Braces, Buckethats, and Being a Better Man: Meet William Palmer

Fashion designer William Palmer’s world is one where lad culture, tenderness and taking the piss all coexist. Raised on nineties and noughties Britain, his references feel instantly familiar: cotton poplins, stripes, checks, underwear turned into a hood, a bucket on someone’s head, or braces-turned-grills from the Finding Nemo girl tapping on the aquarium glass. There’s a deliberate silliness running through Palmer’s work, but it’s underpinned by serious care about the people around him, about contemporary masculinity, and about future generations. His clothes imagine a modern man who’s confident enough to be a bit stupid, sensitive enough to drop the armour, and secure enough to let the inner child stick around. In a fashion landscape that can feel increasingly stiff and self-important, Palmer’s approach feels inquisitive: trust your instincts, be nice, and don’t pretend you don’t care,  because you definitely do, and that’s a good thing. 

Hi William! Tell me about your latest collection?
I am always trying to balance fun with seriousness, because it is a very fine line between being cool and being too much. That balance is something I have learnt to refine and am still learning to control. We had a very short timeframe for this collection, as we started in November. I told myself I wanted to refine my silhouettes and cuts and focus on my staple pieces, particularly the elastic underwear hoodies from last season, developing them into something more wearable. I wanted the work to feel authentic to me, what I would actually wear, including the fabric choices.

What’s your favourite look, and what were the inspirations for it?
I was juggling these ideas with the use of household items, which is most evident in my favourite look featuring the bucket hat worn upside down and the leather scarf and mitts inspired by oven gloves. The bucket hat works on different levels. My background is strongly influenced by tradesmen, as everyone in my family worked in the trades, and it also crosses into lad culture.
The idea for the grillz came from taking a very street and contemporary accessory and combining it with braces, like the ones worn by teenagers, or even the girl from Finding Nemo. In terms of fabrics, I like to use cotton poplins, stripes and checks that are familiar in lads wardrobes through shirts or underwear, so the underwear pocket detail felt natural. I enjoyed playing with elastic details and placing them in different areas where they made sense. I am always thinking about how to style the looks as much as the garments themselves. When I design, I am already styling the looks and the characters in my head. 

Your work is rooted in very specific British scenes. What did “everyday Britain” look like to you while making this collection?
I grew up in the early nineties and through the noughties, so a lot of my references come from two thousand lad culture. Baby blue, baby pink, stripes, old McKenzie, Lacoste, Nike. Think of a young Mike Skinner from The Streets, that kind of energy. I try to contemporise those references, but I still get most excited by the mash up of influences in my head. Sometimes I cannot explain exactly why they make sense together, but they do. For this collection, it was as much about the scenes and the set design as it was about the clothing. I think about them in parallel. Like I mentioned before with the oven gloves, that thinking extended into the set design for the Paris presentation. We used random, everyday furniture like a washing machine, sofa and mattress. It felt like the kind of stuff you would find dumped on the street as a kid and end up messing around with. For me, it all existed in the same universe as the clothes. The bucket hats, the styling, the attitude. It was about lads messing around on the street, and translating that feeling into something considered and intentional. I guess in Britain we do use humour to deflect a lot, but actually it’s a pretty serious and miserable place sometimes. We are good at sweeping things under the carpet.

There’s a strong sense of humour running through both the looks and the brand’s identity. What’s the last thing that genuinely made you laugh?
As I mentioned before, what is really important to me is finding the balance between funny and serious. The subject matter is serious, and fashion is serious too. To look cool, you have to be serious, and that is something I am learning now. It is about not trying too hard with humour. I think for me it is becoming more instinctive. I get excited by the feeling rather than forcing an idea.
That feeling is similar to the way lads mess around with each other. There is a kind of who cares attitude, and that energy comes into the clothes when I am designing. It is playful, it is human, it is like saying it is funny and that is enough. That is why I like it when some things are really literal, almost taking the piss. Like someone saying oh it is just a bucket on his head.
During the performance in Paris, I laughed a lot throughout the process. I invited a mate of mine from Bristol to do the music, partly because he calms me and takes the edge off. Just before the show, he was joking about how he should be DJing wearing only the underwear and the scarf so everyone could see. We are not precious or overly serious about it, and that is exactly the attitude I am talking about. He reminds me that it is all human at the end of the day. Shout out to Bill the Dutch.

