Welcome to Paris Fashion Week Men’s A/W 2026

Paris marks the closing leg of menswear month, though we are far from its conclusion: over six busy days, it will provide perhaps our most definitive view of the A/W 2026 season ahead. Shows from the likes of Dior (where Jonathan Anderson will reveal his sophomore menswear collection for the house), Louis Vuitton (expect the spectacular from Pharrell Williams) and Hermès (where Véronique Nichanian will hold her swansong after 37 years), will set the tone for what’s next in menswear.

Elsewhere, expect a roster of thought-provoking – and likely experimental – collections from Comme des Garçons, Rick Owens, Junya Watanabe and Yohji Yamamoto, who represent the week’s avant-garde. We are also excited to see the return of New York-based designer Willy Chavarria – part of the Wallpaper* USA 400 in 2025 – and the arrival of Magliano, the eponymous label of Luca Magliano, who draws on his native Bologna’s history of protest and subculture in his provocative collections (he has shifted from Milan this season).

Add to that a line-up of presentations, parties and openings, and we look set for a busy six days ahead. As ever, the Wallpaper* editors will be on the ground – stay tuned here for a first look at the standout moments of Paris Fashion Week Men’s.

At Auralee, Ryota Iwai finds joy in winter

‘What makes winter joyful?’ asked Ryota Iwai with his latest Auralee collection, which marked the first runway show of Paris Fashion Week Men’s. Staged at Musée de l'Homme – its position gives a dramatic view of the Eiffel Tower out of its floor-to-ceiling glass windows – the answer came in a melange of textures (coats with fluffy innards; featherweight sheer shirts; buttery leather with the slightest sheen) and motifs that suggested comfort, like garments which recalled plaid blankets, or appeared well-loved with wear. But it was colour that, as ever, Iwai excelled – soft beiges and blues met bolder hues of yellow, signal red and rich purple were used to ‘conjure moments of warmth, joy, and a luminous sense of happiness that lingers in the eye and the heart,’ as the designer described. JM

Pharrell Williams reveals new ‘living concept’ Drophaus at Louis Vuitton

Cementing his multi-hyphenate status, this evening in Paris, Pharrell Williams used his latest menswear show for Louis Vuitton to reveal his latest project – a prefabricated home in glass and wood, which he titled ‘Drophaus’. Made in collaboration with Not a Hotel – a Japanese company which creates architect-designed vacation homes – the ‘timeless future living concept’ sat in the centre of the showspace, backdropping the A/W 2026 collection.

Constructed from wood and compacted glass – and surrounded by verdant, Japanese-style gardens – Williams says he designed the structure to recall a drop of water. ‘I grew up around water, I’m drawn to it, I build and create my best work close to it,’ he told Wallpaper*. JM

READ: At Louis Vuitton, Pharrell Williams reveals ‘future living concept’ designed in collaboration with Not a Hotel

Highlights from the first night of Paris Fashion Week Men’s

Yesterday evening marked the start of Paris Fashion Week Men’s, kicking off with two very different shows in the French capital. Ryota Iwai opened the week with a restrained co-ed display for Auralee at Musée de l'Homme – where the glittering silhouette of the Eiffel Tower was visible through the windows – revealing a collection that sought levity, ease and joy in the oft-depressing depths of winter. Then Pharrell took fashion crowds to the Louis Vuitton Foundation in the west of the city, where a sleek house constructed from wood, glass and a Japanese garden set the scene for a collection that explored menswear codes through the decades. Stay tuned through the week for our picks of Paris’ standout shows.

READ: The standout shows of Paris Fashion Week Men’s A/W 2026 – as they happen

Acne Studios celebrates 30 years with a love letter to denim

Launched in Stockholm in 1996 with 100 pairs of raw denim jeans, Acne Studios has managed to maintain a youthful heart through three decades of business. At the turn of such a milestone, its core identity has been on the mind of founder Jonny Johansson, though the designer has cleverly resisted getting too nostalgic. Instead, his A/W 2026 collection – presented with an intimate display at the brand’s Paris headquarters this morning – asked how young men today want to dress and move through the world.

The collection revisited the straight-legged denim staples that made Acne Studios a global force, reimagining them through the lens of a younger generation through ripping and taping motifs that symbolise a subversion of the past. Mixed in with these denim pieces, vintage-inspired tailoring celebrated the ageless ceremony of dressing up, seen through double-breasted blazers and slender and precise wool outerwear – shapes that never go out of style. ‘Heading into 2026, I began thinking about these last 30 years,’ Johansson said in a statement released with the collection. ‘You start off as the young brand; then suddenly, you have a legacy. Ours has formed from exploring the soul of denim and what this means to us. Denim has an eternally youthful identity, while being worn in such a way that its surface speaks to lived experience.’ OB

A closer look at Dior’s A/W 2026 show invitation

Ahead of his sophomore men’s collection for Dior, Jonathan Anderson sent attendees an ornately pleated white collar finished with silk grey ribbons. Perhaps hinting at themes of historical dress, clues as to what his A/W 2026 show might explore also came via Instagram, where the designer shared a video of a man running through the streets of Paris to a plaque commemorating French couturier Paul Poiret (filmed by rising image-maker Jessica Madavo) and a series of curiously textural accessories that included a stone necklace and a wooden rose bangle. What all this might mean shall become clear at the Musée Rodin in less than an hour. OB

Jonathan Anderson shows his second menswear collection for Dior

For his sophomore menswear show for Dior, Jonathan Anderson imagined a troupe of ‘aristo-youths’ in a collection which played on codes of ‘history and affluence’ in the designer’s always-idiosyncratic style.

The work of French couturier Paul Poiret – and his famous dress-up parties – inspired the fluid line of sequinned silk vests, meeting undone riffs on the bar jacket in denim and luminous yellow wigs. Meanwhile a sense of opulence emerged in enormous furry cuffs and dramatic caped silhouettes for what the designer described as a collection where ‘old and new collide with spontaneous ease’. JM

At Solid Homme, a study of the modern man’s alter egos

Like many of Paris’ historic buildings, the Maison des Métallos has gone through several identity changes through the eras – it was once a musical instrument factory, then a metalworkers union, and now stands as a performing arts centre. The building’s layered past made it the perfect stage for Korean designer Madame Woo’s latest Solid Homme collection, which explored the multiple identities worn by the modern man. Presenting a study of several complex characters, the collection included a barista who codes through the night, an accountant who builds furniture after hours, and a creative director who returns home to be a dad. Looks themselves were vibrantly hued – bright primary shades, colour block pastels and deep neutrals – while styling shuffled up smart and casual garments to create a series of impulsively arranged looks. It was, said the brand, ‘one wardrobe’ made for ‘many lives’. OB

IM Men was a study in colour and form

Presented at Paris’ Collège des Bernardins this morning, IM Men’s latest collection was a vivid study of colour and form that imagined the movement from dusk to dawn. ‘Moments when something begins, and when something ends,’ described the brand, which is part of the Issey Miyake family. As such, the collection shifted from a poetic opening act in black and white towards vivid expressions of colour, while silhouettes reimagined formal codes in expansive new forms. JM

Rick Owens makes steamy display at Palais de Tokyo

Rick Owens has used the Palais de Tokyo as a stage for all manner of theatrical spectacles over the past decade, making models wade through the site’s fountains or walk beneath perilous swinging balls of fire. This afternoon, the American designer’s latest fantasy was staged indoors at the historic museum where, inside a steam-filled room, he presented a collection titled ‘Tower’. A series of tough, industrial figures emerged through the fog in looks that twisted military archetypes through Owens’ structured, body-accentuating codes: ‘bloated’ police boots, action-ready bodysuits made from kevlar fabric (used in modern armour), and transformable outerwear cut from waxy cowhides sourced in Japan. In his distinctive show notes (which are always written in caps) the designer spoke of the fraught times we are living in. ‘The world around us is impossible to ignore so the only way is parody,’ he observed, offering the collection up as a ‘prayer for love and hope.’ OB

Dries Van Noten’s A/W 2026 show was a coming of age

Julian Klausner said that his A/W 2026 collection for Dries Van Noten, presented last night in Paris’ 14th arrondissement, was about a ‘coming of age’ moment – ‘not in a dramatic or romantic way, but praising the joy of new beginnings,’ he elaborated in the collection notes. Imagining his protagonist leaving home with clothing from the past – something passed down from their grandfather, or a sweater from childhood – what followed was an expressive and eclectic collection unafraid of print and colour (both are hallmarks of the house). Reviving motifs from the Dries Van Noten archive alongside vivid stripes, fairisles and chevrons – often patchworked into a single garment – there was a joyful feel to the offering, which was nonetheless bolstered by beautiful tailoring and overcoats (the latter narrowing at the waistline or with caped silhouettes), as well as some very desirable accessories, like a brogue with the proportions of a low-pro sneaker. JM

Catch up on the latest shows

Over the past few days, Paris has witnessed a slew of shows from some of the industry’s most significant names. Following Jonathan Anderson’s expressive tribute to French couturier Paul Poiret, held at the Musée Rodin on Wednesday – where a crew of neon-haired ‘aristo-youths’ walked to the yearning vocals of rockstar McGee – yesterday a global group of designers were behind the most talked about moments. The design trio behind Issey Miyake brand IM Men staged a poetic display that used the spectral colours of dawn as a springboard for inventive riffs on formal dress, while Rick Owens presented a dystopian ‘parody’ of combat uniforms in a smoke-filled room at the Palais de Tokyo. Dries Van Noten’s new creative director, Julian Klausner, closed out the day with yet another elegant and texturally inventive outing, recalling the feeling of a ‘coming of age’ moment – ‘not in a dramatic or romantic way, but praising the joy of new beginnings,’ he said following the show.

Catch up on more of the best shows of Paris Fashion Week Men’s A/W 2026 here.

A closer look at Jonathan Anderson’s latest Dior collection

Today in Paris, a re-see at Dior’s HQ allowed editors to look at Jonathan Anderson’s latest men’s collection up close. Using tales of couturier Paul Poiret’s infamous dinner parties as a starting point – where Paris’ young artists would play dress up during La Belle Époque – the Irish designer crafted yet another deeply referenced and texturally eclectic collection for the French maison, which was revealed on Wednesday. As always with Anderson, details were where the magic lied – neatly pleated stiff white collars, brass belts in the shapes of antique mirror frames, shearling cuffs exploding from formal tailored coats, and prince-like bejewelled epaulettes on the shoulders of casual plaid shirts. OB

Willy Chavarria stages musical in a martial arts dojo

It was no ordinary runway show for Willy Chavarria this afternoon in Paris – instead, the American designer staged a musical epic that unfolded in a judo dojo on the outskirts of the city. Tales of love, loss and high drama defined the spectacle, which featured performances from the likes of Mahmood, while Julia Fox, Romeo Beckham and Goldie walked the runway. Alongside his signatures – namely, riffs on everyday workwear and uniforms – there was also a mood of nostalgic elegance to 1950s-inspired silhouettes. Ultimately, Chavarria said this was a collection about connection – like those everyday encounters on a city street. ‘The connection between us is powerful. We are in this together,’ he said. ‘All of us.’ JM

Kiko Kostadinov hits refresh with a study of ‘construction and material’

There was a feeling of refresh to Kiko Kostadinov’s latest collection: presented on the sunlit upper floor of Le Grand Plateau – a former university in Paris’ 5th arrondissement – the Bulgaria-born, London-based designer said that he wanted to ‘return to the primary language of construction and material’. As such, there was an almost uniform-like rigour to the season’s tailoring (though clever moments of drapery reminded of Kostadinov’s always-offbeat approach to pattern-cutting), which evolved towards the collection’s closing act, a series of sinuous coloured looks in striped knit and nylon designed to ‘transform on the body’. American artist Oscar Tuazon’s white-box sculptures provided the show’s backdrop and seemed to reflect the season’s mood: minimal and architectural in their construction, they still had an intriguing strangeness – much like the work of Kostadinov himself, who remains one of London’s most compelling talents. 'This is a collection that is happy being challenging,’ he said. ‘An emphasis on creating clothes that actually bring something new to the wardrobe.’ JM

A close look at Celine’s latest menswear collection

In place of a runway show this season, American designer Michael Rider presented his latest collection for Celine in the house’s headquarters on Rue Vivienne (from the windows of the presentation space you could see the atelier below; the idea was to feel like you were walking into an impromptu fitting above). Buoyed by Celine-branded sandwiches and popcorn, guests explored the collection via a series of playful milieus, from enormous stacks of jeans and sweaters to a snake-like swirl of shoes (arranged, satisfyingly, in colour order), while looks from the collection hung on walls. Like his previous outings for the house (he debuted earlier this year, in June), it is a vision of Parisian style through an American’s eyes, mixing insouciant French glamour with moments of preppiness (for the latter, cue college sweaters, colourful silk ties and shirts, slippers and loafers). The result was something totally fresh and desirable – we wanted every piece. JM

Véronique Nichanian holds her swan song runway show for Hermès

‘Clothes for today and forever,’ described Véronique Nichanian of her A/W 2026 menswear collection for Hermès, which marks the French designer’s swan song at the house after a record 38-year tenure (she is the longest-running creative director of a major fashion house).

Taking place at Paris’ Palais Brongniart this evening, the show was a continuation of the thoughtful, considered approach to menswear she has honed during her time at the house – one that eschewed theatrics or ephemeral trends for collections which allowed clothing to speak for itself.

For her, the magic is found in a change of a centimetre on a pattern piece, an obscure colour shade, or what she would call the ‘sensuality of fabric’ (material innovations were at the heart of her Hermès project). Here, she riffed on menswear archetypes in her effortless style, from duffel and rain jackets to the tuxedo – several of which were inspired by pieces from her previous collections.

It ended with a rousing, minutes-long standing ovation – a testament to an extraordinary career. JM

Chitose Abe’s A/W 2026 collection for Sacai was about ‘breaking free’

This season, Chitose Abe said she was thinking about the idea of ‘destruction’ – ‘destroying and dismantling in order to create,’ as the Japanese designer described this morning. An image of Muhammad Ali was on the mood board: for Abe, he was emblematic of the ‘freedom associated with breaking free’, and in the show space a destroyed stud wall looked as if it had been punched through by an enormous fist (or, at least, been taken to with a hammer). In the collection, this figured through undone tailoring – unknotted ties hung around models necks – while hybrid silhouettes (a Sacai signature) met typically eclectic fabrications, from spliced shearling ‘fur’ to those adorned with sewn-on safety pins, buttons and studs. A sample from Queen’s I Want to Break Free rang out over the soundtrack: [It’s about] freedom of design, freedom of thinking [and] freedom of being,’ she concluded. JM

At Wooyoungmi, Madame Woo conjures icy South Korean winters

‘South Korean winters are cold,’ said Madame Woo as a preface to her A/W 2026 collection for Wooyoungmi, conjured in the Paris showspace with a faux-fur runway evocative of a fresh layer of powdered snow. The designer said she had been thinking about winters past, both in her native Korea and beyond: here, Edwardian double-breasted tailcoats were edged with astrakhan (or, at least, an illusory faux fur version), as were waistcoats, while more contemporary iterations of cold-weather attire – from faux-fur lined puffer jackets and elongated windbreakers – provided a counterpoint (such juxtapositions between modernity and tradition are found throughout Madame Woo’s work). Meanwhile playful flourishes came in the enormous beanie hats that teetered on models’ heads, oversized furry gloves, and a colourful clash of fairisle knits. JM

With barely a moment for the dust to settle on 2025, a year dubbed by commentators as ‘fashion’s big reset’ (look back on Wallpaper’s 25 fashion moments of 2025 to see why), the cycle begins once again this January with the arrival of the A/W 2026 edition of Men’s Fashion Week. As ever, this will include stops in Florence for Pitti Uomo, the historic menswear trade fair which happens twice-yearly, Milan and Paris, the latter providing the bulk of this season’s schedule.

