SRVC SS25 Campaign Starring Colin Jones14 Images
Ricky Wesley Harriott’s love of fashion was honed as a kid growing up in Tottenham.
The rising designer behind cult London label SRVC would spend hours sat in front of the television taking in the music videos of the early 00s – a golden era when emo, rap, indie, and rock all rubbed up against each other on MTV.
Inspired by this wild mash-up of influences and genres, after school he’d get his pencils out and start drawing, fusing elements of his favourite pop idols with figures from Final Fantasy and other video games and comic books to create his own cast of characters.
His mum noticed that he took a particular interest when it came to drawing their clothes, and in doing so, sparked an interest in fashion in Harriott. A few years later, he enrolled on the fashion course at LCF and graduated in 2011.
As the creative director of SRVC, Harriott remains true to his roots. The designer turns out collections that draw on the fictional heroines of the comics and video games he still loves, but also looks to the community of women who surround him in real-life to inform his clothes. His aim is to “empower and enhance” his customers, creating what he calls “armour for the everyday”.
The label is becoming known for its experimental tailoring, which sees strong shoulders balanced with snatched waists to emulate superhero-esque proportions, second-skin bodysuits strapped up with criss-crossing lacing, and ravaged denim that looks like it’s gone through the ringer a handful of times.
Looks are finished with garters, and holsters, and sexy suspender-like details to the legs – like Lara Croft took the night off and decided to head to a rave. Best of all, as the industry largely turns its back on body diversity, Harriott remains committed to creating for a wide range of bodies, reimagining the framework of what a superhero looks like in 2024.
As Harriott debuts a new campaign for SS25, featuring supermodel Colin Jones, we catch up with Harriott to talk Final Fantasy, fashion influences, and recently faved memes.
“I started with drawing as a kid, mostly sketching female comic and video game characters, often redesigning their costumes. My mum noticed early on that I was essentially designing clothes, and she nudged me to explore fashion as a career and I eventually went to study it at uni” – Ricky Wesley Harriott
Hey Ricky! First of all, tell us a bit about yourself. Where did you grow up?
Ricky Wesley Harriott: I grew up in Tottenham, right across from the football stadium. It was, and still is, an incredibly vibrant, unpredictable, and diverse area, full of characters and life. I recently moved back and find it refreshing that Tottenham hasn’t changed much. It still has its unique charm.
When did you first start getting into fashion and when did you realise its power?
Ricky Wesley Harriott: I felt that power from a really young age. My mum had me when she was 17 and I watched her grow up, figure out who she was as a young mother, a woman, a professional. I saw her navigate who she wanted to be though style and clothing, and I always felt she used clothing as armour. The world was not kind to a teenage mother with a mixed race child and I just found that she never allowed that cold reality affect her willingness to try, both visually and societally.
I started drawing as a kid, mostly sketching female comic and video game characters, often redesigning their costumes. My mum noticed early on that I was essentially designing clothes, and she nudged me to explore fashion as a career and I eventually went to study it at uni. Drawing was my escape – a world where you could make someone anything you imagined. It’s a theme that still inspires my work today.
Was there a fashion show or collection that really inspired or stuck with you?
Ricky Wesley Harriott: The first that comes to mind, just on how it made me feel at the time, would be Balenciaga SS12 by Nicolas Ghesquière. I just remember being really taken with his ability to create garments that felt futuristic in a way that felt like real desirable garments, it was truly a fantasy made for reality. I love that collection so much, and also those visors! I remember going to the old store on Mount Street just to ask questions about those hats, and I convinced myself that if I saved really hard I might be able to have one, but that was, in fact, very delusional of me.
And now you have your own brand, SRVC? What’s it all about?
Ricky Wesley Harriott: SRVC stands for ‘Service’. I feel a deep privilege in designing for women and shaping how they present themselves to the world. For me, it’s a service, a way to empower women to move fearlessly through life. SRVC caters to women at different stages and explores elements like fiction, desire, and purpose. It’s not about objectification but amplification – enhancing who you are and how you feel in the clothes.
How do you want to make women feel in your clothes?
Ricky Wesley Harriott: I want them to feel limitless. The first question I ask any client or friend when they try my pieces is ‘How do you feel?’ I like to ask that question also before they have even seen themselves in the clothes, because you can feel in your body, the way you stand, what a garment is doing for you. I always aim to make a woman feel like she can be the most unlocked version of herself, I never want to change a person. I love the idea of just amplifying who she is. I think a lot about the symbiosis between us and our clothes, that sense of harmonic fusion is really important to me.
“I always aim to make a woman feel like she can be the most unlocked version of herself, I never want to change a person. I love the idea of just amplifying who she is” – Ricky Wesley Harriott
Who wears SRVC?
