The Modest Man
The character Lukas Mattsson on HBO’s Succession has become known for his outrageous fashion choices, particularly his jackets. In the latest episode, Mattsson shocks guests at an Election-Day-eve party by wearing a plush, burnout velvet jacket from the Japanese streetwear brand Needles. Alexander Skarsgård, the actor who plays Mattsson, worked with costume designer Jonathan Schwartz to find just the right jacket. Skarsgård wanted something eccentric and crazy, something that really stood out from the Roys’ understated style. Mattsson’s fashion choices are seen as a way to throw a golden hand grenade into a room of gray suits.
In previous episodes, Mattsson’s Fjällräven anorak went up against Shib Roy’s bonkers down-puffer-meets-plaid-trench-coat from Mackage, and Kendall Roy wore a custom Top Gun flight jacket to a tech conference in LA. These fashion choices are a way for the characters to assert individuality and style within a world of corporate power struggles. Mattsson’s jacket is a big “fuck you” to the Roys’ understated, expensive but no logos style.
