Russell & Bromley’s AW25 Collection: Rebellious Traditions in Menswear

Russell & Bromley is looking backwards to move forwards this season. For Autumn/Winter 2025, the brand introduces Rebellious Traditions—a collection that mines the richness of British subculture and reworks it for today.

The starting point is three defining movements: Mod, Punk and Club Kids. Each of these eras shifted not only the way Britain dressed, but the way the world looked at British fashion. Mods gave sharp tailoring a sense of youth and velocity, punks tore up convention with DIY spirit, and Club Kids dialled up self-expression to a maximalist pitch. Russell & Bromley’s new creative director, Daniel Beardsworth-Shaw, treats this heritage less as nostalgia and more as raw material—an archive to deconstruct and rebuild.

Menswear plays a particularly key role in the narrative. Beardsworth-Shaw has reintroduced heritage styles, but with twists that speak to the present. The Maltby loafer returns, but in unexpected blue suede. It’s a subcultural staple given a fresh injection of colour, carrying Mod precision with a contemporary lean. The new Reggie Saddle, in specked pony, channels punk’s irreverence—slightly abrasive, deliberately bold, and unapologetically outside the safe lane of traditional footwear design.

Elsewhere, the Hayton loafer evolves into the New Hayton. Tassel detailing and oxblood leather place it firmly in classic territory, but the finish is rich and assured, aligning it with the brand’s long-standing ability to balance tradition with progression. These pieces are not museum exhibits, but functioning style weapons—anchored in heritage yet aimed at men who want to wear their history lightly.

Beardsworth-Shaw has spoken about the role the archive played in shaping this collection. It wasn’t just about lifting designs wholesale, but interrogating how the brand responded to cultural shifts across the decades. Every style tells a story: not just about the shoe itself, but about the time and energy of the movements that inspired it.

For Russell & Bromley, AW25 is more than a seasonal refresh. It’s a reminder that rebellion and tradition aren’t opposites—they’re partners in shaping British menswear.