Rock band Queen manager’s son comes to LFW
He fell in love with a girl in Karnataka, who studied Shakespeare in the jungle, launched Leo Dean his sailing brand, but the musician Oliver is more than just his legendary father Jim Beach’s son, he is a visionary. By Asmita Aggarwal Oliver Beach is the son of believe it or not of the man who handled Queen band, Jim Beach, by our very own Parsi Freddie Mercury. “My father toured with them for 40 years, and Queen has had an enormous effect on my life, even when I met Freddie as a young impressionable boy. I was one of the few who got to see things as an insider,” says Oliver. He was the frontman for the British indie pop/rock band Yellowire, he formed the band in 2010, after being the keyboardist for Wire Daisies. There are so many Queen songs that are memorable for him, choosing one is tough, but “Another one bites to dust” makes his heart dance. Being a professional musician he understands it better. “Roger Meddows Taylor, drummer for Queen, I saw him performing in England recently, trust me everyone’s hands were in the air,” he laughs. Leo Dean was started by him and wife, who studied at London College of Fashion, it is more her world than his, but “life takes many funny turns,” he says. “Music and fashion are interlinked, isn’t it? We both naively started the brand, loved old Italian Riviera style, also sailing something that I inherited from my family,” says Oliver. He admits he started Leo Dean without thinking about it, but the one thing that made extremely free is sailing on the Mediterranean. “We decided things must be ethically and sustainably done, give everyone a fair deal, so we moved to Italy,” he says. Having grown up in Switzerland and the UK respectively, lake sailing was a big part of his life, even though he stayed in Portugal for 15 years, Italy remains a special place. “I feel lucky to be accepted here and welcomed by the community,” he says. Though what brought him to India was his girlfriend who was studying Shakespeare in the jungles of Karnataka, many years ago, he travelled to Goa and Nepal. Now he wants to bring his daughter “to smell the spices of India” he adds. Leo Dean is inspired by a friend’s grandfather, it represents the chic of generations before, “he was a wonderful man, we thought it was an apt title,” he affirms. They craft using silks and viscose, launching the label five years ago, slowly developing it. “Most of our womenswear is flowing, feminine, luminary, shapes that accentuate the female form, offering floaty clothing, as we bring 50 pieces to LFW,” he says. With Leo Dean he admits you can go to the beach, then city for lunch and maybe even dancing at night, feeling fabulous! “I’m trying to watch Bollywood films with my wife, maybe get a glimpse of Indian life,” he concludes.