Though notably quieter than Women’s Fashion Week, which begins next month in New York, there will still be a number of intriguing moments to look out for – not least Jonathan Anderson’s sophomore menswear collection for Dior, after debuting at the house last June. With numerous big-name houses sitting out the men’s schedule this season – including Loewe, Balenciaga and Lanvin – it will likely prove the standout show of the week. Elsewhere in Paris, Véronique Nichanian will hold her swansong show for Hermès – a no-doubt heartfelt affair which will celebrate a record-breaking 37-year tenure defined by both commercial and critical success.

From this season’s roster of Pitti Uomo guest designers to Paul Smith’s return to Milan, we look forward to the imminent Men’s Fashion Week A/W 2026 and the schedule’s defining moments.

Pitti Uomo (13–16 January 2025)

Historic menswear fair Pitti Uomo, which centres around Florence’s 14th-century Fortezza da Basso – as well as a handful of dramatic locations across the Cradle of the Renaissance – takes place twice-yearly, coinciding with Men’s Fashion Month (generally, attendees take the train from Florence to Milan after its conclusion, where the month continues). Alongside the main fair – which will see showcases from Brunello Cucinelli, Piacenza 1773 and Caruso, among others – are a handful of guest designers, which this season are headlined by Hed Mayner, who will show his A/W 2026 collection at the event (previous guest designers have included Raf Simons, Grace Wales Bonner and Martine Rose, among others).

Mayner, who shows each season in Paris and is known for his inventive riffs on wardrobe staples, says he is ‘excited to show [his] work in such an amazingly rich and historical city like Florence... This new context will encourage me to try new things.’ He will show in the Palazzina Reale di Santa Maria Novella, an imposing modernist building in the same complex as Santa Maria Novella station. He will be joined by fellow guest designer Soshi Otsuki, who hails from Japan and won the 2025 LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers. He has chosen the refectory of Santa Maria Novella church for the occasion, expressing his ‘deep honour’ to be chosen as one of the season’s guest designers.

Milan Fashion Week Men’s (16–19 January 2025)

On Friday 16 January, eyes will turn to Milan, where the Italian style capital will host the latest edition of Milan Fashion Week Men’s. Despite a somewhat scant schedule – certainly in comparison to Paris – there remains a handful of shows which will no doubt define the season ahead. Most notably, Prada, where Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons will show their latest collection on Sunday afternoon (the house’s highly influential collections often will set the tone for the upcoming month of shows, and beyond). Zegna, meanwhile, will switch from closing proceedings to opening them – the house will now show at 3pm on Friday 16 January – while Ralph Lauren will make his return to the Milan runway with a menswear presentation that same evening. Paul Smith is also returning to Milan after showing in the city last season; he joins a raft of the city’s mainstays, including Dolce & Gabbana, DSquared2 and Giorgio Armani, the latter hosting the first menswear show since the death of the house’s eponymous founder last September. Emporio Armani, meanwhile, will sit this menswear season out.

Paris Fashion Week Men’s (20–25 January 2025)

Making up the bulk of the schedule is Paris Fashion Week Men’s, which will begin with a no-doubt blockbuster show from Pharrell Williams at Louis Vuitton on January 20 and run all the way until the evening of January 25 (Jacquemus will close the month on Sunday night). Standout moments include a much-anticipated sophomore men’s collection from Jonathan Anderson at Dior – his first show last summer was critically lauded, and arrived in stores earlier this January – while Véronique Nichanian will bow out after a 37-year tenure at Hermès. She will hold a final show on the evening of Saturday 24 January, before her successor, British designer Grace Wales Bonner, takes over the Parisian house’s menswear collections later this year. New to the schedule this season is underground Bologna-based label Magliano (the brand usually shows in Milan), joining a roster of major names including Rick Owens, Comme des Garçons, Dries Van Noten, Issey Miyake and Sacai. Meanwhile, Willy Chavarria – one of the Wallpaper* USA 400 for 2025 – will continue to show in Paris this season, the third season showing away from his native New York.

Menswear brand Sunspel is relaunching its original British Boxer Short model, 40 years after it was made famous by an iconic Levi’s advert. However, the story of Sunspel and the boxer short started long before this.

The garment, as the name suggests, has its origins in boxing: in 1925, sportswear company Everlast introduced a new type of lightweight, elastic-waistband short designed for fighters. These garments were soon adopted as everyday underwear, particularly in the United States.

The story behind Sunspel’s iconic boxer shorts

It wasn’t until 1947 that boxer shorts made their way to the UK – thanks to Sunspel, according to the brand. John Hill, the great-grandson of Sunspel’s founder, discovered the style during his honeymoon in the US and brought the idea back home. Hill refined the design by adding a back panel, smoothing the seams and using premium long-staple cotton, transforming a utilitarian item into a luxury garment.

The Sunspel Boxer Short cemented its status as a classic in 1985, thanks to one of the most memorable TV commercials in advertising history: the Levi’s laundrette advert, in which British model and singer Nick Kamen strolls into a 1950s-style American laundromat, strips down to his white (Sunspel) boxers, and casually waits for his jeans to wash. The ad made the Boxer Short a staple overnight, and to this day, it accounts for nearly 50 per cent of Sunspel’s underwear sales.

Now, nearly 40 years later, Sunspel is reissuing the original model as part of its A/W 2025 collection. The reissue brings back the boxer in three archival stripe colourways, and is also presented in the original packaging, offering a nostalgic nod to a design that changed the landscape of men’s underwear.

Alongside the reissue, Sunspel is also introducing a new sustainable fabric to its range. Made from Tencel, a fibre derived from renewable wood sources, the new line includes a T-shirt, trunks and briefs. These additions, says the brand, reflect ‘the interplay between Sunspel’s unique heritage and its commitment to modern comfort’.

The 40-Year Archive Reissue and new Tencel collection will be available from 11 September on Sunspel's website and in stores.

A mood of levity and play infused the S/S 2024 menswear collections, seeing designers combine colour and silhouette for enlivening looks primed for brighter days ahead.

Here, as seen in the March 2024 Style Issue of Wallpaper* (on newsstands worldwide now), the season‘s uplifting mood is captured in a series of images by London-based photographer Grace Difford with fashion by David St John James. 

Step change: S/S 2024’s enlivening menswear

From the vivid hues of Prada’s lavender trench coat to the bold, high-waisted silhouette of Loewe’s latest menswear collection – designer Jonathan Anderson said that he wanted the looks to appear as if being viewed through a fish-eye lens – this season’s best menswear looks are designed to be a delight to wear.

Completing it all, a series of accessories to match the eclectic mood – whether milliner Stephen Jones’ flower-adorned beanies for Dior Men (Kim Jones said he wanted his models to feel like sprouting blooms as they emerged from the gleaming metal floor at his S/S 2024 show) or a breezy damier-check denim cowboy hat, part of Pharrell Wiliams’ blockbuster debut collection for Louis Vuitton.

Models: Gabriel at PRM, Joan at Success, Leo at Tomorrow Is Another Day. Casting: Ikki Casting at The Art Board. Grooming: Moe Mukai. Movement director: Anders Hayward at Unsigned Group. Photography assistants: Max Glatzhofer, Nick Freeman. Fashion assistant: Rachel Allison. Grooming assistant: Nao Sato.

A version of this article appears in the March 2024 Style Issue of Wallpaper* available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today.

Obayaty is a new brand that wants men to explore the transformative potential of make-up. It launched in December 2023 with a line of seven cosmetic and skincare products. These range from the subtle (a tinted eye cream, a stick concealer, a lip balm, bronzer and highlighter) to the bold (coloured eye pens and nails polishes), all with forward-thinking yet functionally designed packaging.

The design-led vision for Obayaty’s make-up for men

Obayaty is following in the footsteps of brands such as Pleasing, Milk, and Byredo –which take a gender-neutral approach to make-up – and Chanel, whose Boy de Chanel range provides a slightly subdued version of the main cosmetic line.

However, Obayaty is trying to take men’s beauty one step further with a more varied range of products specifically designed to address the needs of men. ‘We understand that masculinity is no longer one-size-fits-all,’ the Obayaty team told us. ‘We’ve moved beyond the stage where norms are dictated. Modern men are characterised by their willingness to embrace transformation, a characteristic that lies at the heart of Obayaty.’ 

Both the make-up and the skincare are designed to respond to the unique challenges of men’s skin, which include larger pores, heightened sebum production, rough texture, dry patches and shaving irritation. Products such as Face Contour, a sculpting bronzer stick, and the Retouch Stick, a creamy concealer, provide buildable colour and are formulated with botanical oils to hydrate skin and prevent shine.

The eye pens come in five shades, including a traditional black, punchy pink and a shimmery silver, and can be used to line the eyes or smudged to create a shadow effect. The use of shea butter and natural waxes means the products melt into the skin to be wearable throughout the day and complement, rather than dominate, the wearer’s face.

All products come in gunmetal-hued packaging that is compact enough to be kept in a pocket and used throughout the day. Ultimately, it is a mixture of versatility and usability that defines the Obayaty mission. ‘What sets our products apart is their user-friendly design, making them easy to incorporate into any routine, and a formulation crafted to eliminate common mistakes,’ say the team. ‘Our commitment lies in offering a seamless and natural experience that enhances the wellbeing and confidence of men.’

obayaty.com

An open locker with a lit-up birthday cake inside; a dropped house plant; the otherworldly glow of a vending machine – a new photo series, featuring the best menswear pieces of A/W 2022, offers a surreal riff on the working uniform set amid an after-hours office-scape.

Photographed by London-based film and image-maker Dorothy Sing Zhang – whose work often features figures set in uncanny takes on quotidian settings, from suburban living rooms to aeroplane cabins – and styled by Ben Schofield, the series features in the December 2022 Issue of Wallpaper* (on international newsstands now). Sing Zhang has previously been named one of Wallpaper’s emerging photographic rising stars. 

After Hours: A/W 2022 menswear by Dorothy Sing Zhang

Titled ‘After Hours’, the series offers a playful directive on re-balancing your work-life wardrobe, transforming traditional officewear with flourishes of glamour – whether the addition of an elegant Valentino Garavani evening glove to a classic double-breasted jacket and pinstripe trouser, a line of studs along the side seam of an otherwise formal grey wool trouser by Gucci, or an intricately embroidered jacket by Kim Jones at Dior combined with a striped beret by rising British milliner James Pink. 

Models: Aditya at Next Models, Freddie at Models 1, Otto Fuchs. Casting: Sam Franco. Grooming: Mike O’Gorman at Saint Luke Artists. Photography assistants: Conor Rollins, Anqi Liu. Fashion assistants: Dominik Radomski, Kit Swann. 

A version of this article appears in the December 2022 Entertaining Issue of Wallpaper*, available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

‘Who are we? Where are we going? Is it real, is it not real?’ said Jonathan Anderson after his A/W 2022 menswear show for Loewe, a collection which indeed inhabits a surreal realm: a vest is illuminated with glowing LED lights, rubber boots arrive in bulbous proportions, jackets and handbags are covered with metal plugholes as if transplanted from a kitchen sink (the latter reminiscent of American sculptor Robert Gober’s riffs on the domestic, which take the familiar and make it strange, much like Anderson’s work). 

A/W 2022 menswear: conceptual moments

It is a reflection of a conceptual mood which permeates the menswear collections this season, where everyday garments are reimagined with unexpected results. A classic Church’s loafer is sliced with holes – designed to recall those in found Swiss cheese or the craters left after a meteor storm – part of a collaboration between the historic shoemaker and Off-White (the partnership was first teased in the late Virgil Abloh’s final collection for the brand, marking one of the designer’s last fashion collaborations). When worn, they offer a playful glimpse of sock – or foot – beneath.

At Raf Simons, a cap is melded with a cape, inspired by a hooded figure in a 16th-century painting by Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder, refracted through the Belgium designer’s always contemporary lens (he worked on the design with legendary milliner Stephen Jones). Abloh’s swansong at Louis Vuitton perhaps best encapsulates A/W22’s imaginative flights – handbags fashioned to evoke paint pots, bunches of leather flowers, or dotted with coloured ‘holds’ like those found on a climbing wall – where surreal fashion reflects surreal times.

A version of this article appears in the November 2022 issue of Wallpaper*, available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today!

The Bloomsbury Set, a collection of writers, artists and intellectuals who occupied the London neighbourhood in the early decades of the 20th century, has provided ample inspiration for fashion designers across generations. From Kim Jones at Fendi to Rei Kawakubo at Comme des Garçons – and, as of this season, British designer Oliver Spencer – the movement’s liberated, bohemian spirit and aesthetic preoccupations have proved timeless touch points.

Released for A/W 2022, Spencer’s latest collection is titled ‘The Bloomsbury Man’, which the designer says combines a vision of the archetypal ‘1920s artist and thinker’ – Duncan Grant or EM Forster, perhaps, both members of the set – with his own contemporary, relaxed vision of tailoring. 

The Bloomsbury Man: Oliver Spencer A/W 2022

Arriving in an earthy colour palette evocative of a British autumn, alongside classic blues, greys and mustards, Spencer focuses this season on an eclectic array of textures to add richness to the collection – among them terry cord, needlecord, jumbo wale corduroy, brushed organic cotton and ecological wools. 

Spencer says the various pieces are designed to be mixed and matched with abandon, in a manner evocative of the Bloomsbury Set’s eclectic interiors – notably, Charleston House in Sussex – where a miscellany of fabrics, wallpapers and prints were used in singular spaces. ‘The collection complements the wearer’s creativity and experimentation,’ says Spencer. 

Ready for the incoming autumn and winter months, and times spent indoors, silhouettes are loose and relaxed – unstructured wool tailoring and Donegal knits with a flecked appearance – though cut with an intrinsic elegance which allows the pieces to be worn whatever the demands of the occasion. 

New introductions for the season include the Mansfield jacket – a blazer with peaked lapels and a tab closure, finished with horizontal stitch detailing for surface interest – while the cult Solms jacket is reimagined in jumbo cord, ready to be worn with matching trousers or eclectically mixed with the other pieces in the collection (or, indeed, your own wardrobe).

INFORMATION

oliverspencer.co.uk

The British designer Aaron Esh, a recent master’s graduate of Central Saint Martins, grew up in east London, a location which remains inscribed on his work. Subversions of traditional menswear garments – such as a bubble-hem mini skirt built onto a pair of tailored trousers, or a leather jacket with swirling protrusions emerging from its shoulders – are inspired by, and made for, his friends, most of whom gather in the east London neighbourhood of Dalston. 

