Billy Connolly’s iconic banana boots are now a fashion item

• Footwear is star attraction at London Fashion Week 

They were an iconic feature of Sir Billy Connolly’s 1975 tour and became part of his trademark look as he rose to fame.

Now, a Scottish fashion designer has taken inspiration from the comic’s banana boots by showcasing his own version during London Fashion Week.

Charles Jeffrey’s creations are crafted from bright yellow leather – complete with a paw-shaped toe cap – that sprout from a thick, black rubber sole into a peeled banana design at the top.

The quirky footwear was part of his spring/summer 2025 presentation in the courtyard of London’s Somerset House where his Loverboy brand is based.

The show marked the launch of a retrospective commemorating his brand’s 10 years in fashion.

During that time the 33-year-old has secured his reputation and drawn a solid base of celebrity fans, including actress Tilda Swinton and pop stars Harry Styles and Gwen Stefani.

Jeffrey’s banana boots differ from the Big Yin’s curved pair, but that hasn’t stopped designers making the connection between them and the comic’s fruity footwear, with fashion bible Vogue describing them as ‘Jeffrey’s tribute to Billy Connolly’.

The star’s size nine banana boots were created by Glasgow pop artist Edmund Smith and had been on display in the People’s Palace, in Glasgow, for many years and will be back there when it reopens following its refurbishment.

It isn’t the first time Jeffrey, from Bellshill, in Lanarkshire, has paid homage to a Scottish great.

In 2022, Nairn-based Ms Swinton appeared at the fashion awards in London in a silk gown and overcoat designed by Jeffrey that bore art by her former partner – the late John Byrne. 

The clothes paid tribute to The Slab Boys, one of the Paisley playwright’s famous works. At the time, Jeffrey said: ‘One of the collection’s main elements is the collaboration with John Byrne, the father of Tilda’s children and someone we’ve already been inspired by in the past.’

Swinton was in the front row during the Scots designer’s London show last week alongside her actress daughter Honor Swinton Byrne.