Wisdom is an understatement, but frumpy chic is not, when it comes to Elliott. He was brought up in South London by his grandparents and mother, who have never left England. It’s an area where taxi drivers won’t go, though nothing stops him from going anywhere, either physically or mentally. Elliott says that “a contrast world is always at your door,” and he has practically made it his personal mantra to discover everything – “the high and the low” of culture and the meeting of the two, because “everything has a kind of intelligence.” Sipping tea and watching reality TV, a cooking show, or The Barefoot Contessa is as normal for him as exploring London’s Tate or temples. His influences read like a Ph.D dissertation on pop culture hopped up on steroids. They run the gamut from Bernhard Wilhelm, african prints, Laurie Anderson, Thomas Hirschhorn, Chris Isaak’s tour jackets, Lizzie Mercier Descloux, Take That, Kool Moe Dee, Inner City, early ’90′s house music, ’80′s French punk and Barbara Kruger, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Clothing for him, just like his music, is all about building your personality and channeling something. He is fascinated with the idea of un-style, like the juxtaposition of chavs wearing a button-up. In alignment with his notion of “unfashion,” his repertoire consists mostly of the “white English, Irish side” of his “dapper” grandfather – in old man toggle coats, double-breasted jackets, scarves, Church’s brogues and wallabees – and the “black, geeky, Earth, Wind and Fire,” cool of his dad, who was a DJ in the ’80′s – think rolled-up dungarees with round glasses. He is most at home with old and crazy people at the car boot sales, where the people who sell don’t care about clothes. However, he likes to throw himself out of his comfort zone to be inspired and he finds it humorous to confront people’s disgust with his “tribal rude boy” hair cut. It is most likely the unconditional support of his grandparents, who love his hair, that gives Elliott the freedom to be so tuned in to himself. “Reputation is the bigotry of man,” he once heard someone say. I personally love this quote, as I find the thought that others should dictate how you dress cruel and oppressive. Let go of it and grow.

If you like Elliott, you may also enjoy Louis Mandelbaum, Raymond Chu and Brett Banks.