‘It’s about taking something authentic, the people that I know, the clothes they wear, and mixing that with the fashion references I like,’ says Esh of his so-far concise catalogue of clothing, comprising a six-look final collection shown at the Central Saint Martins MA show in February 2022. Despite its brevity, it has already been bought in full by Ssense, a major North American e-retailer, and sees Esh feature in a portfolio of emerging menswear designers in Wallpaper’s September 2022 Style Issue. 

A feeling of control and sensuality defines Esh’s approach, reminiscent of two designers he references as inspiration – Tom Ford during his tenure at Gucci in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and Helmut Lang’s collections of the same period. ‘It’s about reimagining that reference on this east London, Dalston boy,’ says Esh. In particular, a loop of metal in lieu of a strap on a black asymmetric tank top seems to recall the abstract metal buckles across Ford’s seminal A/W 1996 collection for Gucci, though in Esh’s case, such flourishes are informed by the designer’s fascination with sculpture and form (which he credits to his mother, a sculptor and artist).

New menswear: Aaron Esh A/W 2022

This same fascination extends to the fastidious physical construction of each garment. ‘They’re for people who want to feel fit, to feel great,’ says Esh of his clothes, which he hopes accentuate their wearer’s features. To achieve this, each garment might be fitted onto a model six or seven times in order to perfect its shape (during the course of his MA, Esh even utilised full-body scanning to further refine this process). Moulded leather and twisting metalwork – both of which he calls his ‘signatures’ – add a feeling of underlying strangeness to archetypal menswear pieces (the biker jacket, the hoodie, the dress shoe, the tailored blazer).

His exploration of these building blocks of menswear might be traced back over half a century to the 1960s, when Esh’s paternal grandfather, a tailor, first moved to east London from Cyprus. Later, Esh’s aunt would run an East End clothing factory. ‘I’ve always been around clothing, and manufacturing,’ says the designer, though his own connection to this heritage only came to the fore when he switched to fashion from graphic design at the age of 25. ‘I was always interested in kids on the street wearing clothes, not this amazing couture thing, but what people wore and how they wore it. I always wanted to make a body of work, and fashion just became the medium. I was good at it.’ 

Hours before, Esh had returned from another London factory, picking up the pieces from his graduate collection produced to be sold. ‘It feels like a very personal experience to be like: OK, these clothes are now going to be for sale, because I never really designed them with that intention,’ he says – now, he is not only Aaron Esh the designer, but Aaron Esh the label. Either way, he’s steadfast in doing things his own way – a little under the radar, made for those in-the-know. 

‘For me it’s about leaning on my community; engaging with people who matter to us. You start to realise that it’s not the clicks, or likes, or followers, or the celebrities or musicians who wear it which make something great – it’s about the fashion.’

INFORMATION

A version of this article appears in the September 2022 issue of Wallpaper*, available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today!

instagram.com/aaron.esh

An edit of electrically charged looks from the A/W 2022 menswear season, which draw inspiration from the hedonistic rush of the dance floor and the severity of classical menswear alike.

Captured in a series of images by London-based photographer George Harvey and styled by Wallpaper* fashion director Jason Hughes, here is an exploration of the season’s underground mood, taken from the Wallpaper* September Style Issue. 

A/W 2022 menswear: an edit in photos

A version of this article appears in the September 2022 issue of Wallpaper*, available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today!

Dior’s Kim Jones is the curatorial king of collaboration, but for A/W 2022 the men’s artistic director of the French maison was most preoccupied with celebrating the history of the brand’s founder Monsieur Dior. The label’s show took place in Paris on the birthday of Christian Dior – who was born 21 January 1905 – and celebrated both 75 years since the label's first show, and 25 years since it first collaborated with milliner Stephen Jones. 

Kim Jones’ collection riffed on signatures synonymous with the brand: Monsieur Dior’s affection for Trianon grey, with which he decorated the walls of his Avenue Montaigne salons; and the brand’s famed New Look, which shocked the fashion world when it was showcased in 1947, with its cinched, waist-celebrating volumes and superfluous use of fabric. Both were celebrated in the Dior A/W 2022 menswear offering, which featured soft menswear interpretations of the Bar Jacket silhouette and looks in sumptuous shades of grey, from tracksuits to tailoring. 

Dior A/W 2022 and recreating Pont Alexandre III

Just as Kim Jones turned his attention to the heritage of the house, so too he looked to the topographical history of its home city. The collection was unveiled on a long, majestic runway, which recreated Paris’ historic bridge, Pont Alexandre III, and offered a cinematic, sweeping vision of the city.

The bridge, which was built in celebration of the 1900 Exposition Universelle (or Paris Exposition), and is a Seine-crossing stalwart of the city’s skyline, connects the Grand Palais on the Left Bank and the Petit Palais on the Right Bank. Named after Tsar Alexander III, it was designed by the architects Joseph Cassien-Bernard and Gaston Cousin in the Art Nouveau style, and features four 17m-high pylons. Gilt bronze sculptures of winged horses flank each pylon, representing Arts, Sciences, Commerce and Industry. The centre of the arched bridge also features hammered copper nymphs, which were created to memorialise the historic Franco-Russian Alliance. These elements were recreated in gilded glamour on the Dior runway.

Dior’s audience was offered a glimpse of history, incorporating both the maison’s design and geographical heritage. Jones’ recreation of the Pont Alexandre III provides a spectacular step into the brand’s future.

INFORMATION

dior.com

When Kenzo Takada opened his first boutique in Paris in 1970 – after moving from Japan to the French capital – he chose Galerie Vivienne, one of the city’s most iconic 19th-century covered arcades, as its location. The boutique ushered in a liberated, Eastern-inflected exuberance to the conservative echelons of French fashion – then more associated with gilded Place Vendôme salons – that was brimming with effusive floral prints, unrestrictive kimono shapes and a colour wheel of materials. A reflection of his love of nature, Takada named his first store Jungle Jap and painted its walls with scenes inspired by Henri Rousseau’s The Dream (1910). ‘The opening of the store brought a certain freedom and off-the-wall aesthetic,’ he explained in the 2019 monograph Kenzo Takada, published by ACC Books. 

In 1970, Takada also staged his first fashion show inside his Galerie Vivienne boutique. Today, the brand’s new creative director Nigo – streetwear supremo, musician, founder of Tokyo-based A Bathing Ape and co-founder of Billionaire Boys Club, the first Japanese designer since Takada to take the brand’s creative helm, and a fellow graduate of Tokyo’s Bunka Fashion College – nodded to this history, staging his debut, A/W 2022 show for Kenzo inside Galerie Vivienne’s historic glass-and-steel enclosed enclaves. 

Here, focus was placed on the clothing, as guests – including Kanye West, fellow Billionaire Boys Club co-founder Pharrell Williams and Tyler, the Creator (who are both also featured on Nigo's upcoming album I Know Nigo) – sat on simple foldable wooden chairs that lined the Galerie Vivienne arcade. For A/W 2022, Nigo’s silhouettes, which were grounded in a ‘real-to-wear’ authentic wardrobe, harked back to the designer’s 1980s teenage years in Japan, which revelled in the revival of 1950s Americana, amplified by the country’s post-Second World War links with American culture. This translated into relaxed, insouciant looks that hybridised sportswear, workwear and suiting, riffed on traditional Japanese uniform and UK 1980s subcultural styles, and celebrated the motifs synonymous with the house, such as the tiger, and floral patterns, like blue and red pansies and colourful bouquets. 

Think pinstripe suits layered with flat kimono-shape wool jackets inspired by the uniforms of Japanese potters, colourful American college knitted vests paired with high-waisted trousers and chunky lion’s head belts, pansy-print bowling shirts styled with full skirts, padded motocross gloves and chunky Chelsea boots, and dark or stonewash Japanese denim all-in-ones that resembled utilitarian overalls layered with shirts. Varsity jackets nodded to US youth dressing codes, which have long inspired Japanese style (and are always found in the city’s vintage shops), Prince of Wales check suits, Harris Tweed overcoats, parkas and striped scarves nodded to British Mod-style, while apron-like garments referenced the foldable silhouettes worn during traditional tea ceremonies. The concept of ‘impractical workwear' translated into desert boots and workwear embellished with floral prints. Hats were sported with almost every look, including berets, cycling casquettes and field caps. 

Where Kenzo Takada forged his first pathway into French fashion, so Nigo – whose A/W 2022 Kenzo show was his catwalk first – traced out the future of the label. It’s bright, bold, decade-spanning, and rooted in reality.

INFORMATION

kenzo.com

When it came to the A/W 2022 menswear season in Milan, aficionados at home – and those watching IRL in the Italian city – had a sweep of style heroes to choose from. At Prada, a host of actors emerged from a futuristic illuminated tunnel at its Fondazione Prada Deposito space, including Twin Peaks’ Kyle MacLachlan, dinosaur-digging (and previously unofficial Prada mascot) Jeff Goldblum, Moonlight’s Ashton Sanders and Sex Education’s Otis Butterfield. Meanwhile, at Dolce & Gabbana, the label appealed to Gen-Z fans, with a performance from a sequin suit-clad Machine Gun Kelly. 

While the A/W 2022 season has been beleagured by the threat of Omicron and rising infection rates in Europe, a host of behemoth and burgeoning brands presented both physical and online shows from the Italian capital. DSquared2 celebrated its in-person return after a Covid-19 induced hiatus, and Prada presented its first physical menswear show under the co-creative directorship of Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons. Ermenegildo Zegna and MSGM favoured a digital presentation, as did JW Anderson, the British brand which had originally been scheduled to present its first physical fashion show in Milan - this will now take place in June 2022. 

6 key takeaways from Milan Fashion Week men’s A/W 2022

Classicism is back on the menswear menu

Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, designers have postulated on the future of the menswear cannon, considering the relevance of tailoring and the staying power of relaxed silhouettes. At Prada, the Milanese label turned this concept on its head, shirking seemingly endless conversations around comfort and loungewear, in favour of a wardrobe firmly rooted in work. ‘The language of sartorial tailoring, a formality which confers an importance,' read the brand's press release, of a collection which welded the executive with the utilitarian, featuring exaggerated leather trenchcoats, asymmetric blazers accented with shearling armbands, hazard-hued slacks and glossy boilersuits. A vital accessory for your vending machine change? A triangle motif coin purse attached to your belt buckle.

At Fendi, Silvia Fenturini Fendi was also captivated by notions of classicism. The Roman house presented a ‘treasure trove of future heirlooms' that riffed on the elegance and sophistication of old world silhouettes: Vichy check tweed overcoats, boxy cropped tuxedos, pilot's jackets and short suits, imagined in raspberry, mocha, taupe and white. In a dandyish flourish, sweeping coats were pinned with shearling corsages, Mary Jane brogues buckled with wristwatch strapes and bags had evening time proportions.

Elsewhere, Aspesi's Laurence Steele was struck by archetypal silhouettes, combining finesse with function, while Brunello Cucinelli mediated between differing sartorial codes, presenting luxurious pieces from peacoats to down jackets, incorporating super fine wools, shearling and Prince of Wales houndstooth. Tod's took inspiration from contemporary Italian art, tracing the line of its A/W 2022 silhouette back to the country's creative cannon, with updated classics in forest tones like fur-effect bomber jackets inspired by the traditional lining of outerwear and cashmere gymwear. 

Deep burgundy and bold blue: choose your favourite hue

Flavoursome news for wine buffs: a deep burgundy bolstered the Milan catwalks, as demonstrated by brands including Fendi, Ermenegildo Zegna and 1017 ALYX 9SM. Zegna's meditations around the ‘new suit', featuring softly rippling tailoring, drew on an organic palette, terracotta and tangerine, while 1017 ALYX 9SM – which presented in Milan for the first time – drew on lilacs, cherry reds and nude. Elsewhere, oceanic blues were favoured, with Brioni's Norbert Stumpfl creating bold suiting, including daytime double-breasted wool suits and striking silk satin tuxedos in exuberant turquoise. 

Inspect your new errogenous zone

Skin was a central element of the S/S 2022 shows, and continues to take extrovert effect for autumn. The erogenous zone of choice for the upcoming season? A sultry sliver of chest. At Fendi, this was demonstrated with heart-shaped cut-outs on cable knit roll-necks and V-necks in cricket white and glittering raspberry. At JW Anderson - whose digital runway show reveled in party silhouettes, fantastical flourishses and an all-out abandon into weirdness, the chest was revealed in knitwear weaved into chunky loops and hula hoop hemline crop tops in bright paintbox tones.

Power to the shoulder

Designers weren't concerned with playing proportions safe for A/W 2022, serving up striking strong-shouldered silhouettes that even David Byrne would be driven to. You'll need to watch out for Prada's work-inspired power-shouldered trenchcoats when you're in the office. Ardusse's Gaetano Colucci was also inspired by the strong shoulder. The label's collection fluctuated between decades, drawing on the frilled prom shirting of the Seventies, grungey long-sleeve tees and Ivy League style of of the Nineties and the power shoulder tailoring of the Eighties, with bold blown up check mohair coats in a square silhouette. 

Meet me in the Metaverse

Brands continue to experiment with the physical and online worlds: JW Anderson and Dolce & Gabbana recently launched NFTs, Phillip Plein accepts cryptocurrency, and glitchy, pixelated prints abound in brands collections - just look to the checkerboard and graffiti prints at Dolce & Gabbana. At Fendi – a brand that continues to experiment with the tech accessory world – the label teamed up with Ledger Nano X, on a Baguette bag shape that incorporates digital hardware wallet for cryptocurrency. JW Anderson also experimented with the digital realm. In anticipation of the brand's online show, the label released short films of female avatars sporting its A/W 2022 designs, jumping from the screens of iPhones and springing on stars. Video also unveiled blinking eyelids accented with bold make-up, with a JW anchor monogram logo at the centre of their pupil. 

Adventure is always on the cards

Happy campers have even more reason to be cheerful, as a host of brands celebrated the great outdoors, revelling in a nomadic and adventurous spirit. DSquared2 went wild with layered silhouettes that nodded to a range of outdoor pursuits from rock climbing to camping, to bouldering and birdwatching, with ponchos and sequinned cagoules, snuggly sleeping bag coats and quilted shorts, that riffed on the high-tech and the hippy. Missoni was also about high altitude. The brand's Mountain Calling capsule collection features psychedelic Nordic knits, featuring alpine scenes and a trippy logo. Etro too inclined to the outdoors, with a collection featuring wolf, fox and snowflake intarsia knit jumpers, jewel tone raincoats and puffers, plus velvet robe coats for a more resplendent take on around-the-campire dressing.

Technical outerwear specialist C.P Company, which continues to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary milestone and is fresh from a collaboration with Emporio Armani, also hosted the exhibition ‘Cinquata', featuring seventy iconic archival designs, sketches and memorabilia, that have defined the label's half-century. A-Cold-Wall also presented a digital film revelling in the label's performance and sportswear tropes, featuring striking foiled trousers and tracksuits swathed in paint, inspired by building materials like clay and plaster. 

