Bastard Aristocrat is Hector Maclean’s deeply personal AW25 collection, inspired by his discovery that he is descended from Lady Bellasis, mistress of King James II. The revelation of this illegitimate royal lineage became the anchor for a body of work exploring class, heritage, and what it means to belong.
The collection fuses aristocratic grandeur with punk rebellion, traditional British motifs like Union Jacks, regal tailoring, and heraldic silhouettes are subverted with distressed fabrics, neon accents, shredded flags, and raw deconstruction. Maclean also incorporated sustainable materials such as up-cycled poppies from the Royal British Legion, vintage family heirloom textiles, and repurposed bedsheets, binding together history, sustainability, and identity. By embracing his own paradoxical roots, social housing upbringing alongside royal ancestry, Maclean reframes the idea of “aristocracy” as something inclusive, rebellious, and redefined for the modern age.
Hector Maclean