Ricky Wesley Harriott: SRVC’s community is wonderfully diverse in age, body type, and style. Different women connect with different pieces, and that’s intentional and really interesting to see. One thing they all share is a progressive spirit. These women know their own minds, and navigate the world on their own terms. Seeing them post, share, and integrate SRVC into their lives feels really special.
Tell me about the inspiration behind the SS25 collection?
Ricky Wesley Harriott: For SS25, I was inspired by ‘first impressions’ and how they shape daily interactions. From job interviews to intimacy, I wanted to create pieces that help the SRVC woman navigate these moments seamlessly. In today’s digital age, we’re constantly curating first impressions, so I wanted to address this ‘personal algorithm’ we create for ourselves.
This collection also explores strength balanced with vulnerability. I experimented with pieces that resemble armour, like garments assembled with eyelets rather than stitches. Even the classic men’s ribbed tank has been reimagined as a corset, blending masculine and feminine ideals. I’m excited about the fresh ideas in this collection!
Did you have a freakum outfit growing up?
Ricky Wesley Harriott: I remember when I was a teenager and was consuming way too much MTV, I bought these skater jeans from Blue Inc and I thought I was the coolest thing. People weren’t really dressing like that where I lived at the time and I looked a lot to TV and music to broaden my own stylistic tastes – the early 00s had me by the throat. I was also a very early adopter of the UGG boot when I was 15, and for some reason a boy in 2004 wearing UGGs was wildly shocking to the general public. I got called everything, but I felt very much a vibe at the time.
What’s your go-to outfit to feel confident?
Ricky Wesley Harriott: Today I like simplicity and comfort, I really fall short when I ‘try’. A ribbed tank and some baggy shorts is my go-to and I throw on a baggy shirt on top if it’s cold. It requires no fuss. I pay way more attention to my shoes, I think there I try to be a little more fun. I think for myself I like to try to be kind of incognito. I feel more confident if I’m just low key.
What’s your weirdest internet obsession?
Ricky Wesley Harriott: I really love deep diving into character bios on fan Wikipedias for video games, like Final Fantasy. I re-read the story and the character breakdowns all the time – it’s really tragic, but I love it. The other thing I love to do is watch Wendy Williams clips on YouTube whilst eating my dinner. I feel mortified to share this.
“I was also a very early adopter of the UGG boot when I was 15, and for some reason a boy in 2004 wearing UGGs was wildly shocking to the general public. I got called everything, but I felt very much a vibe at the time” – Ricky Wesley Harriott
Let your predictive text finish this sentence: I am a designer because I love _ _ _ _ but people don’t know that I am actually _ _ _ _
Ricky Wesley Harriott: I am a designer because I love my job but people don’t know that I am actually an engineer. Wow, that sounds very obnoxious!
What’s the best and worst advice you’ve ever been given?
Ricky Wesley Harriott: I once heard someone say ’Don’t take advice from someone you wouldn’t trade lives with’ I thought that was pretty short-sighted and stunted, so maybe not the worst, but certainly a bit silly. The best advice actually came from my mum, we were discussing relationships and she said ‘We need to stop applauding people for being nice. Nice is not a trait it’s a requirement’. I love that, and hold it quite close to me.
Who is your nemesis and why?
Ricky Wesley Harriott: Myself! That’s a really pageant queen answer, but no one is meaner to me that I am sadly.
What do you reckon you’re most likely to get cancelled for?
Ricky Wesley Harriott: My sense of humour. It’s dark, I laugh at everything that is absolutely not funny. If my group chats leaked it’s curtains for me.
If you could only wear one designer for the rest of your life who would it be?
Ricky Wesley Harriott: Vintage Margiela. I’d happily live in that archive forever.
What would the line-up be in your nightmare blunt rotation?
Ricky Wesley Harriott: Burger from Sex & The City, Bella from Twilight, and that scary huge pet lynx that hisses all the time on TikTok, I fear I wouldn’t even see the blunt.
What’s the last meme you saved?
Ricky Wesley Harriott: One of Gollum from Lord of the Rings wearing a gown and emotionally receiving an Oscar. It says ‘When my ex tells their side of the story’.
What would your ghost outfit be?
Ricky Wesley Harriott: Sweat pants and a hoodie, if I’m trapped on earth for all eternity, I may as well be comfy!
Who would you most love to see wearing your pieces?
Ricky Wesley Harriott: I am really into expanding and getting to know more about our community.I feel so excited whenever someone sees themself in SRVC, so I look forward to always seeing those posts and moments. Music is a huge part of my life. IIt’s always on, influencing me and soundtracking my life, so in that world I would love to work with Solange. For me she is just perfection in everything she does, an incredible limitless visionary.