In recent years, Pitti Uomo in Florence has been heralded as not just the epicentre of tailoring, but the event to flock to for outerwear enthusiasts. Technical clothing has become a byword for ‘cool' in the menswear scene, as performance wear aficionados obsess over innovative fabrications, garment longevity and dyeing techniques, suitable for hardy treks, rough terrain and terrible weather, but also for a sportswear-inflected look in the city. 

Italian outerwear label Ten c is at the forefront of design innovation, and this week, as part of Pitti Uomo 101, the label presented its latest collection at the Fortezza da Basso. For A/W 2022 it has taken the concept of ‘hybridisation’ as its central creative tenet, creating a menswear collection – spanning parkas, puffer jackets, trousers and mid-layers, in neutral and organic shades, bold mandarin red and bright Klein blue – which explores differing materials and techniques, and unites juxtaposing fabrics. 

Ten c A/W 2022: embrace hybrid design

As usual, the label's signature OJJ fabric, a denim-resembling high-density nylon and polyester fibre jersey that is windproof and water-repellent, made using a high-temperature, high-pressure dyeing process, takes focus. OJJ is used to craft down-filled jackets, and a 12oz variation features in Ten c’s Storm Parka, a remastered version of the Royal Air Force Jacket. Pushing technical innovation, for the first time, OJJ is piece-dyed, and garments are completely taped with pockets and hooded details, with garment elements preformed and heat-bonded. In outerwear, trousers and crewnecks and hoodies, OJJ is also teamed with garment-dyed fleece, sheepskin, transparent nylon, nylon tactel, and transparent resined nylon. 

For Ten c, militaristic and technical elements are blended. Materials are combined that may appear incompatible in terms of garment dyeing, like polyester and nylon.

A/W 2022 also proposes a total look, bringing together not just outerwear, but bouclé and merino twist yarn knitwear that resembles snuggly fleece, plus heavy cotton satin trousers.

Planning a trip that encompasses a tiring trek and a city break? Ten c's hybrid creations have all the diverse design elements you need. 

INFORMATION
tenc.com

The Omicron variant is having a major impact on the upcoming A/W 2022 menswear shows, from Pitti to Paris. Here we present our expert guide to how each fashion city is approaching the upcoming season, which kicks off later this week.

Men’s fashion week A/W 2022: all you need to know

Pitti Immagine Uomo 10111 – 13 January 2022

Kicking off men’s fashion week A/W 2022, prepare for sprezzatura (Italy’s brand of studied carelessness) to return to the Tuscan capital, as Florence plays host to a menswear extravaganza, themed around the concept of ‘Reflections'. Unfortunately, rises in infection cases of the Omnicron variant have led to schedule cancellations, from brands including Brunello Cucinelli and guest brand Ann Demeulemeester. Still, Kiton presents its casual line KTN for the first time; Paul & Shark cements its commitment to sustainability; and British heritage label Connolly debuts its Sporting collection.

Milan Fashion Week15 – 17 January 2022

A number of brands have cancelled physical presentations and events, due to rising Omicron infection rates in Europe, including Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani, Gucci, MSGM and JW Anderson, which was scheduled to present its first menswear show in Italy. However, look out for catwalk shows from brands including Fendi, Prada, Ermenegildo Zegna and Dolce & Gabbana.

Paris Fashion Week18 – 23 January 2022

Crossing the English Channel has proved tricky in the wake of Covid-19 travel restrictions, but a host of behemoth and burgeoning brands are presenting in the French capital. Expect shows from Rick Owens, Loewe, Issey Miyake and Hermès. In a moving tribute, Louis Vuitton will present the final collection of the late Virgil Abloh, who passed away in November 2021.

Menswear designers walked on the bright side for A/W 2021, going for bold with silhouettes in vibrant, eye-catching hues. Our advice on how to sport these punchy, prismatic tones? Pick a shade from the colour spectrum, the more standout the better, and make it your signature for the season – with one of these men’s coats for winter, for example. 

An outerwear piece is an effective way to work colourful exuberance into your wardrobe, and a host of brands are advocating tailored, utilitarian or sportswear-centric jackets, coats and outerwear in zesty, high-alert hues. These men’s winter coats advocate a cheerful style approach, in a season often marred by dark nights, nippy temperatures and a tendency towards hibernation. 

In a bid to inject ‘optimism’, Milanese brand Prada proposed hot pink, in a collection that featured snuggly knitted bodysuits in retro patterned intarsia, bright leather gloves and pillow-like oversized clutch bags. Louis Vuitton men’s artistic director Virgil Abloh injected pillar box-red into his collection for the Parisian maison, serving up a spectrum of silhouettes spanning tailoring, kilts, traditional Ghanian dress and sportswear. Florentine brand Salvatore Ferragamo and British label Dunhill experimented with oceanic tones such as creamy shades of sea foam and cerulean. The former, Italian brand was inspired by interstellar dressing for A/W 2021, referencing otherworldly movie wardrobes and films and television series including The Matrix and Doctor Who.

Men’s coats for winter: colour it in with Dunhill, Prada,

For maximum dressing impact, we suggest experimenting with men’s coats for winter in tactile fabrications, like leather or high gloss. These will withstand the chill of winter, but will also ensure you shine style-wise all season. These head-turning materials will emphasise the multifarious shades of A/W 2021’s pencil box of prismatic tones – shades that will transcend trends and seasons and stand out long after 2021 – whether you err towards fuchsia, pillar box-red or sea foam. 

INFORMATION

A version of this article appears in the December 2021 issue of Wallpaper* (W*272), on newsstands and available to subscribers.

Another season of runway shows is negotiating the social restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic. But which cities are cementing their show-must-go-on spirit? Which labels are presenting IRL? And which brands are staying put in the digital sphere? Here we present our expert guide to how each fashion city is approaching the S/S 2022 womenswear shows, in London, New York, Milan and Paris

Fashion week S/S 2022: all you need to know

New York Fashion Week8-12 September

New York Fashion week very much came back back with a bang. A host of behemoth and burgeoning brands presented physical catwalk shows, brimmging with optimism, glamour and a sense of community and creativity, including Tom Ford, Proenza Schouler, Khaite and new runway additions  Peter Do and Maryam Nassir Zadeh. As if all that IRL excitement wasn't enough, the Met Gala followed on September 13, for the first time since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

London Fashion Week17-21 September

London Fashion Week touhced down in the city with a host of catwalk shows, presentations, parties and appointments, some of which take place in the newly minted TikTok show space. A host of British stalwarts showed for spring, including Roksanda, Simone Rocha and Erdem, alongside burgeoning brands which took to the catwalk for the first time, including 2021 LVMH Prize winner Nensi Dojaka, Supriya Lele and SS Daley.

Milan Fashion Week21-27 September

Organisational body Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI) announced a show schedule packed with IRL big hitters, including the first physical runway show from Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada, who announced their co-creative directorship of Prada in February 2020, just before the world went into lockdown, plus shows from Italian behemoths including Fendi, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani and Salvatore Ferragamo. 

Paris Fashion Week27 September-5 October

Paris Fashion Week S/S 2022 has been chock-a-block with physical and live streamed events. A host of emerging and established brands have stepped up, from Kenneth Ize to Christian Dior, Coperni to Louis Vuitton. The season ends with a show dedicated to the late great Alber Elbaz, who launched his label A-Z factory earlier this year. 

Surf style got a sophisticated update for summer, as brands from Saint Laurent to Casablanca embraced tropical motifs, shell details and an insouciant sun-drenched spirit. Been dreaming of sinking your toes into sand? Here we present the standout surf-inspired styles for high season, whether you're riding big waves, boogie boarding or simply soaking up the sun on the shore.

Your surf style shopping list

Trousers, by Gramicci x Brain Dead

Surf-centric trousers haven't got a patch on these splice and diced styles by Gramicci x Brain Dead's collaboration. These styles are also sublimely suited to rock climbing, should you look for an activity away from the shoreline.

wearebraindead.com

Flip-flops, by Sleeper

Surf devotees Nina and Frode are such fans of the sea that the Norweigan couple have launched Sleepers, an ocean plastic prohibiting flip-flop brand which creates colourful styles produced using natural tree rubber, tapped in Sri Lanka using Fairly Traded processes. Slip into a pair when you’re next taking in the beauty of the shore.

shop-sleepers.com

Cashmere hoody, by The Elder Statesman

Cashmere and bold colour, what could be more sunset ready? The Elder Statesman embodies the spirit of California with its laid back, prismatic pieces. Should you loan it to a windswept friend, we urge you to ensure it is returned.

mrporter.com

Stussy Laguna Beach, by Stussy and Comme des Garçons Parfums

Craving some Californian sun? We suggest a spritz of Stussy and Comme des Garçons Parfums' Laguna Beach eau de toilette. The fragrance offers a heady hit of marine freshness, that will transport you to Orange County's coastal shores, with notes of moss, atlas cedar and white solar flowers.

Surfboard, by Casablanca

There's an escapist spirit behind French brand Casablanca. The brand's latest offering is an ode to Hawaiian surf style, and features two single and double fin bespoke surfboards, crafted in Biarritz, by French-Moroccan shaper Terry André and surfer Yann Summers .

Board shorts, by Aries

Draw attention on sea or sand in Aries' Ikat board shorts. These styles tap into the London brand's love of logo prints and patterns, and their colourful glitchy motifs have a nostalgic 1990s nod, that will suit the mesmerising spirit of a sunset.

Shirt, by Saturdays NYC

This New York label has long had a synergy with a laid-back surfing spirit. This short sleeve checkerboard shirt has a retro-casual sensibility, and is accented with geometric peace signs for a Summer of Love sensibility.

Bucket hat, by Celine

Part of a collaboration with American painter Mr Gregory Edwards, this Celine bucket hat is inspired by the 2010 piece 'Stranded in the Jungle'. Its animal instinct will protect your face from sun and wind.

Bracelet, by Saint Laurent

Saint Laurent complemented its Hawaiian shirts and palm frond-swathed bomber jackets with beach-combed accessories. Case in point, this DIY leather bracelet, accented with cowrie shells and metal skulls.

Bag, by Loewe Paula's Ibiza

Loewe's Paula's Ibiza collection evokes the escapism of the balmy Balearics Islands. Jonathan Anderson's summer offering celebrates the wonders of Mediterranean wildlife, featuring bags inspired by the forms of turtles, octopuses, lizards and parrots.

Jacket, by Bode

The upcycled patchwork pieces in Bode's twill jacket give this colourful style a time-worn appeal. Its hand drawn illustrations and felt flourishes are sure to make for a conversation-starting cover up on the shore.

Sunglasses, by Oakley

Leave it to Oakley to offer an all weather and activity proof style of sunglasses. These wraparound Encoder shades come available with Prizm lenses, guaranted to enhance colour and contrast when you're taking in the skyline.

Pendleton's plush cotton terry towel in bold patterning will softly dry you down after a swim. The practical way to transport your post-wave warmer? This two-person towel comes complete with its own clip-in holder.

Slides, by Keen x Engineered Garments

Picture sinking into sand in these woven wonders. Keen x Engineered Garment's crafty collaboration has a comfort-focus too. These styles have an adjustable drawstring toggle and a cushioned sole. 

At the inaugural 2017 Desert X biennal in the Coachella Valley, American artist Doug Aitken created the land art installation Mirage, a mirrored house reflecting its arid, shrub-lined environment on its fractured façade. The structure was designed to act as a visual echo-chamber, informed by the architectural philosophies of Frank Lloyd Wright, who believed architecture should exist inside and outside of the landscape.

Last night in Venice, a stream of Saint Laurent models weaved around another futuristic Aitken structure, situated like a shining spaceship among the lush plants and trees of Isola della Certosa. Titled Green Lens, the mirrored living artwork was commissioned by the Parisian maison and formed the breathtaking backdrop to its S/S 2022 menswear show, the first physical catwalk presentation held by the brand since the Covid-19 pandemic began.

‘Green Lens is a living artwork. It is simultaneously an artwork, installation and stage. It’s like a lighthouse that one can journey to and have a very personal experience, while it also transmits light, ideas and questions. A focal point that allows all of us to share our ideas and visions for the future post Covid... a celebration and inquiry into the future,’ Aitken explains of the intention behind the artwork, which is on view to the public throughout July, and will be the location of thought-provoking performances and coversations.

Saint Laurent artistic director Anthony Vaccarello also offered visual inquiries into the future, creating a collection that interwove reflective elements from the past, like billowing Victorian capes, Glam Rock vertiginous platform boots, New Romantic frilled blousons and tailored jacquard trousers, and punky denim gilets. Like Aitken's sculpture, which emphasised mankind's present moment, situated somewhere in trepidatious time between the start and end of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Saint Laurent S/S 2022 collection riffed on genres through time to posit clothing for the present.

‘From the exterior [Green Lens] creates a choreography of changing reflections of clouds, mist and wild green vegetation. As day turns to night it glows and becomes a kinetic light sculpture and sound composition,’ Aitken adds.

INFORMATION

ysl.com

‘A tale of two gardens,' says stage design supremo Es Devlin of the horticultural heritage of the Dior S/S 2022 menswear show set, a psychedelic landscape, part arid Texan desert, part pruned plot, which took three weeks to create at the Hôtel National des Invalides in Paris.

‘This is all started from Kim Jones’ initial sketch – a row of cacti transforming into roses,’ says Devlin, referring to the first set design drawing shared by the brand's men's artistic director Kim Jones. This image nodded to the floricultural foundation of the brand: the label is synonymous with the rose motif, the favourite flower of Christian Dior, who built a rose garden on the clifftop of his parent's seaside Villa Les Rhumbs in Granville, Normandy. The sketch also made a botanical connection to the Houston birthplace of the brand’s S/S 2022 collaborator, the rapper and style icon Travis Scott, whose record label is called Cactus Jack. ‘He really thought of them like desert jewels,' Devlin adds.

In an arid-meets-Edenic S/S 2022 runway landscape, giant roses and cacti sprout from rocky crags, where horned skulls of desert creatures scorch in the sun. Ornamental arches, alluding to the pergola at Christian Dior's childhood home, trail with blooming roses. Jones also looked to the maison's founder’s favourite flower for his debut S/S 2019 runway show, erecting 10m effigy designed by American graffiti artist Kaws, covered with a blooming bed of 70,000 peonies and roses. For an added psychedelic twist, meanwhile, the set for Dior S/S 2022 sprouted with spongy mushrooms.

‘Whether you come from Houston, from the land of cacti, or whether you come from the south of France, the land of fragrant roses, you can meet in the same place,' Devlin says of the imaginative outdoor environment of the Dior S/S 2022 show set, which also symbolises the creative synergy between the brand's heritage and contemporary collaborations. Green fingered design today defies convention and location.

INFORMATION

dior.com

Living at one step removed has been the experience of many during the Covid-19 pandemic. Isolated, we've fixated nostalgically on the past, able only to reminisce about the sight of a buzzing crowd in a city, the humdrum satisfaction of people watching, the voyeuristic thrill of seeing others interacting on the streets. Now, presented through a Loewe collaboration, the evocative work of New York-based German artist Florian Krewer immerses us in a vision of urban dynamism.

