Meet the designers making London's menswear scene more exciting than it's ever been before.
By Jessica Bumpus, Sweet
London, of course, is known for its creativity and being a hub for new
talent. And nowhere was that more plain to see than this week at London
Collections Men, the biannual fashion week for guys. Now four years old,
it's moved well beyond the realms of traditional Savile Row tailoring.
The tame exists, but now there's the totally insane, too. But there's
also the innovative and the wearable, the cool and the covetable. Just
take a look at the collections of the designers below, listed in no
particular order, to see what we mean.
Who: Craig Green
[post_ads]Credentials: Frankly, there aren't really many fashion accolades that Green doesn't
have. Since graduating Central Saint Martins in 2012, where he
completed a BA and MA in fashion, he's notched up a British Fashion
Award for Emerging Menswear Designer (2014) and been a finalist for the
highly prestigious LVMH Designer Prize (2015), the support platform for
emerging designers. What makes him so special? Because in a menswear
world, where it's hard to push boundaries without being too ridiculous
about it, he manages to do just that, creating something entirely fresh,
new, and with an inherent serenity. He is simply the wunderkind of
London menswear right now.
Green referenced the idea of an "unchartered pilgrimage" for his
spring/summer 2017 collection—which translated into sliced and spliced
tunics and wide-leg trousers that artfully wafted down the runway.
A romantic take on his
hallmark utility dressing, there was quilting and flag-style draping
among the thick-stitching and collage element of the collection.
Who: Matthew Miller
Credentials:
A graduate of the Royal College of Art, Miller, who hails from
Stoke-on-Trent, launched his label in 2010. Concerned with making
clothes that can actually be worn (an often overlooked attribute in
fashion), Miller's utilitarian style has evolved to being far more
sophisticated of late, but there's always an underlying rebellious
spirit, which can be found in political slogans, pins, and buttons
peppered throughout his collections.
Inspired in part by skinhead culture, Miller's languid tailoring brought a calming aspect to his collection.
The style note to take
away here was the butterfly buttons, which were worn throughout—from
just one on a lapel to a whole host of them all over the front of a
T-shirt.
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Who: Grace Wales Bonner
Credentials: The
Central Saint Martins alumn is another name who, like Green, has
rapidly risen through the fashion ranks since graduating just two years
ago and launching her line, Wales Bonner. Not only did she win
collection of the year at her BA finale show, but she scooped the
Emerging Menswear Designer award at last year's British Fashion Awards
and just this week won this year's LVMH Designer Prize. Through her
work, the British-Jamaican designer explores black British identity and
masculinity, combining Caribbean heritage with exceptional craft and
elegant tailoring.
Wales Bonner cited the
crowning of the Emperor of Ethiopia and the characters of Pan-Africa,
ceremonial attire, and the formalities of European tailoring as
references for her collection.
On the runway, this
translated into ivory frock coats and velvet suiting, vinyl long-length
jackets with crochet collar detailing and splashes of crystal
embellishment.
Who: Liam Hodges
[post_ads_2]Credentials:
Passing through the doors of the University of Westminster and the
Royal College of Art, Hodges was quickly plucked from a sea of graduates
to show at Fashion East, Lulu Kennedy's talent support platform, upon
graduation. That was three years ago and in the time since he's managed
to successfully evolve from what started out as more of a
historical-costume mash-up into something more refined and more
contemporary: workwear and streetwear bring a new layer to what are
still character-led collections.
Collage and proportion proved to be the key components for Hodges this season—pieced-together shirts and boilersuits!
OK, so they won't be for everyone. Would you be brave enough to at least try a boilersuit-tracksuit, though?
Who: Charles Jeffrey Loverboy
Credentials: London's
latest hot ticket, Jeffrey—"Loverboy" is the name of his Dalston club
night—graduated from, you guessed it, Central Saint Martins last year.
The Scot was also named Graduate of The Year at the Scottish Fashion
Awards. Blending a love for partying, tailoring, and illustration means
his is an aesthetic that isn't for the faint of heart. It's fun, quirky,
a little bit dress-up, and full of charisma. All of which is why he's
the darling of the London menswear scene right now.
Tailoring gets itself all in a twist in the hands of Jeffrey. But that's the point!
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Paint-splattered denim is
always a winning combination, though we realise the little bloomer-style
shorts might take some convincing.
