references are vast—Sonia Rykiel’s ’70s-era sensuality, the drop-waist ease of vintage St. Michael’s dresses, the regal edge of Joan of Arc’s armour. Yet, despite the wealth of inspiration, it’s unmistakably them. The balance of sharpness and fluidity, of heritage and subversion, remains intact.
Then, the details. Call it fashion anthropology: vintage CB radio trucker calling cards turned into embroidered patches, obsessive fabric treatments, and endless reworkings of signature Stefan Cooke tropes. The new footwear lineup expands on their best-selling classics—brogues are slashed and reimagined, and boxing boots are given a high-fashion twist. And for the first time, the full range is available in smaller sizes, ensuring that their ever-expanding audience gets exactly what they want.
During their season off, Burt poured his energy into Jake’s, his offshoot project housed in a modest garage-turned-retail-space next door to the studio. Initially conceived as a casual, weekend-only shop for archival pieces and one-offs, it’s quickly become a cult shopping destination for those in the know. Jake’s is raw, immediate, and refreshingly unpolished—a stark contrast to the meticulous precision of Stefan Cooke, yet unmistakably connected. “Stefan lets me get on with it,” says Burt, laughing. “He’s upstairs in the studio most of the day, but every day at 12:30p.m., like clockwork, he brings me lunch.”
Skipping a show could’ve been risky, but for Cooke and Burt feels like a masterstroke. London Fashion Week is unpredictable, and a quieter, more considered approach allows the clothes to speak for themselves. “We put our energy into making sure this works,” says Cooke. That dedication shows—every piece feels deliberate, thought-through, and essential.
Fall 2025 proves that stepping back can be just as radical as charging forward. With the full realisation of their womenswear, Stefan Cooke isn’t just broadening their scope; they’re setting the tone for the future. And if Altitude is any indication, that future is totally worth the wait.