‘In one way or another we have all being living vicariously over the past year,' says Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson, in the foreword to a monograph of Krewer’s work, which is part of a collector’s item box designed to accompany the launch of the Madrid house's S/S 2022 men's and Resort 2022 women's offering.

The project is the next installament of Anderson's show-in-a-box concept, a Duchamp-inspired way of bringing the multi-sensory buzz of a fashion show into someone's front room. For S/S 2021 womenswear, the brand released a ‘Show on the Wall' portfolio, complete with a roll of wallpaper designed by artist Anthea Hamilton, a paintbrush, scissors, and a canvas tool bag. For A/W 2021, the brand’s ‘The Loewe Show Has Been Cancelled’ concept featured a time capsule-centric metal tin, complete with a newspaper mock-up and a literary extract from Danielle Steel's latest novel The Affair.

Krewer's impressionistic paintings, formed in bold brushstrokes of oil on paper, linen and canvas, focus on predominantly male figures and animals, in indistinct urban landscapes. In Dance II (2020), a figure in a pastel-pink hoodie and slouchy tracksuit bottoms stands behind a dog against a backdrop of tower blocks. In untitled (2020), two topless men stand opposite each other against a fiery landscape, inflected with flecks and brushstrokes of orange and yellow paint. ‘Florian's paintings are like portals into other worlds,' Anderson adds in his foreword to Krewer's monograph. ‘As our cities have turned into dislocated places, these paintings capture the possibilities these urban spaces still offer.'

The attention to clothing in Krewer's pieces, sometimes the most strikingly detailed elements of his paintings, reflects his focus on depicting the contemporary climate. ‘Part of my work reflects my direct environment, the friends I hang out with, the city I live in,' he tells Wallpaper*. ‘It’s the silhouettes of the clothes that have my attention when I work on a composition. Not a specific brand or sneaker I am interested in, but rather the aspects of a garment’s shapes for a particular situation I want to paint. It’s a mixture of what we wear and what comes to my mind. I guess you can say it’s the moment in time we live in that speaks through my work.'

Krewer's monograph is presented against another volume of images, shot by photographer David Sims. The third element of Loewe's S/S 2022 show concept is a box brimming with ephemera, fold-out posters, collection images, a canvas bag stuffed with stick-on glow-in-the-dark stars. For his monograph, Krewer selected paintings, drawings and previously unseen photographs, which draw predominantly on New York City. ‘I focused on the most recent works from 2018 until today. Having lived in NYC for the past two years, you can see how the city has changed my work, the compositions and palette. The city has an intensity and immediacy that I really like, but also comes with a heightened pressure in all aspects of everyday life. This directness and dynamic, and the impact of that on my environment, can be found in the work when you look at it across a period of time.'

For those keen to submerge themselves in the artist's urban portals, Krewer has a show at Michael Werner Gallery London, which opens in September 2021. But there are subtle allusions to Krewer's works in Loewe's ecclectic and prismatic collection too: flashes of neon, slouchy sportswear silhouettes, circular details – and ultimately a sense of freedom we’re more than ready to embrace.

INFORMATION
loewe.com

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to curtail the fashion week schedule, we round up the brands which are bringing sartorial sway to the S/S 2022 menswear shows, whether presenting collections physically or online, from London, Milan, Pitti and Paris.

Kiko Kostadinov

Designing during a third lockdown and fighting the restrictions of Brexit, Kiko Kostadinov found the process behind his S/S 2022 collection creatively exhausting. Lacking the ability to travel and organically absorb inspiration, her took a personal parkour into memory, layering up fragments of narratives and influences that related to his diasporic design journey. Browsing an auction website, he stumbled across a Futurist teapot designed by Futurist artist Nikolay Diulgheroff, who Kostadinov was surprised to learn was a fellow Bulgarian, who settled in Italy in 1926.

The designer's fascination with Futurism began early in his fashion design journey, when Kostadinov began reading a book on socio-political manifestos, and he has found enduring influence in one of the Italian leaders of the movement, Giacomo Balla. The collection referenced the patchwork waistcoats beloved by Balla, also translated into shirting and coats spliced with panels of colour and shorts with pointed fronds in turquoise and brown. The textural brushstrokes in Balla's ‘Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash’ (1912) was also echoed in transparent blazers in circular folds of lace. Kostadinov was also keen to open his show – an interactive digital experience at Brixton Market – with a vest silhouette that slung low across the torso, a reference to the childhood memory of his father's interest in body building. ‘All these points allowed me to dive into the visual aspects of the collection,' he explained. ‘It's very easy to go to a museum or mark something in a book. I need to layer and layer everything in my head.'

Thebe Magugu

Magugu interweaves the facets of his South African heritage into his clothing, and for S/S 2022, the honorary guest designer of Pitti Uomo 100 was inspired by whistleblowers who challenge and stand up for corruption, who are often portrayed as pariahs rather than pioneers. Mandy Wiener's book ‘The Whistleblowers', which offers raw and evocative accounts of South Africa’s whistleblowers by drawing on first-hand narratives, inspired Magugu, who also looked to symbolic dressing traditions in Western films and the white hat-clad heroes and black hat-sporting bandits. Suiting and denim denoted tropes of masculinity, and silhouettes were swathed with archive illustrations by the political cartoonist Jonathan Zapiro. A cowboy-meets-equestrian boot also marked Magugu's first shoe design for his label.

‘We are living in a suspended moment,' mused Ami's Alexandre Mattiussi over Zoom, considering the purgatorial position in life that the pandemic has placed us in. For S/S 2022 the designer served up optimistic, upbeat and party-focused clothing, for stepping out in when we can live in the moment again. For women, this meant sheer mesh dresses twinkling with crystals and lurex bikini tops paired with slouchy tailoring. For men, tuxedo suits paired with louche transparent shirts and vests and leather suiting layered with twinkling net t-shirts. Mattiussi staged his brand's show film at a funfair, explaining that for him, the setting exemplifed ‘a beautiful escape'. He added, ‘the collection is about a promise of new beginnings'. 

Martine Rose

‘Controlled chaos is given full attention,' read the collection notes to Rose's S/S 2022 offering, which celebrated the diverse mix-and-match facets of personal style and ecclecticism over unity. For autumn, this meant traditional tailoring fused with relaxed sporty shapes, for an offbeat take on elegance, flirting with bad taste, like hairy wool wrap blazers paired with sparkly diamante studded denim, flared popper-detail tracksuit chaps teamed with a neon polo neck and smart jacket and bleached jeans paired with colour blocked cagoules. ‘Textures like crushed velvet and velour, satin and faux snakeskin are filled with the innuendo of naffness,' the release continued.

Jil Sander

Fresh from unveiling a naturalistic collection with Birkenstock, Jil Sander showcased a collection that revelled in contrast, tactility and fabrication. ‘This is a sharp urban collection about the right, and duty, to individuality and imagination,' read Lucie and Luke Meier's collection notes, which featured silhouettes with surprise personality-boosting twists, like workwear shirting accented with a pearlescent brooch, parkas layered with leopard print jackets and magenta neck scarves, brushed mohair t-shirts layered with a chunky chain necklace and sleeveless knitted jumpers imagined in colourful mistmatched panels. ‘Eclectic is a both vision and a value,' the notes concluded. What a liberating vision for spring.

Y/Project

It's been a busy S/S 2022 for Glenn Martens. Fresh from unveiling his debut Diesel collection as artistic director, the designer's spring offering for his own label Y/Project, also featured a collaboration with Fila. The link up is the next iteration of Fila's 100th anniversary celebratory capsule collections. Here, Martens has taken signature Fila staples, including the polo-shirt dress, windbreaker and hoody, and spliced and diced them into hybrid, versatile silhouettes which is synonymous with. How each piece is worn is up to interpretation, and features a mash-up of logos, and lines to drape and wrap around the body.

Phipps

Wrestlers, basketball players, footballers, new age hippies, hikers, climate crusaders: masculine stereotypes were top of the moodboard for Spencer Phipps' S/S 2022 offering, an optimistic, humorous and high-energy collection which played with stereotypes, tribalist motifs and the archetypal energies of mankind. In a time-and-location-defying show film, which used XR technology masterminded by ATO Designs, and flitted from forests to colosseums to spaceships, Phipps light-heartedly analysed what makes man today, riffing on the wardrobe of Dennis Rodman (think a gold beaded Chicago Bulls jersey and loin cloth) or a Viking rocker (cue a studded technical jacket and kilt). The designer also spoke of ‘really returning to the roots of Phipps', a label synonmous with an outdoorsy, intrepid and DIY spirit. Fabrications in the collection were technical and highly performing, and the brand worked with a factory that produces pieces for brands including The North Face. A colourful patchwork off road jacket and trousers, with leaf motif patches was functional. ‘It's windproof and rainproof,' Phipps explained. ‘Those leaves are actually fully protective shoulder guards.'

Dior

When Christian Dior travelled around America in the mid 1940s, he journey from New York to Dallas to meet the Neiman Marcus family. For S/S 2022, Kim Jones looked at the lasting impression that the Texan landscapes made on the maison's founder, bringing a contemporary flourish to the creative connection by collaborating with Houston-born rapper Travis Scott. At the brand's IRL show in Paris, complete with a catcus-lined catwalk scene, models strode in Jones' and Scott's collaborative creations: intarsia vests bearing a reinterpreted monograph incorporating the ‘Cactus Jack' initials of Scott's record label, sweaters with horn-clad figurative illustrations and flared neon suiting sparkling with catcus shaped brooches. There was a languid ease to tailoring, saddle shoulder bags were reimagined as bum bags strapped to the hip and the Dior logo reinterpreted with a scrawl and dotted with a desert flower. The collection also boasted a collaboration with artist George Condo, on a series of colourful hand-painted shirts.

Hermès

There was an elevated uplift to the brand's S/S 2022 menswear offering, which saw a return to a physical show at the Mobilier National building in Paris, after a two year absence. In the maison's show notes, Véronique Nichanian used the words, ‘optimism',  ‘energy',  ‘harmonious',  ‘freedom', to describe a collection brimming with contrasted colour and luxurious lightness, offering reinvented versions of timeless wardrobe silhouettes suited to our post-pandemic world. On sweaters, intarsia knits exploded with geometric daisies, shorts were cut into a relaxed Bermuda shape, celadon-green cotton shirts had zip-up Tunisian collars and two button suits were constructed for durable wool canvas. Chocolate juxtaposed faded rose, raw silk offset cotton serge. Nichanian added,  ‘...this creative collection is bursting with the vitality of a world reclaimed.'

Paul Smith

Escapist Mediterranean tones inspired Smith, who for S/S 2022 was fascinated by an optimistically rich colour palette, transcending from dawn until dusk. ‘It's about that pale sun yellow of the morning going through to the bright blue sky of an afternoon,' Smith – who owns a home in Tuscany – explains. The brand's offering of relaxed sports-inspired shapes, subtly nodded to the great outdoors, like transparent parkas with a zig-zag stitch evoking the details of Hobie Cat boat sails, fisherman's hats and jackets and cycling jerseys in Smith's signature kaleidoscopic stripes. Light shirting was also swathed in bold sunflower prints, nodding to the fields of flowers next to Smith's Italian home. The collection also marks a collaboration with Japanese accessories specialists Porter on a series of striped shoulder and duffle bags. ‘The son of the Porter Yoshida family was one my best friends and one of the reasons why I did well in Japan in the early days,' Smith says. ‘It was lovely making the decision to put our mixed up stripes onto the brand's bags.'

Lemaire

Layering was integral to the laid back lilt of Lemaire's S/S 2022 men's and women's offering, which served up a sublime selection of easy monochromatic ensembles screaming to be worn on bustling city streets, from utilitarian workwear to tailoring. Cue loose dark denim suits and ruched shirt dresses, oversized shirting and funnel neck jackets in caramel, stone grey, moss and navy. Following on from the brand's S/S 2021 artist collaboration with Martín Ramírez, for S/S 2022, the label have also unveiled a capsule collection swathed with artworks of American Outsider Artist Joseph Yoakum.

Rick Owens

The S/S 2022 shows have been hit with a heavy does of hedonism. Cue the Metalheadz-inspired silhouettes at Louis Vuitton, the raver-worthy neons at Loewe and the dawn till dusk beach goers at MGSM. ‘With a post-covid in view there might be a sense of frustrated appetites demanding to be doubly satisfied this summer, that might make for a voraciousness forgetting the humbling experience we all just went through together,' Rick Owens wrote in his spring show notes, reflecting on the sense of spiritual and physical abandon to come. For his fourth collection showing on the beach of Venice Lido near his home, Owens offered up a vision of considered hedonism, a hippy-centric collection abounding in dragging denim, laddered knitwear and Pagoda-shouldered structure. Owens was also interested in taking tailoring and pulling it apart, offering up its internal construction. His revellers marched with jackets with ripped sleeves and deepened armholes, reflective shield sunglasses and platform boots.

Louis Vuitton

‘Amen Break', a seven second four-bar drum loop central to seminal hip-hop and jungle, that filtered across genres and mainstream music to become the most popular loop in musical history, was a metaphorical symbol of Virgil Abloh's S/S 2022 epic collection video - directed by Mahfuz Sultan and starring Lupe Fiasco, Goldie, Saul Williams and GZA - which focused on the concept of transmitted ideas across generations and facilitating waves of change. Inspired by the life of Lupe Fiasco's father, an African drummer and member of the Black Panther Party, who grew up on the Southside of Chicago, Abloh's story centred on a father and son united by loss and crossing into a dream world. On their path, whether winding through woods of silver birch trees or witnessing samurai combat, they encounter figures of the elder and younger generations, marked by hybridised tailoring, sportswear and streetwear silhouettes, from belted suits sported with crumpled top hats to bovver boy baggy denim and rainbow leather bomber jackets.

Homme Plissé Issey Miyake

A huge rotated lamp positioned on high illluminated the S/S 2022 designs featured in the Homme Plissé Issey Miyake collection video. In style synonymous with the technical Japanese brand, the collection was divided into several categories, including the ‘Body Movement' series, featuring fluid silhouettes like sleeveless jackets and leggings with a paint and sand print tracking the undulating lines of the human body. Plus the innovative ‘Leno Stripe' series, which employs karamiori (leno weave) a traditional weaving technique that creates net like structures. These grids were transformed into vests with interior pockets and loose shorts, enhanced with a stripe detail formed by the label's signature pleating.

Burberry

Pierced, buckled up, leather-clad, there was a rebellious riff to the models who strode to an intense rave soundtrack amongst Burberry's sand dune-lined setup at London’s Royal Victoria Docks. ‘I wanted the collection to capture that free spirit of youth and its honest and daring attitude, that sense of experimentation and fluidity.... It’s a very raw energy that’s infectious, exciting and full of life. Like an awakening,’ said chief creative officer Riccardo Tisci, of the men's and women's collection, which abounded in bodily affirmation, raw seduction and experimentation. For men, oversized tees were transparent, signature trenchcoats sleeveless and decosntructed, trousers utilitarian and buckled and pocketed. For women, strap dresses had a fluid metallic appeal, outerwear was imagined in clear vinyl and with zebra print inflections and bikinis wrapped in ties around the body. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, young generations around the world have lost out on adventure. For Tisci, they'll be coming back with a bang.

