Last Thursday, with London Fashion Week well underway, I arrived at a hotel in London Bridge, typically early and wholly unsure of what to expect. The brief I’d been given detailed a BTS video and interview with Eddie Nketiah as he prepared to attend PROTOTYPES’s debut London Fashion Week show. 

Shortly after I arrived at the hotel, Nketiah touched down, the Crystal Palace striker arriving in most footballers’ preferred mode of transport – the Mercedes V-Class. But this wasn’t just any rental, far from it, with a curated leather interior in mint green and black, the headrests were engraved with the initials E.N., with the interior design completed with the classic stars on the roof – twinkling from the flash of the three cameras following him to the car. 

As the forward greeted us and invited us upstairs, we were met with a warm and genuine reception – to such an extent that Nketiah even offered us food from Nandos, a kind offer we politely declined, opting to focus on the job at hand. And in between checking in on us and making sure we had everything we needed, the 26-year-old was chopping it up with the mandem, a reminder that these players, so often revered and idolised, are just regular guys like us. 

As he sat down to go through some last-minute TLC and preparation, including some eye patches and a mini-manicure, the forward shared the plan for the evening. “I guess it’s a ‘get ready with me day’ innit [laughs]. We’ve luckily been invited by PROTOTYPES to sit in the front row and watch the show, so we’re really looking forward to that. Right now, we’re just vibing and getting ready.” 

When I asked if he’s a regular attendee at these events, Nketiah shared that this was his first show in his home city. “First London show, to be honest, so really exciting. It’s the kind of space I want to be in, so it’s nice to go there and get the experience.” 

However, last year was when he got his first taste of the elusive fashion weeks. “I went to Paris Fashion Week last year. That was probably my first time attending. We did a few shows there with some of the boys.” Clearly excited by the resurfacing memory, I quizzed him on his favourite show from last year’s event. “Sacai invited us, that was a really nice one. They have some really good collabs, so that was probably my favourite, to be honest.”

From the second we began discussing fashion, it was clear that not only did Eddie enjoy discussing it, but he was also locked into the fashion game. With Under Armour his undisputed number one brand, I prodded him to divulge his second favourite, with distinguished Italian fashion house “Prada” the first name to come to mind. And so when asked which fashion house he would walk for, if given the chance, he was quick to respond, “I’d probably choose Prada, to be honest. I wear it quite a bit, and they’ve got some nice pieces.”

Leaving him to get dressed, the 26-year-old emerges in one of the flyest fits I’ve seen in the game. Sporting a PROTOTYPES waffle long-sleeve t-shirt under a PROTOTYPES over-shirt, coupled up with Guess jeans, Louis Vuitton trainers and glasses courtesy of Gentle Monster, the outfit was completed with “a little patty on the wrist” – with the blue strap on the Patek Philippe watch the ultimate deciding factor between a few of the options available to the striker. 

While Nketiah applied the finishing touches to his outfit, I couldn’t help but notice the large leather bag sitting on the edge of the bed, and as I searched my memory, I quickly realised it was the FA Cup Final bag. Quick to assume it was a Hermès Birkin, I was in fact proven completely wrong. “You know, it’s actually not a Birkin, bro. It’s actually LV. Yeah, it’s LV, but people haven’t really seen it before.”

Naturally, my follow-up focused on what prompted him to rock it at the FA Cup Final.”I thought it was nice, but it just seemed fitting with the suit. Obviously, you want to go to a game looking nice, feeling nice, and thankfully, we’ve got the W in the end – That’s the good luck charm still.” [laughs] But was one statement LV accessory not enough, Eddie? Letting him know the double LV was a bit greedy, he was quick to agree, “Yeah, it’s a bit greedy, but life is short, bro. You’ve got to enjoy it, man.” And oh, did he enjoy himself, as Palace beat City to clinch a historic trophy. 

Throughout the evening, it was evident that Nketiah’s sharp eye for the finer details stemmed from his innate creativity, but what does creativity actually mean to the Premier League striker?

“Expressing yourself, whether that be on or off the pitch. Football is the most important way for me, obviously, to express myself and be creative. But my clothes just express how I feel at the moment. You might be on a chill vibe, you’ve dressed chill, you might be feeling nice, dressed nice. So, it’s good, and that’s what’s nice, the freedom to be able to dress and put that on.” 

Nketiah, England’s U21 record goal scorer, also credited his family, especially their Ghanaian roots, for shaping his outlook on self-expression. “It’s massive. I love my family to death; we’re so close. My mum has always liked swag as well, so it’s just been in my family. We’ve always tried to dress well. Obviously, we probably didn’t have the budget we have now, but my parents have always told me to express myself on the pitch, off the pitch, regardless of whether that’s football or just how you are. Just be true to who you are, and I try to keep those morals and spread that kind of feeling to other people I speak to as well.” 

Speaking with a level of calm and assurance beyond his years, it becomes increasingly clear throughout the evening why Nketiah has made it to the top, particularly his family and friends, who have all contributed to an environment of support and authenticity around the striker. 

And as we rounded off the evening, following a flurry of praise for rapper Gunna, I suggested the prospect of a potential Nketiah x Gunna collab in the future, to which Eddie was entirely open to. “Whenever he’s ready, bro. He needs to speak to Under Armour to link it up, but Gunna’s the coolest. I listen to him a lot, so shout out Gunna.” 

Nonetheless, as Nketiah prepared to depart, LV in hand, undoubtedly vibing to Prototype by Gunna in his PROTOTYPE fit, his foray into the world of high fashion is merely a realisation of his innate creativity and determination to express himself. 

For his first-ever London Fashion Week show, and what will certainly not be his last, Eddie Nketiah didn’t just show up, he showed out. 

You can watch the full conversation here.