“I’ve definitely got baby brain,” Dominic Calvert-Lewin says, bursting into laughter on our video call. His first child, a daughter, arrived just a few months ago, around the start of what could well be the most important football season of his life. He’s finally back to full fitness after a long period marred by injury, ready to surpass his already impressive track record and regain his spot on the England team ahead of the next World Cup in 2026.
And then there’s his other great passion: fashion. We’re here to talk about his status as one of football’s most expressive dressers and sharply-groomed men, as well his ongoing collaboration with Braun as its first UK grooming ambassador. It goes without saying that he’s got a lot on his plate, but he comes across as calm and collected.
“Facing setbacks in football has taught me a lot about myself,” he says. “In times of adversity, you learn more about your own character. When everything’s going well, life’s easy, but when you hit a roadblock, that’s when you have to look in the mirror and decide who you want to be and where you’re going to go.”
In 2020, Calvert-Lewin was a fresh-faced 23 year old whose trajectory seemed unstoppable. He made his England senior debut that year, scoring his maiden goal just 26 minutes into his first game. Around the same time, he re-signed with Everton on a five-year contract, cementing his position as the team’s most valuable striker.
Away from the pitch, he was earning a reputation as a serious fashion player. He certainly made a mark when, while on holiday, he posted a photo of himself wearing a crisp white double-breasted suit. His hair was loose, his beard short and neat. Completing his look was a miniature quilted Chanel handbag with a rainbow-beaded handle. His Instagram blew up. Soon enough, he was on the cover of magazines, posing for Arena Homme+ in a Prada suit jacket and flared shorts, which many confused for a skirt. To this day, it causes upset among a certain subsection of football fans.
It seemed like his star was on the verge of supernova. But then came the injuries that ruled him out of play, sometimes for months at a time. He’s previously opened up about the impact it had on his mental health, and how talking through his problems “saved” him. It’s the mark of a man who absolutely refuses to be boxed into the traditional masculinity expected of footballers — he can carry a handbag if he feels like it, pose for magazine covers if he wants to, and be frank about his mental health when he needs to.
“Football doesn’t wait for you,” he reflects. “So, for that, you have to have mental resilience. Building that can mean confiding in people, sharing your experience, but also trying to learn from it and learning to self-regulate your emotions. I’ve learned to better understand myself, which makes me feel like a stronger person, a better footballer and a better all-round person.”
Recovery has been a long journey, but things seem to be clicking back into place for him at last. Just 48 hours after we speak, Calvert-Lewin scores his 50th Premier League goal. It’s a major milestone for any player but, for him, it feels like a declaration of intent.
“I do feel like there’s more to come from me,” he says. “I feel like a different player. Now, when I step onto the pitch, I feel like I know the game a lot more than I did before. I understand my role a lot better and, physically, I’m back to where I want it to be. From a mental perspective, I feel like more of a man on the pitch.”
Part of that growth has come with age and experience but his daughter is also a huge factor. “Fatherhood has been an amazing experience so far,” he says. “It teaches you a lot of things — patience being one of them. It puts things into perspective. Beforehand, if I’d had a difficult period or a bad game, I’d go home and dwell on it. Now, if I have a tough day of training, I come home to a baby who requires all of my attention, who makes you forget all the worries that you have.”
Fashion’s top striker
After fatherhood and football, looking good surely ranks high on Calvert-Lewin’s list of priorities. Even after a full 90 minutes, it’s rare to see him with a hair out of place. “I always try, particularly if there’s a game coming up, to make sure my beard is well kept,” he says. “Whenever I’ve got a fresh trim, it makes me feel good.”
It’s no surprise then that when the grooming experts at Braun were looking an ambassador, somebody who could inspire men to express themselves and feel confident in their skin, they called Calvert-Lewin. He knows better than most that grooming can be the finishing touch to any look, and that switching up your facial hair style can be as impactful as overhauling your attire.
“I’m fortunate that I can grow a good beard, so I can play around with it; I have it short, I have it long,” he says. “It depends on the look you’re going for. If you’re going for a sharper, smarter look, it makes sense to have a more tapered beard. If I’m going for the ‘Dad’ look, which I do more so these days, I'll let it grow out but will keep it looking tidy."
Experimenting with fashion and grooming is in his DNA. “My dad has always been an inspiration. Growing up, he liked to look good, he always smelled nice and he was always well groomed. He still is, to this day. People often mistake him for my brother.”
Over the years, Calvert-Lewin has carved out his own style identity — one that’s previously been colourful, sometimes tinged with Fifties swagger, other times planted firmly in the avant-garde. Recently, he’s taken a keener interest in tailoring — specifically, the “Italian gentleman” look — though streetwear still plays a big role in his wardrobe. He looks up to musician-turned-Louis Vuitton men’s creative director, Pharrell Williams, and fellow dad and boundary pusher, A$AP Rocky. “But my main inspiration comes from how people wear things,” he says. “I think people look cool when you can see that it comes naturally to them and it’s not forced.”
Calvert-Lewin’s most talked-about style moments have been the ones that have challenged the idea of how a footballer should present himself. Sadly, football remains a place where straying from traditional ideas of masculinity is met with suspicion.
Yet Calvert-Lewin says he’s been “relatively unfazed” by the comments he’s received from trolls. He understands that some people don’t know “how to perceive” those who “do something a little bit different”.
“I wouldn’t have worn some of the outfits I have done if I wasn’t able to deal with [the backlash],” he says. “In football, you get criticism every day. You score a goal, you’re the best in the world. You miss a chance, you don’t deserve to play for that team anymore. Everybody’s got an opinion, and if you concern yourself too much with that then your emotions can be dictated by them. I never allowed myself to get into that place.”
What he does know about is the “look-good, feel-good factor”. He takes a holistic view of his wellbeing, after injury made him “delve deeper” into his nutrition, his body and his mind. He tries to follow an organic diet, shopping at his local fishmonger, and opting for raw milk and unprocessed honey. He does yoga once a week, “more for the mindfulness than the physical benefits”. And he spends as much time as possible with his family. “Being a dad is the most freeing thing in the world,” he says. “It teaches you that there is more to life than what you think you know. It inspires me to be the best possible man I can be.”
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