Courrèges

'I was inspired by the archive fabric and shape wise, looking at the codes of the house but never copying them' says Nicola de Felice of his debut menswear collection for the heritage Parisian house, which looked to update archetypal silhouettes like a workwear jacket, 'valuable for one to wear'. De Felice nodded to the first men's iteration of a short Courrèges jacket, softly shouldered with mulitple pockets, and paired with a vinyl tank top and cap and fluid ribbed trousers. There was a contemporary sensuality to his sophomore women's Resort silhouettes – an extension of his debut for A/W 2021 – which nodded to subtle A-line silhouettes and bold cut-out designs, like sunshine yellow pinafores with a hole stamped from the chest and flaring mini-dresses paired with thigh high boots. The designer spoke or bringing a 'sharp aspect' to styles that might appear vintage, focusing on a white women's coat inspired by a 1976s style, the back crafted without a seam, subtly cocooning. 

Lanvin

In the opening to the video for Lanvin's Resort women's and men's S/S 2022 collections, a sunglasses-clad female model sits in hair and make-up, scrolling through escapist beachside images on her phone. Cue the viewer being transported into a trippy, tropical vista, courtesy of a hazy Noughties soundtrack thanks to All Saints' Pure Shores. There was an effusive, nostalgic atmosphere to a collection defined by bold, travel-inspired pieces, which had an easy mix-and-match aesthetic. Think Japanese wave painting print scubas suits paired with plaid coats and exaggerated thong flip-flops, floral print dresses with tassel trim, retro tracksuits and cropped boucle jackets teamed with mini skirts. In a beachy wooden cabin, models lounged in hammocks, played backgammon and engaged in a giggly Chinese whispers. It's exactly where you want to be.

JW Anderson

Many of us have felt nostalgia for the clothes and silhouettes we sported pre-pandemic, or for the mundane moments in life which now appear so simple and carefree. Nostalgia was also on the mind of Jonathan Anderson, who for his third photographic collaboration with Juergen Teller, mounted images of his eponymous brand's men's S/S 2022 and women's Resort collection in the foiled cardboard frames you often find edging kitsch school photographs. He was also taken by the privacy and freedom of dressing up alone in your bedroom, reinterpreting mundane silhouettes, like a striped top, slacks or camisole through a ‘voyage of newness'. Fleece tracksuits, beaded dresses and vests were splashed with a strawberry print inspired by a eighteenth century painting of a squirrel nibbling on berries, ubiquitous rubber sliders were splased with the ‘JW' anchor logo, jogging bottoms puddled like harem pants and retro sports jackets were emboldened with florals. ‘Glorification of being who you are,' Anderson added of the offering's impetus. 

Giorgio Armani

Customarily, Giorgio Armani hosts his runway shows at his brand's HQ Teatro in Milan, a majestic minimalist structure designed by Tadao Ando. It was one of the first locations to be shut down last February at Milan Fashion Week as the Covid-19 virus began spreading throughout Italy. It was prescient therefore that for S/S 2022, Mr Armani showcased his collection away from a stadium seated theatre, and in the intimate garden of his home, where his early shows were held. Titled ‘Back to where it started' the collection was an elegant ease-fuelled offering of insouciant tailoring, new suiting silhouettes, and sportswear shapes: white rolled up chinos paired with a foulard-lined single button navy blazer, Ikat jacquard waistcoats and Bermuda shorts, glossy silk safari jackets and preppy V-neck sweaters. Relaxed and refined, and debuted in a domestic setting, what could be more fitting for the new normal of today's world?

Prada

A simple summer holiday: clear sea, warm sand, a touch of tan, a concept which once seemed almost mundane in its ease, which is now so scant. Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons played on this dichotomy for S/S 2022, describing the collection as a ‘utopia of normality' and transporting Prada's viewers to a Sardinian beach landscape, which models strode into via a surrealist red tunnel. It's a skin-revealing Prada packing list for summer (a theme which has run throughout the Milan shows, perhaps a response to being shrouded under sweats for so long), featuring fuschia towelled hooded jackets, organic deck chair stripe vests and thigh-flashing all-in-ones and wiggle-detail woolen micro shorts layered with mini skirts. There was a subversive spin to these silhouettes, which also featured more traditional tailoring pieces, like ribbed cardigans, baggy suit trousers and pinstripe jackets. The soon to be most coveted piece on the beach? Bucket hats with sporty built-in sunglasses or zipped pouches for your spare change.

Fendi

Confined to one space, one city, one country for so long our personal sense of perspective have never felt so prescient. Silvia Venturini Fendi drew on this concept for S/S 2022, transporting Fendi collection viewers to the brand's Roman headquarters inside the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, which boasts panoramic views of the seven hills of Rome, the Apennine mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. There was a light sense of freedom to the collection, which revelled in both loose and body-flaunting silhouettes in sugary, pastel tones, from navel-revealing cropped jackets to long shirts sported with bare legs, transparent trench coats to pocket-detail shorts. Prints had a panoramic appeal, including a cartographic print of Rome and abstract patterns which resemled the striking strata of rock or marble, splashed over city coats or shaped into fleece. There were ‘It' accessories that appealed too, including micro Baguette bags worn as necklaces and bucket hats turned upside down and transformed into bags.

Tod's

Unsurprisingly, escape has been on the mind of many a brand for S/S 2022, whether Canali is lusting after Los Angeles or Dior is dreaming of Texas. Showcasing its collection on the staircase of the winery Cantina Petra in Suvereto – designed by architect Mario Botta – Tod's is getting a taste of Tuscan sun for spring. The Italian brand's collection was drenched in rich Mediterranean tones and revelled in silhouettes fitting for an urban safari, from washed chambray shirting to preppy V-neck sweaters. Collection highlights include a biker jacket with elbows studded with Tod's signature Gommino pads, an utterly luxurious suede hoodie and camera bags, for when life on inner-city safari gets scintillating enough for a quick snapshot.

MSGM

Italian DJ Lorenzo Senni created the heady and hypnotic soundtrack for the Milanese brand's S/S 2022 video, centred on a sun-drenched beach, and featuring models sprawled on craggy rocks, standing in shallow water on on the shoreline and floating out at sea. Founder Massimo Giorgetti looked to Stephen Milner’s photographs, from the Spiritual Good Time series, are the inspiration behind the offering, which have a surf-meets-rave sensibility, swathed in colour and print. Think off the shoulder striped sweaters, conch shell intarsia cardigans, neon shorts, Lycra leggings and cargo pants all paired with beach ready accessories, like zesty sliders, bucket hats and chunky framed sunglasses. Giorgetti is ready for the beach and he's not leaving till sunrise.

Canali

The sun-soaked setting of Los Angeles inspired the Italian tailoring label, who looked to California-cool Nineties dressing codes for S/S 2022. This culminated in louche tailoring and elegant daywear in oceanic and sunrise tones, from fuschia to moss green, aquamarine to sand, and luxurious fabrications like buckskin leather and suede. For summer, the Canali man, whether meandering in Milan or driving down Sunset Boulevard, will be sporting slouchy bomber jackets, floral silk bowling shirts and natty neck ties. The most outré ensemble? A hot pink suit paired with a white tee. 

Dolce & Gabbana

The world has experimented with a series of self-care methods in the wake of Covid-19. For S/S 2022, Dolce and Gabanna turned their attention to ‘light therapy', and to the South Italian tradition of light festivals, were areas are illuminated with a seemingly infinite array of colourful lights. The near-100 look strong catwalk collection was presented IRL at the brand's Metropol Theatre space in Milan and featured Noughties-inflected sportswear and tailoring, swathed in prismatic beads and gems. Metallic jacquards, stained glass and paint-splattered prints also featured in the offering, which abounded in nostalgic silhouettes, like oversized denim, slouchy bomber jackets and flesh-revealing shirting. 

Woolrich

The American label brings an intrepid touch to any location, and for S/S 2022 it had its sights set on both the city and the country. This meant durable and versatile men's and women's designs, with a utilitarian flair, camoflage-meets-florals print parkas in vibrant tones, grey melange tracksuits, dusty pink workwear jackets and pocket-detail shorts. The brand has used spring to celebrate its heritage, with the second drop in the offering titled 'Reimagined Americana', featuring oversized outerwear and paisley shirting.

Ermenegildo Zegna

New social spheres, new dressing codes, new normal: Alessandro Sartori mused on the new routes we find ourselves meandering within in a post pandemic-world with a film featuring models navigating different realms, from the paths of mazes to the steps of ampitheatres. The artistic director has spent the last couple of seasons musing on new requirements of tailoring, sartorial codes that merge sophistication with ease, function with flair. For S/S 2022 this was translated into silhouettes with a light elan, like collarless kimono shapes, utilitarian chore coats, long dusters, oversized overshirts and silhouettes without padding or internal construction. Fabrics were gauzy and luxurious, like featherlight nylon, silk and fluid glazed wool, tones had a water-inspired liquidity from calcite to grainy white and practical flourishes were seen in the form of padded paper leather slippers, foldable backpacks and canvas work bags.

Brunello Cucinelli

The Italian luxury house masterfully merges sartorial codes, bringing the finest materials to elegant-yet-infinitely insouciant silhouettes. For S/S 2022 this take came courtesy of tailoring which had a laid back lilt, like double-breasted pinstripe suits paired with denim shirts, Prince of Wales check jackets layered with loose jeans and white chino trousers sported with a shirt, tie and soft leather biker jacket. Softly padded suede gilets, pocket detail Bermuda shorts and plaid shirts were also Cucinelli's summer check list, with pieces imagined in organic shades, from washed aquamarine to sand.

A-Cold-Wall*

Samuel Ross has long postulated on human kind's relationship with external design forces, whether musing on man's affiliation with Brutalist architecture or how people are affected by constant geological shifts. The London-based designer summarised his brand's S/S 2022 collection in four words: 'Motion. Form. Oscillate. Converge', tenets that have new meaning after 18 months of isolation and restriction. For spring, the brand's streetwear-inflective protective silhouettes, were rendered in bold and elemental hues, with pieces like technical capes, cagoules and padded vests, cocooning the body. In the label's collection film, models strode through an urban metropolis, pacing metal staircases and tarmas, in aquamarine, orange and lime sportswear, with shielding pocket and straps, their silhouettes layered up, with totes, shoulder bags buckled to the torso and pouches strung around the neck.

Diesel

In Diesel's S/S 2022 collection film, a model surveys the red sky of a rocky planet, a symbol of the Italian brand's vision for the future, spearheaded by Belgian designer and Y/Project founder Glenn Martens. In a preview to the collection, Martens discussed his desire to reintroduce a ‘core' collection to the label, explaining that in just three months he'd streamlined the brand's supply chain into more sustainable channels, relocating manufacturers and operating through certified suppliers. Martens has bought an easy sense of the avant-garde to the brand's DNA, which spans everyday denim and sportswear. Think 5-pocket denim jeans with inbuilt Cowboy boots, jackets with a recycled paper print inspired by delivery boxes and trompe l’oeil effect tights and tops, plus hybrid designs which reflect the designer's splice and dice approach at Y/Project, like aysmmetric skirts shaped from coats. 'I wanted the belt to be the backbone of a garment,' Martens added, nodding to bandeau tops, t-shirts and jackets in-built with chunky buckles.

Arnar Mar Jonsson

The London-based utility expert nodded to Japanese and Italian designers of the Eighties, who merged 'sport and modern luxury.' This translated into technical silhouettes riffing on early mountaineering wear, including zip-detail nylon jackets and balooning trousers, jersey hoodies with circular inserts, silver cagoules and panelled jackets. Jonsson used a variety of high performing fabrications, from Loomstate Ventile and PU coated cotton, with materials naturally dyed using native Icelandic plants, Common Lady's Mantle and Thistle. Adding to this organic air, the brand's technical creations were paired with softly crocheted shoulder bags.

Qasimi

There was a soft sense of wrapping, draping and cocooning to Qasimi's S/S 2022 offering, which was presented in the grounds of St Ann's Court in Surrey, a modernist country house built in 1936, designed by renowned architect Sir Raymond McGrath in collaboration with celebrated garden designer Sir Christopher Tunnard. Architecture was essential to the structure of the collection which nodded both to stark Brutalist lines and 'muqarnas' –a geometric style of vaulting found in Islamic design. Shirting in exotic fuchsias and oranges draped in asymmetric cuts around the torso, 'tarbousha' – a woven tassel which is intrinsic to the wardrobe of a male Emirati, was used to accent khaki jackets and sweeping A-line skirts, while renchcoats were laser cut like militaristic net canopies. Lines and curves existed equilibrium, tones were head-turning and design references roving. 

Erdem

An imaginative sense of narrative inspires Erdem Moralioglu's collections, which nod to imagined adventures of both royalty and bohemians. For the brand's debut menswear collection, this sense of story was paramount, and nodded to the little sea-bound brother of Moralioglu's women, featuring ensembles inspired by figurative and textural Patrick Prockter paintings or the wardrobe of artist Derek Jarman, pottering in the gardens around his famed Dungeness seaside retreat Prospect Cottage. The youth-focused and ease-fuelled offering nodded to Jarman's knitted tank tops, worn cords and boiler suits, reinterpreted in cotton jacquard and floral printed cotton. Roll neck cable knit jumpers and striped vests had a nautical appeal, and toile de Jouy bucket hats a boyish sensibility. Moralioglu imagined city-meets-city silhouettes, with his imagined protaganists leaving a black tie affair in London, bound for the coast, sporting Cummerbunds with bright knitwear and sandals and billowing blousons and shorts.

A typical summer’s day in Saint-Tropez circa 1971 was a party fuelled by possibility. Brigitte Bardot sunbathed on the beach, Romy Schneider and Alain Delon jangled ice cubes. Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin dragged on Gitanes. It was in this Eden of glamour and good times that Fred and Yvette Prysquel founded the luxury swimwear brand Vilebrequin, opening a store with a spiral staircase on rue Sibille.
 
Post-1968, the French Riviera was host to a generation hellbent on inventing a freer world. Vilebrequin’s CEO Roland Herlory remembers holidaying there as a child. ‘It was about savouring life. It was colourful. There was full employment, no fear about your future. Freedom of expression, of your body – can you imagine?’ In preparation for the brand’s 50th anniversary this year, Herlory and the team looked back at photographs from the period, ‘and you could just feel the joy’, he says. 

The resulting collection of limited-edition shorts is a testimony to swim fashion’s panache. ‘We are one of the oldest swimwear brands in the world and so we reissued one print from each year. If you look at the whole collection you can see the history of our society.’ Op Art-inspired fish nod to the 1970s penchant for Pucci prints. A graphic swirl repeat pattern from the 1980s draws inspiration from The Memphis Group and a hand-drawn Hawaiian leaf in indigo has all the groove of 1990s California. This bonhomie is a welcome tonic after a year of uncertainty – of rethinking. ‘The year 2021 is the start of something else, a complete change of paradigm. It is something that will change our way of consuming, the way we look at life, the way we look at our responsibilities. It is really a return to the essentials,’ Herlory says.

