Redefining the West Country: Designer Sally Kite Champions Rural Fashion in ‘Coin For Scale’

England’s West Country has rarely, if ever, been known for its forward-thinking fashion sense. For decades, the region’s on-screen and cultural representations have firmly cemented its status as a pastoral backwater rather than a stylistic hub. Think of the chaotic, rural tropes in Hot Fuzz or the brilliantly mundane mockumentary This Country. While E4’s cult classic Skins, set in Bristol, managed to inject a fleeting drop of cool into the South West’s cultural currency, that landmark series aired nearly twenty years ago, leaving a significant gap in contemporary style representation.

Known primarily for its deeply entrenched agricultural industries—the region is home to a staggering 25 per cent of all farms in England—the South West traditionally conjures images of muddy boots, practical waterproofs, and deeply unpretentious inhabitants. While the North of England has spent decades carving out a distinct regional identity, influencing global fashion subcultures, and fostering working-class style movements, the South West has undeniably lagged behind in the national style conversation. Yet, this raises a compelling question that has begun to occupy the minds of contemporary creatives: can farmers and rural locals ever truly be considered fashionable?

Accessories designer Sally Kite certainly believes the answer is yes.

The Bristol-based creative is the mastermind behind London’s quietly coveted, "if-you-know-you-know" bag brand, Six95. Renowned for constructing rugged leather goods punctuated by industrial silver eyelets and heavy coins, Kite has built a reputation for subverting traditional accessories design. However, her latest creative endeavor shifts focus from the runway and the retail rack to the printed page. Created in partnership with Somerset-raised writer Lottie Collins and photographer William E. Wright, Kite’s new book, titled Coin For Scale, captures, celebrates, and shares the authentic stories of West Country locals who, as Kite notes, "are not normally part of fashion conversations."

The project stems from a desire to document the authentic character of the region without resorting to metropolitan caricature or hollow pastiche. "We wanted to work on a shoot with the local characters we have known all our lives, but it didn’t feel right to include fashion products when that’s not really the ethos here," Kite explains, discussing the grassroots approach behind the publication. "There’s an independent spirit—a resistance to mass culture. People often dress in a way that signals their niche interests rather than in a fashion-conscious way."

Art-directed by Dazed’s Ester Mejibovski, Coin For Scale officially launched at Jake’s, widely regarded as one of London’s coolest independent boutiques, drawing an enthusiastic crowd of industry insiders and cultural observers.

As the release of Coin For Scale coincided with the bustling schedules of the international fashion calendar—marking the transition from the end of London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2027 to the high-energy shows in Milan—it serves as a timely reminder that style often brews far away from the traditional capital cities and polished runways. Beyond the high-profile designer showcases, a diverse wave of cultural happenings, high-profile archival retrospectives, and artistic collaborations has been quietly reshaping the global fashion landscape.

KATE MOSS REUNITES WITH AN OLD FRIEND

When fashion historians compile a definitive list of Glastonbury Festival’s greatest style moments, the imagery inevitably turns to Kate Moss wading through knee-deep Somerset mud wearing distressed hot pants and classic Hunter wellies. Now, more than two decades after those era-defining festival appearances cemented her status as a generational style icon, the Scottish heritage rubber footwear brand has officially reunited with the supermodel.

Launched to celebrate both a relationship spanning more than twenty years and the brand’s monumental 170th anniversary, the new campaign, titled Iconic by Nature, debuted on September 25. The collaboration honors the enduring synergy between British festival culture, enduring heritage craftsmanship, and the undisputed queen of indie sleaze style.

ALAÏA CELEBRATES NANCY HONEY

Earlier in the week, bringing a thoughtful and intellectual close to London Fashion Week SS27, fashion house Alaïa and Claire de Rouen Books hosted an intimate, highly anticipated public talk at the brand’s New Bond Street flagship store. The event brought together renowned documentary photographer Nancy Honey and Brandei Estes, the senior curator of photographs at the National Portrait Gallery.

The conversation centered deeply on Honey’s extensive body of work, which has long focused on exploring the nuanced, multifaceted lives of women through deeply personal autobiographical and documentary photography, bridging the gap between high fashion retail spaces and high-culture art curation.

STONE ISLAND TAKES OVER SELFRIDGES

Italian technical outerwear powerhouse Stone Island has officially claimed the prestigious Selfridges Corner Shop, following in the illustrious footsteps of luxury houses like Thom Browne, Coach, and Dior. Running for a six-week residency, the iconic London department store is playing host to the brand’s ambitious new archival project, SELECTED WORKS ‘982–’026 STONE ISLAND: THE COLLECTOR SERIES.

The initiative marks Stone Island’s debut collaboration directly with its most dedicated superfans and private collectors. Designed to be dynamic, the curated retail space undergoes weekly transformations to reflect the distinct personal archives of individual collectors. To toast the major retail takeover, Stone Island also premiered a striking short film directed by Glenn Kitson in partnership with Nowness, offering an immersive look into the obsessive world of garment archiving.