You’ve spoken about underwear doing things it probably shouldn’t (becoming hoods, shaping trousers, feeling thrown on after a long night). How much of that comes from lived experience?
I do not know if it is really a lived experience, except that I genuinely love cotton underwear from Uniqlo.

Lol – understandable.
The feeling of underwear carries a slightly silly connotation though, like Captain Underpants. Thinking about it now, there were definitely moments growing up where I put pants on my head as a joke. I like that this idea has developed into something serious and sexy, particularly through the hood. I love a good hood. It feels masculine to me, having a jacket zipped up with a well cut hood. The contrast with the underwear construction is funny, but it is subtle. You probably would not even notice it unless I pointed it out, and I like that tension.
The underwear element in the trouser construction reminds me of a nappy or something similar. It does not look like that at all, but it is interesting how this kind of mid panel construction, which you might find in old man leggings or a child’s nappy, has been translated into a sexy pair of jeans or track pants. It is simple but cool. Ultimately, I am trying to create a modern man. Someone who is not afraid to be silly. I am channeling a kind of big kid energy, while still creating a well dressed guy who is fun, confident and hopefully a better male role model for future generations.

It’s actually that serious!! Your collection is very tied into lad culture. What’s the last time you went on a bender — how long did it last, and did it feed into the collection at all?
Haha, funny you ask. Right after the show, we were exhausted but still ended up at 7am. Growing up in the noughties with lad culture, the drinking culture went hand in hand. I do love a party and the escapism of it all. Now that I am 33, I understand it takes its toll, but I still love a good rave – everyone free, letting loose. My intern mentioned during the Paris show that she kept asking people, “Oh, how do you know Will?” and they would respond, “We met at a party,” which is true. If I meet someone and I like them, I always keep in contact. That connection fuels me. I feel very loved by a select group of people, and I usually enjoy bringing them together, which my friends love. I am really excited to start building on that community. I think the Paris show was just the beginning.
That said, I also tend to have a drink, usually a day or two before a deadline. I guess the build-up from all the hard work makes me spontaneous, and it all comes out. I just managed after that, but I can see the funny side in it. I even pattern cut a blazer in my MA collection when I was drunk. It gave me a false sense of confidence, but actually the cut turned out cool. I suppose what I am trying to say is that I lean into it a bit – let things flow, have fun, be silly, and be kind.

Drinking does tend to make you spontaneous, which is nice when it goes into a pattern-cutting hyperfixation, but when it goes into overconfidence can be rough territory lol. Does it ever make you send really bad drunk texts?
Haha, I don’t really think about them anymore – I have probably sent thousands over the years. I am over it now, who cares. However, if I ever sent that drunk text to you, whoever is reading this, I am sorry. I have been quite crazy and spontaneous in my life, but I want people to know that I operate with a kind heart. I want the best for everyone x

Haha. In some cases it’s nice to react more immediately to your instincts.
I have been thinking a lot about instinct in my creative process. The strongest work for me comes from trusting feeling first, while still questioning decisions so they stay intentional. I see design as a form of art, it should make you feel something. Recently I have been pairing things back, focusing on strong pieces and imagery where the artistry can speak for itself.

A lot of the references in your collection sit in that awkward teenage space. Do you miss being a teen? What is it about that in-between age that keeps pulling you back? 
I don’t think I miss it like that. I am more emotionally stable now, and I like that. I also feel I am finally finding my way creatively and becoming more content with what I am producing. That said, I am a very nostalgic person, and that does inspire me. It’s the essence of the character I am trying to build. It’s a combination of sensitivity and confidence. It’s okay to embrace the inner child. Most men feel pressure to perform, whether from themselves, their upbringing, or toxic role models. I am trying to show that it is fine to be a man who is silly, cool, and sensitive all at once. It is not a weakness; it can be a power if used well.

Amen.
If more men embodied the character I am trying to build, the world would be a better place – fewer Trumps and Andrew Tates, lol. Just chill out, leave your ego at the door for a second, it’s OK.

Amen again!
I also find a lot of humour in the contrast I see in lads. They act like they don’t give a shit, but actually they really do – they care what other lads think. I have always seen that quite transparently, and it’s why I try to channel that “not giving a shit” energy into my work. It’s like taking the piss out of those taking the piss. Hard to explain, but I hope that makes sense, lol.