‘Each time we do something, we question ourselves. This approach of everybody being responsible is a virtuous circle because politics will never change the world, but citizens can.’ The company is committed to furthering research into more sustainable and responsible practices that better respect the planet. Today, 62 per cent of the anniversary collection uses recycled fabrics and 50 per cent of the brand’s total collections use materials made from garbage and nets collected in the oceans by fishermen. Herlory’s aim is to get this to 80 per cent by 2024. 'We didn’t decide to move into this direction because of Covid, it is a project we started four years ago. The reality is that we do not have the resources to continue as we are doing now, so we all need to find new solutions. It is our duty.’

The iconic Vilebrequin sea turtle logo has been given festive neo-psychedelic ‘50’-shaped shells. It is symbolic of the brand’s partnership with Te mana o te moana – a Polynesian association that rescues marine species, providing them with care before releasing them back into the wild. ‘More and more I believe luxury business will be eco-responsible, or will not be anymore. For me, luxury is about a level of quality, which means durability, which means people consume differently. If you buy something of good quality, you keep it,’ Herlory says. 

Through the brand’s mending service, a second, third or fourth life is given to decades-old swim shorts, as inner briefs, lost drawstrings and stainless steel zamac tips are replaced by the ateliers. The special-edition pieces each come with a one-time complimentary repair should they start to show any signs of ageing after years of sun, sea and frolic. ‘We resonate as a brand of pleasure and good times, family time, the best time of the year. My secret wish is that you glance at a pair of ten-year-old shorts in your drawer and you remember your holidays. Our shorts carry memories. Good memories.’

INFORMATION

vilebrequin.com

Over the past 12 months, we’ve swaddled ourselves indoors in soft folds of fabric, but now, as we start to re-emerge into the outside world, many of us are still seeking clothing that provides ample protection. Luckily, a host of men’s performance brands are ticking all our technical boxes, and carving out looks for peak camping style, with outerwear in innovative fabrications that will shield against the elements.

For a stylish take on safeguarding, we recommend layering up your protective pieces, from global collective Affix’s jackets and Japanese label Snow Peak’s vests to Italian brand Herno’s parkas and Dutch label Byborre’s tracksuit trousers. These designs are constructed from a variety of boundary-pushing fabrications, including Herno’s ultra-light nylon and Snow Peak’s Kanecaron, a fire-resistant fabrication. Byborre even blends materials of varying weights, which are mapped for ample comfort across the body, including its signature breathable knitted panels.

Bally has also launched its own take on the in-plein-air-look, nodding to its esteemed mountaineering heritage with the launch of Bally Hike, an offering of ourdoors essentials, featuring retro alpine wear including hiking boots, colourful hoodies and technical camping bags.

Camping style: the smartest bits of kit

For those that geek out on garment dyeing, Stone Island’s triple layer, hooded jacket emphasises the label’s innovations in colour. Elsewhere, for those that look for pieces that are more smarts than sports, US brand Woolrich has developed a technical cotton car coat for spring. Designed to cocoon you on the commute, its wind- and water-resistant qualities will protect you well, should you wander off route. 

Peak camping style wouldn't be complete without some gizmos and gadgets to get other tent pitchers jealous. We recommend adding Rapha and Snow Peak's collaborative bikepacking accessories to your itinerary, which include a lightweight titanium spork and single walled mug, with a foldable handle. Serve your campfire fodder atop Maison Kitsuné x Helinox's baby blue foldable camping table, finished with Kitsuné’s cute fox logo. Getting into the great outdoors has never looked so good. 

Although fashion labels have been quick to offer pieces that newly bridge the gaps between work, life and leisure, the Japanese menswear brand Nanamica has championed a holistic approach to dressing since it was founded in 2003. Originally conceived to provide high functioning apparel that suits both city and outdoor wear, Nanamica’s president and founder Eiichiro Homma expanded on that philosophy with a slew of collaborations with brands such as North Face Purple Label, Dr. Martens, Champion and Woolrich.

After a period of re-establishing the brand’s identity in the 2010s, which included presenting it on its own at New York and Paris Fashion Weeks and Pitti Uomo in Milan, Homma opened Nanamica’s first mono-brand boutique in Tokyo in 2019, with plans to replicate its success in New York later that year.

‘Our concept has always been a high-level mix of fashion and function,’ says Homma, an avid surfer, while explaining the significance of having a presence in the United States. ‘Most of the designs are based on American sportswear. We add the latest solution in terms of fabric, apply a modern fit and add some small, Japanized features. It may look simple and neutral at first glance. However, we believe people must find the difference and value of Japanese sportswear in every small element. New York has long been considered a melting pot of multi-cultural fusion, we always planned to have a store there, since the beginning of the company.’

Although planned for the later half of 2019, logistical and renovation challenges, along with the onset of the global pandemic and New York City’s subsequent lockdown, just two weeks before the project could be completed, put the endeavor on hold. 

Opened quietly in August 2020, the Nanamica boutique in New York’s Soho neighbourhood is an homage to its name. ‘Since Nanamica means ‘Houses of seven seas’, we always intend to include some marine inspiration into our designs,’ shares Homma. ‘The brief [that] I provided [prospective] designers for the New York store was simply, the frame of Japanese beach house.’

To realise the concept, Homma worked with the New York-based architect Taichi Kuma, who created the store’s alluring gabled structures, interspersed with translucent panels of corrugated plastic, in an expression of being by the seaside. ‘Daiki Suzuki of Engineer Garments introduced me to Taichi,’ Homma recounts. ‘Although I already had ideas and direction for the New York store, I immediately wanted to work with Taichi after meeting him in New York. Aside from creating the frame of a Japanese beach house, my other request was [for the space to exude] Japanese sensibility.’

The latter is achieved effortlessly. The light-filled and airy space elegantly mixes simple materials such as light oak, plastic and mirror, for an elevated feel. In such environs, Nanamica’s collections, displayed mostly along the interior’s periphery, speak for themselves. Its spirit for collaboration also endures - its newest limited edition pieces include a waterproof jacket and hat made from Gore-Tex and konbu (Japanese kelp) for Tanner Goods. 

INFORMATION

nanamica.com

Luxury men’s online retailer Mr Porter has announced the launch of a menswear designer mentorship programme.

Mr Porter Futures, the first in what promises to be an annual event, aims to conduct a talent search around the world to find three emerging menswear designers for a mentorship programme in design and business. The designers chosen for the year-long programme will work with the buyers, designers and marketers who make up Mr Porter’s in-house team, who will offer mentoring and coaching as well as given the business skills essential in building a brand. Throughout the year, they will also design and develop their own responsibly-sourced collections, working with Mr Porter’s label, Mr P, and the consultancy Create Sustain. These collections will be available on Mr Porter from September 2022.

Potential applicants can apply from 26 April to 6 June for the opportunity, with finalists invited to meet mentors in July. The remaining three designers, or design duos, will begin the mentorship in September.

The selection committee, composed of fashion designers Nicholas Daley and Reese Cooper, stylist Julie Ragolia, Beams & Co director Tatsuo Hino, Centre for Fashion Enterprise Judith Tolley, alongside Mr Porter's own style director Olie Arnold and buying director Sam Kershaw, will assess applicants through an anonymous review process which welcomes those outside the industry mainstream. Coinciding with the retailer’s tenth anniversary, Mr Porter Futures aims to discover new talented voices in menswear design.

‘We have always been committed to championing a diverse mix of new and emerging designers throughout our decade in business,’ says Mr Porter buying director Sam Kershaw. ‘But if this year has taught us anything, it is that we have the responsibility to use our global platform to give equal opportunities to all new aspiring menswear voices, no matter their experience or background.’

INFORMATION

mrporter.com

Feel like your workout wardrobe is giving you the run around? Here, we present the men's sportswear brands that will guarantee you hit the ground running, whether you're aiming to beat your personal best or simply putting foot to pavement.

Sunspel

Fresh from its collaboration with Studio Nicholson, the British label continues to hit the ground running with the release of its first activewear collection. The offering, which assimilates the brand's classic styles, including Sunspel's Classic T-shirt, Riviera Polo and Loopback Trackset, features silhouettes imagined in ‘drirelease;, a comfort fabric which performs to keep the body cool. For active wear aficiandos, look out for Sunspel's next release in November - an offering of base layers imagined in soft merino wool.

sunspel.com

Mr Porter and District Vision

Luxury men's retailer Mr Porter and LA-based holistic running brand District Vision have hit the ground running. The duo have announced the launch of an eleven-piece capsule collection of running apparel and accessories, which blend technical finishes with sartorial swerve, featuring colour blocked training tees and shorts, retro caps and sunglasses. The designs, which are breathable, moisture-wicking and have functional flourishes, including thumbholes to keep sleeves in place have been designed to enhance the practice of mindful running - a tenet of District Vision's design DNA. Synonymous with this spirt, the collaboration supports  Mr Porter's Health In Mind initiative, which raises awareness around mental wellness through movement and performance.

mrporter.com

Adidas x Marimekko

Fresh from unveiling its prototype collaborative trainer design with Sillicon Valley sneaker brand Allbirds, Adidas has announced its latest link up with Finnish brand Marimekko. The label, renowned for its energetic take on prints and colours, has partnered with Adidas on its first men's and women's performance line, which features swimwear, outerwear and cycling gear, in a range of eye-catching patterns. This graphic cycling jersey has been imagined in a moisture-wicking Aeroready fabrication, made in part using Primeblue, a fabric formed from recycled plastic bottles, and has two-tone undulating print. High performance meets haute patterning for a style-meets-speed sensibility.

adidas.co.uk

Fila x MSGM

In celebration of its 110th anniversary – a milestone reveling in anticipated collaborations – sportswear behemoth Fila has teamed up with kaleidoscopic Italian brand MSGM, on a pattern and colour-splashed tennis collection. The offering, which will be showcased at the Paris Grand Slam's Roland Garros tournament, which starts on 24 May, features cloud-like tie-dye jackets and tees, in bubblegum shades and black, with a subtly retro flair. ‘Fila, for me, is the tennis court,' says MSGM founder Massimo Giorgetti, of the winning collaboration. ‘I wanted to give a romantic interpretation of it, echoing a cinematic world. My main inspiration for the short skirts came from Lea Pericoli, the Italian tennis champion whose fashion choices on the court turned heads in the 1960s. In visiting the Fila archives, I was surprised by how much they have done over the decades. I just had to remix and update it.' Game, set, style match.

msgm.it

Courser

Performance wear buffs are always on the lookout for fabrications that will enhance their activity. It's a common complaint for trainers to wear out over time, and for their toes to thin and degrade. But when it comes to the upper of Courser's designs, runners need not fear. The label's brightly toned trainers, glinting with metallic accents, are formed using a combination of buttery nubuck leather, bonded with an aerospace-originating lightweight fabric which is 15 times stronger than steel. The brand's unrippable designs, dreamt up by its fashion veteran founders and husband-and-wife duo Michael Petry and Laurie Spiro, are made in Italy, bringing a sense of artisanal luxury to the innovation-pushing silhouettes. Traditionally, a sports shoe is left to mold on its upper for less than 20 minutes. Courser's do so for 24 hours, achieving the ultimate in shape and comfort.

courserworld.com

Pressio

Putting the sportswear industry through its paces, newly launched performance brand Pressio champions sustainable and transparent practices. Using recycled yarns sourced from the world's leading suppliers, the brand employs water-saving dye-free technologies to produce its knitted compression-focused designs, which include MAPP, a Muscle Alignment Power Print. The brand's New Zealand-born founder Jamie Hunt has a winning background, having previously founded renowned sportswear label 2XU (think collaborations with Yeezy) and raced as a professional triathlete for 13 years. Keen runners look to Pressio's All Sports and Run collections, aimed at high-intensity and endurance workouts, plus a range of swell-reducing compression socks, formed from waste Econyl yarns.

pressio.com

Boss x Russell Athletic

German brand Boss may be synonymous with suiting, but for spring, its chief brand officer Ingo Wilts has unveiled a casuals-focused collaboration. Boss has teamed up with American sportswear purveyors Russell Athletic – the Kentucky-based brand which invented the crew neck sweatshirt in 1926 – on an offering which features Nineties-inspired tracksuits, trainers, caps, backpacks and hoodies with a ‘Boss Athletic' logo. Keen to take the collaboration further afield? Tailoring meets sportswear in an offering of relaxed suiting, which boasts a sporty side stripe detail.

hugoboss.com

Veja

It took sustainable French sneaker brand Veja four years to start competing with the sportswear world and develop its first post-petroleum running trainer The Condor. Now with launch of its sophomore design, The Marlin, the label has a new spring in its step. There's performance-enhancing punch behind the style, which is impeccably lightweight and breathable, and boasts a snug bootie tongue fit and a shock-absorbing and durable natural latex L-Foam cushion. Other eco-friendly fixtures? The upper inserts of the 'V' logo sneaker are made using Pebax – a fibre formed from 100 percent ricinus oil – which is both lightweight and supportive. 

veja-store.com

Chances are, that after months in slouchy separates, you're considering splashing out on something a little smarter. The post-pandemic world calls for a return to more rigorous dressing codes, from tailored suits to smart jackets to shirting. Can't decide which tailoring style to invest in? Here, we present a selection of shapes and silhouettes, guaranteed to enhance your out-out wardrobe, from brands including Prada, Salvatore Ferragamo, Ermenegildo Zegna and Marni.

Tailored suits: how to smarten up your act

The nylon jacket

A sure fire way to bring a relaxed ease to suiting? Opt for a style in a sports-inspired technical fabric. Case in point: Prada's suit jacket, imagined in the brand's signature nylon fabric.

The pinstripe jacket

A pinstripe blazer is the pinnacle of the 1980s Wall Street wardrobe. Add a touch of 2021 insouciance with a pattern in a wider stripe. This tailored suit speaks of power but is pleasingly laid-back too.

The asymmetric jacket

For the more avant-garde, a jacket with an aysmmetric fit ticks all your alternative buttons. Opt for a style that fastens off-centre. This will brings an eye-catching edge to your collar proportions and corresponding shirt and tie choices.

The workwear jacket

If you can't quite imagine yourself in a fitted jacket, a more workwear-centric silhouette is for you. Think boxy, oversized and with a four-button fastening and opt for stiffer utilitarian fabrics like cotton-drill or canvas.

The skinny jacket

Obsessed with the skinny silhouette that dominated early Noughties fashion? Button yourself into a narrow blazer shape and pair with an equally skinny trouser silhouette. The Noughties has never felt so now.

The white jacket

When black-tie events return to our schedules, you'll want your tailored suit to stand out. Opt for a pristine white tuxedo jacket with a luxurious satin lapel. Avoid red wine and colourful cocktails at all costs.

The oversized jacket

A slouchy, unlined jacket makes for a comfortable spring silhouette. Wear with a light underlayer, like a T-shirt or gauzy jumper, for laid-back modern ease, a look that’s enhanced when rolling up your sleeves.