MIYAKO BELLIZZI AND BELLA NEWMAN TEAM UP

The intersection of high-end styling and documentary-style photography has yielded a striking new collaborative project. Miyako Bellizzi, one of contemporary fashion’s most in-demand stylists, has joined forces with celebrated New York-based photographer Bella Newman.

Working alongside independent label Commission NYC, the creative duo has launched The World We Knew, a limited-edition poster collection that pays sophisticated homage to classic Asian and American cinema. The visuals are cleverly redesigned and recontextualized from Commission’s Spring/Summer 26 campaign, merging cinematic nostalgia with modern sartorial edge.

AMIRI AND DAZED LINK UP AT LFW

Amidst the whirlwind schedule of London Fashion Week, Dazed’s Jefferson Hack and designer Mike Amiri hosted an exclusive, intimate gathering on Saturday evening. Held at Amiri’s recently opened London flagship store on New Bond Street—which launched earlier this year—the event provided a much-needed sanctuary for the international fashion crowd, designers, and brand friends to escape the chaos of the seasonal shows. The evening eventually spilled over into Mayfair’s historic Mark’s Club, where attendees were treated to a bespoke DJ set by Benji B.

THE FEMcels ARE GUESS GIRLS

Guess Girls has officially packed its bags, trading the sun-drenched boulevards of Los Angeles for the grit and energy of London. To celebrate its latest campaign, the brand has tapped electro-punk duo The Femcels as its newest faces.

Living up to their reputation for disruptive, guerrilla-style happenings, the musical duo celebrated the partnership by hosting an impromptu magical mystery bus concert right outside Buckingham Palace, complemented by a wider, disruptive public transit takeover across the British capital’s iconic red double-decker buses.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY 66°NORTH

Iconic Icelandic technical outerwear brand 66°North is officially celebrating its centenary, marking 100 years of heritage engineering. While the brand has a series of global activations planned throughout its anniversary year, the centerpiece of the celebration is a meticulous 10-piece capsule collection.

The range traces a century of Icelandic weather-resistant design, pulling one defining archival silhouette from each decade—starting from the original 1926 fisherman’s anorak up to contemporary, high-performance technical shells—and thoughtfully updating them for the modern wearer.

DR MARTENS LAUNCHES ‘WITH BOUNCING SOLES’

Iconic footwear brand Dr. Martens unveiled its massive new global brand platform and campaign, titled With Bouncing Soles. The new strategic chapter refocuses heavily on the brand’s original hero styles, enlisting a high-profile cast that includes Chloë Sevigny, Jordan Stephens, and Naomi Watanabe, alongside a diverse community-driven cast of local voices.

Alongside the hero campaign, Dr. Martens has lined up a robust schedule of global cultural programming, live events, and a fresh wave of high-profile designer collaborations, partnering with forward-thinking labels including Chopova Lowena, Labrum, Margaret Howell (MHL.), and Sage Nation.

CALLING ALL ARIES FANS!

Cult London-based streetwear label Aries is giving back to the global community with a major archive sample sale dedicated to supporting the humanitarian organization Choose Love. Taking place over the weekend at the brand’s flagship Soho store, the sale offers up to 80 percent off rare archive pieces, with 20 percent of all profits going directly toward Choose Love’s vital work delivering emergency humanitarian aid to displaced communities across the globe.

BEATS CASTS KENDALL, KENDALL, AND KENDALL

Apple’s audio brand Beats expanded its market footprint with the official launch of Beats 360, its newest premium over-ear headphone model. The hardware rollout is accompanied by a whimsical, high-concept campaign film starring Kendall Jenner. In the commercial, Jenner encounters multiple versions of herself simultaneously, playfully demonstrating the diverse ways to style and wear the new headphones, which feature customizable, interchangeable cushions available in a spectrum of vibrant colorways.

BRAIN DEAD GOES TO IBIZA

Los Angeles-based experimental streetwear collective Brain Dead has traded the urban sprawl of California for the sun-drenched shores of Spain, cementing an unexpected partnership with professional football club UD Ibiza. Having been announced earlier this year as the club’s official technical equipment partner, Brain Dead is stepping away from the island’s legendary nightlife circuit to make its mark on the football pitch, with the latest collection drops rolling out to bridge the worlds of underground streetwear and Spanish club football.

SCHUH PARTNERS WITH GONE NORF

As part of the British Fashion Council’s ongoing Fashion Britain initiative—which aims to champion and support emerging creative talent located outside of London—footwear retailer Schuh has teamed up with Northern independent creative collective Gone Norf.

The collective has conceptualized and installed a striking, site-specific window display at Schuh’s prominent Manchester store. The installation forms part of Schuh’s ongoing Community Window project, an initiative designed to hand over prominent retail real estate to a rotating roster of fresh, regional creatives every few months.