That definitely does. What’s your best, most nostalgic teen memory?
You know what, I actually have an awful memory, haha. But my friends are always bringing up times of stupid things I’ve done that they remember perfectly, so I get reminded. I find it hard to give you one specific memory, but I’ve had lots of laughs with lots of different people in my life. I genuinely love people, spreading love, and getting it back.

Perhaps you do remember your cringiest teenage memory?
I am struggling to think ; but there have been plenty… some probably not OK to mention lol. We used to be quite mischievous; out of sheer boredom in my small seaside town, we would always mess around, get legged (chased) etc.. I used to climb out my bedroom window when I was grounded and climb back in later; my parents never knew. But sometimes; we would have run-ins with the more serious, aggressive or meaner kids on the streets and I always hated that shift in energy from playful, silly, to hostile – I guess it’s those kinds of moments where all my inspirations started from. 

The bucket hat reference made me think as well… Why was it important to keep that story (of a kid in your school being bullied about a bucket head) visible rather than smoothing it over? Was the bullied person a friend or… you? Is this your way of getting over it? Or were you the bully?!
A funny fact: that kid actually turned out to be a porn star, lol. But yeah, he was a friend in a way. I tended to be friends with everyone, no matter their social status. I also brought people together from all the different social groups at school – the cool kids, the inbetweeners, everyone. It wasn’t really that deep though. I just thought about it as a funny gesture – a bucket on the head – and it made sense to me, especially since we even called a kid “bucket head” at school. I wasn’t the one who came up with it; it was just one of those memories that spread through the school groups. I was never a bully. I was more of a class clown, silly and playful. I wasn’t the victim either – it was pretty mutual. My parents raised me with a big and open heart, so I gave time to everyone and tended to see the best in people most of the time. Unless they’re a dick. Don’t be a dick.

Noted. The collection plays with silliness, but the construction and fabrics are dead serious. How do you know when to stop joking and let the graft show?
This is where I had to be really authentic to myself this time – something I’ve had to learn. I was always slightly off the mark before, but now I think I’m getting it. It comes down to moments like deciding the fabric for a garment or accessory, funny or not. I have to ask myself: Okay, is this fabric me? Is it cool? Do I like it? Would I wear it? Does it make sense with the reference? If the answer is yes, then cool – that’s when you just have to trust your taste. It’s different from leaning too much into the concept and choosing something just because it will be funny, silly, or stand out for the sake of fashion. At the end of the day, fashion wants a desirable product. Big thanks to Fabio Piras for teaching me that lesson. x

You’ve described the clothes as ‘made for the street without trying too hard’. What, to you, is the clearest example of someone trying too hard?
Previously, I always tried too hard, focusing on the concept or theme and forgetting to just trust my taste when deciding on fabrics or details. I still feel I’m developing in that sense, but it’s something I am learning. I also notice a lot of brands or designers who are incredibly talented in construction or whatever their craft is, but when I look at their work, I ask myself: Who’s going to wear that? As designers, we are put into this super competitive sphere, and there’s pressure to over-design just to stand out. Then it becomes about doing something extreme to get noticed, rather than creating something authentic. I don’t see a lot of those designers lasting. So now, I am just trying to be authentic. That said, it’s not easy – there are too many pressures, and it’s hard to know when it’s enough or when it’s not.

The world can pull you in so many directions that staying true to yourself can be the most difficult path to follow. You describe the brand’s universe as free-spirited and ‘taking the piss’. In 2026, what does misbehaving actually look like in menswear?
Yeah, I think of it as a projection of myself and my values – as I mentioned before, the character I am creating. It could come down to the graft, the construction, like my drunk pattern cutting or putting pants on my head, but it’s also about the universe in general. I have many ideas I haven’t executed yet – things like UK-style reels or videos (think Jackass, but less intense) centred around messing about.
The goal is to keep the product and quality of production high while combining it with an easygoing, fun energy. That balance is what I’m trying to achieve. But again, it’s about that easygoing, who-cares attitude I want to exude with the clothing and the character – the pushing in the supermarket trolley, the pillow fight imagery. It’s funny because we’re talking about misbehaving and not giving a fuck, but on the contrary, I really do care about people. It’s about showing them it’s okay to let their guard down, especially in the fashion industry. Why so serious, why so pretentious? Why can’t we just be human and trust our instincts? 

Maybe that’s the real takeaway: take the piss, care deeply, and don’t pretend those two things can’t exist at the same time.