The check jacket

While check or plaid jackets might feel a touch fusty, they're instantly updated with feel-good colours. Steer away from browns and greys and explore a colour palette rich in turquoises, purples and greens. 

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on our physical lives, this month's A/W 2021 menswear shows are taking place largely online. But a lack of a physical audience doesn't make for a lack of creativity, and designers continue to evolve using alternative digital mediums. Here, we round-up the brands that are catching our attention, and determining the fashion trends of 2021, from Pitti to Paris.

Prada

The show’s AMO-designed set - a series of rooms swathed in shaggy faux fur, marble and resin - reflected the starting point of the collection: ‘The need to feel, the pleasure of tactility.’ Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada’s sophomore creative outing centred around a star piece - the intarsia knit long john - which as a second skin, was layered under pinstripe suits, paired atop of shirts and roll necks, or popped beneath brightly-hued oversized coats. The effect nodded to the odd style rituals we’ve picked up in the post pandemic world, like the Zoom meetings attended in smarts and slacks or evening wear paired with indoors shoes. Silhouettes were simultaneously concealing and revealing, swathed or stood away from the frame, like XL MA-1 bomber jackets (a Simons favourite) imagined in fuschia leather and all-in-ones swathed in retro patterns. ‘Juxtaposition of colour, juxtaposition of softness and hardness, to express the reality of the world,' Simons explained of the collection, as part of a Q+A after the show's live stream, featuring questions from students around the world.

Fendi

Creative director Silvia Venturini Fendi turned techno queen for A/W 2021, not only designing the brand’s menswear offering, but creating the vocals for its soundtrack too. ‘Hello, it’s Silvia. I just wanted to tell you about normality. What is normal today?’ she said at the opening to Fendi’s runway film-come-music-video, which featured models striding through a mirrored tunnel, illuminated with neon tubing, designed by Bureau Betak. The chromatic collection was a nod to the new silhouettes that suit our at-home, comfort-focused lives, from robe coats to quilted silk  boxing shorts, cable knit salopettes to suits with piped pyjama hemlines. An unexpected artistic collaboration came courtesy of Noel Fielding, who created scribbled dreamscapes, which were emblazoned across outerwear and knitwear.

Martine Rose

Peering from our windows across urban streets, where its inhabitants are largely confined indoors, we’ve gained new insights into our neighbours lives, like their home workout rituals, their morning routines or what time they walk their dog. This intimate sense of voyeruism was reflected in Martine Rose's A/W 2021 offering ‘What We Do All Day’, which was presented as part of an interactive digital presentation, allowing viewers to access a simulated housing block from their screens, before sneaking Through the Keyhole-style into its different apartments. Viewers were treated to a series of domesticated films, watching Martine Rose-clad home-goers across the globe, from Nairobi to Toronto, enact their every day routines. The virtual tour was created in collaboration with experience studio International Magic – who recently worked on an AR project with Judy Chicago. The most famous guest in the housing block? Drake, tuning in from a recording studio in Toronto, clad in Martine Rose football shirt.

MSGM

Struggling to adapt to the shifts in today’s new normal has been dizzying, a feeling that the Italian label’s founder Massimo Giorgetti has so identified with, he titled his autumn offering ‘Vertigine’. Giorgetti was searching for something steadying as inspiration, settling on the peace and reassurance he takes from snow-topped landscapes. His collection of Nineties-inspired alpine wear features jacquard fleece gilets, lug-soled boots, cornflower blue puffer jackets and check cargo shorts, styled alongside bowling shirts and jackets with retro ski resort-centric prints, inspired by 1930s postcards from Chamonix, St Moritz and Courmayeur. Giorgetti also mined his archive for inspiration, reinterpreting a motif into a ‘trees on acid' print, inspired by the feeling of lying on the ground and staring into a tree-filled sky.

Ermenegildo Zegna

‘We all are experiencing a new reality concerned with new needs, which lead us to previously unseen lifestyles and attitudes. It is precisely at a time like this, when everything is under discussion, that we, at Zegna, have decided to (Re)set,’ said the Italian label’s artistic director Alessandro Sartori. In a film directed by Mattia Benetti, models strode through different rooms of a luxurious, caramel-toned home – passing others playing chess, eating pasta, or reading the newspaper - clad in Sartori’s organically-hued take on indoors dressing. Cashmere suits were slouchy with robe-inspired jackets, shirts were swapped for shawl collared sweaters and slippers were crafted from hand-cut jersey. Zegna's ‘wfh' look is infinitely comfortable and luxurious, two essential tenets for the contemporary man's wardrobe. 

Tod's

For A/W 2021, creative director Walter Chiapponi took viewers to the Villa Ronchi in Vigevano, designed by Giuseppe De Finetti in 1936, for a film starring young actor Lorenzo Zurzolo, who we meet spending seven days alone learning lines for a script. Familiar themes for today, Zurzolo muses on the notion of time and the experience of isolation during his stay, musing on the ‘parallel reality' he finds himself in. As part of the film, viewers witness Zurzolo assessing different outfits in a three-part mirror, which reflect Chiapponi's take on today's relaxed yet sophisticated mood. Cue quilted jackets and overcoats, college sweatshirts and cardigans, all imagined in a subtly retro colour palette of greys and greens. The hero accessory of the collection? An XL ‘T’ logo shoulder bag for stowing all your shopping.

Woolrich

‘Functionality, comfort, versatility’ - three words that represent not only the brand DNA of the American outerwear label, but also the essentials of our clothing. Woolrich's A/W 2021 collection ticked all of our dressing boxes, with the brand presenting the three elements of its collection, ‘charming versatility’, ‘authentic comfort’ and ‘iconic performance’ in a cinematic film, which saw technicolour models juxtaposed against grayscale urban and rural landscapes. To encourage optimism, we'll be opting for pieces in purple, olive and burnt orange, which are rain-resistant, windproof and modular in their design. 

Sunnei

Brands from Balenciaga to Gucci have got their game faces on it recent weeks, celebrating collection launches through their own interactive gaming landscape or through platforms including Pokémon Go. For A/W 2021, Sunnei got in on the arcade-inspired action, inviting fans to feast their eyes on its latest offering through a gaming format. Here, players were able to select their chosen avatar and runway look before entering a combat situation, which required throwing rubber dipped hoop earrings at their opponent. The gaming platform taps into the interactive element behind Sunnei’s offering: ‘Sunnei Canvas' allows buyers worldwide to adjust their orders through a digital platform, such as altering the shape, material and colour of the brand's Dreamy Shoes.

Hed Mayner

The designer - who spends his time between Paris and Tel Aviv - celebrated the performance of getting dressed, something many of us have lost touch with over the last twelve months. So, silhouettes were exaggerated and oversized, like Judo seam trousers that ruch at the ankle, double breasted jackets with large lapels and rounded shoulders and suits with dropped shoulders. For spring, Mayner's ‘supple architecture’  imagined in butter, rust, ivory and copper and places focus on the tactility of fabrics, including tweed, cashmere and English cloth. Standout pieces include tabards deconstructed into open front ponchos and slouchy leather boots that beckon to be tucked into with a trouser.

JW Anderson

The London-based brand tapped Juergen Teller to shoot the images for its A/W 2021 menswear and Pre-Fall 2021 womenswear collection. Shooting in Teller’s studio last month, the photographer has transformed models, including actress and singer Sophie Okonedo into living sculptures, sporting exuberant and oversized silhouettes, including architectural trousers with XL side panels, long mohair tunics which tie at the waist and dresses with leg of mutton sleeves. Inspired by Dutch still life paintings, vegetables including carrots and butternut squashes are printed onto hoodies and shearling bodices are dyed bold hues by hair stylist Anthony Turner. Like the uplifting and immediately collectors' item printed matter Jonathan Anderson created last season to accompany his spring collections, the designer created a poster book of Teller’s images, produced in collaboration with OK-RM, annotated by Teller himself with confusing conceptual effect, and posted it to global guests in cardboard triangular mailing tubes .

Homme Plissé Issey Miyake

Issey Miyake attracts loyal fashion fans, who once they’ve felt the soft folds of its signature silhouettes, opt to wear nothing else. For Homme Plissé Issey Miyake's A/W 2021 collection, the Japanese label celebrated its signature fabrics and shapes, whilst positing on how to launch them into the future. In a film directed by Kyotaro Hayashim, models moved to the rhythm of the brand’s mythic pleating machines, sporting slouchy pieces in newly developed fabrics. This included trousers pleated using a fabric woven with yarn-dyed polyester which resembles the texture of tweed, printed cagoules inspired by the shapes of hand woven baskets, relaxed jewel tone pleated suits in raspberry and cerulean and shapes formed from the brand's signature pleated polyester, but in 100% recycled form.

Rick Owens

Owens chose a poignant reference to reflect the purgatorial state the world finds itself in - the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed the night before the crucifixion. The designer always errs on the apocalyptic, peppering his collections with Biblical and pagan overtones, and his A/W 2021 silhouettes were shaped to protect its wearers from the end of days, featuring skinny ribbed knitwear with oddly shaped holes, cropped puffer jackets and religious robes reimagined as recycled cashmere sweaters and leather leggings. The collection was severe and seductive, revealing and rebellious. The most devilish of details? Models strode in tighty wighty briefs with 5 point pentagram-detail flys, paired with thigh high cow hide over-the-knee boots. He described the combination as reflecting ‘unhinged male energy.' Sound familiar?

Louis Vuitton

Pioneer of democratization and diversity, Virgil Abloh has worked to change the stereotypical image of the fashion designer - white, bourgeois and working from an ivory tower. For Vuitton’s A/W 2021 collection, Abloh was fascinated by archetypal characters, like the ‘drifter’ and the ‘architect’, and how we shape meaning and impression from the dress codes associated with them. In a runway film-come-music video, directed by Josh Johnson, models strode in an indistinguishable setting, resembling an airport lounge or art gallery, clad in thickly grained green marble, sporting styles that satirized definition, like hoodies and denim overlaid with tartan drapes formed from Ghanian Kente cloth, and trompe l’oeil jackets that resembled architectural models of Paris and New York.  

The collection asked viewers to free themselves from definition and restriction, and Abloh drew on James Baldwin’s 1953 essay Stranger in the Village, which focuses on the parallels between Baldwin’s experiences as an African-American man in a Swiss village and his life in America. Saul Williams and Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) both provided spoken word overtures as part of the performance. ‘Take down the walls. Deconstruct the narrative,' Williams commanded.

Dior

Kaws, Raymond Pettibon, Hajime Sorayama, Daniel Arsham, Amoako Boafo: a whole host of artists have worked with Kim Jones to bring his street-smart yet haute couture technique-celebrating vision to Dior. For A/W 2021, Jones teamed up with famed Scotland-born figurative painter Peter Doig, whose artworks were transposed onto the maison’s collection, and pieces balanced the pomp of ceremonial attire with a contemporary mood. Militaristic frock coats were reworked with star motif buttons and paired with side stripe detail trousers and wellingtons, painterly jacquard camo cagoules and cargo pants were teamed with snow boots and bowler hats, and thick ribbed jumpers were pinned with twinkling brooches resembling military medals of honour. The look was luxurious yet laid back, flamboyant but with Jones' signature sporty flair, with painterly pieces imagined in Doig-esque tones, like vibrant orange and lemon yellow and moodier purples and greens.

Paul Smith

Unable to visit museums or exhibitions, Smith thought back to the subcultures that have passed him by over the last half decade of his career. His A/W 2021 collection moves through mod, skin head and punk and nods to Northern Soul, featuring an array of relaxed and refined silhouettes, from sharp four button suits in tartan flannel to ankle skimming trousers, painterly floral print overcoats to striped knitwear. Smith thought back to Northern Soul obsessives, who after a night dancing came to his Nottingham store the next morning, testing out the movability of floral Hawaiian print shirts by doing backflips. ‘I used to import boxes of Hawaiian shirts from America,' he says. ‘Usually 20 were good and 30 went straight in the bin.' The other references he drew on? Sharp double-breasted blazers or a ‘posh person's jacket,' paisley print denim jeans and jackets inspired by 'uniform dressing for a night out'  and the louche lockdown wardrobe of someone popping from home to the shops - silk pyjamas with a merlot pea coat popped on top.

Lemaire

There’s always been a luxe practicality behind the Parisian label’s aesthetic, which focuses on expertly crafted designs for everyday living. These tenets resonate today more than ever, and its founders Sarah-Linh Tran and Christophe Lemaire, described the brand's A/W 2021 offering as ‘concise' and ‘essential'. In a film which saw models including composer Jaakko Eino Kalevi and electronic DJ and producer Elena Hauff stroll round a darkened space, models walked in pared-back city essentials in organic hues, that touched on oversized Eighties suiting and utilitarian silhouettes, which could be layered and paired together in versatile ways. There were degradé trench coats, soft puffer jackets and loose tailoring, soft cardigans and multi-pocket waistcoats. Pops of colour emerged in pillar box red suits, and accessories slouched and curved around the body, like oversized cross body shoulder bags and backpacks.

Hermès

One of the benefits of brand’s presenting their shows digitally, is that away from physical runways, luxury houses have approached presentation with a more relaxed ease. At Paul Smith, models smiled to the camera and at Martine Rose, we saw them carrying out everyday domestic activities. At Hermès, menswear designer Véronique Nichanian teamed up with fellow Parisian Cyril Teste of Collective MXM on a live digital performance featuring seven split screens, allowing its audience to focus on different perspectives, as models talked and mingled on the stairs of the Mobilier National. For autumn, the mood was luxurious and laid back, and silhouettes were imagined in a spectrum of rich hues from mustard to petrol blue, lime green to raspberry. Models strode in ribbed knitwear and tactile jogging bottoms, untucked shirts and workman's jackets, all imagined in the brand's signature sumptuous fabrications, from cashmere canvas to calfskin.

Jil Sander

Unsurprisingly the home has featured as a domestic setting for many of A/W 2021’s presentations and films. For Sander’s autumn offering Lucie and Luke Meier, transported its audience to the dilapidated interior of Château de Franconville in France, with peeling walls and crumbling ceilings, in a film shot by Stephen Kidd. The tactility of the setting reflected the textural layers in the collection,  alongside funnel neck pea coats, zip-detail suiting and tartan mohair jackets, featured chunky knit sweaters and silver jewellery. The latter formed a protective layer, with circular beaded necklaces stacked over roll necks and outerwear. Even more reinforcing were the laced wellington boots in sorbet shades, layered on top of trousers.

Ernest W. Baker

In a film inspired by dream sequences, and drawing on the surrealist tropes of Wim Wenders and David Lynch, Inês Amorim & Reid Baker presented their A/W 2021 offering through using distorted filmic landscapes. The label, which has a foundation in tailoring, looked to break free from its own signature silhouettes, responding to today’s need for more relaxed shapes. There was a retro riff on pieces including Western jackets and tartan flares, robe-inspired coats and crochet scarves. Amorim and Baker both live in Portugal, in close proximity to where their collections are produced, but studied in Milan together: velour cheetah print pyjamas and coats nodded to the sartorial choices of old Milanese women they spotted out on the street. For autumn, the brand has also launched a series of organic cotton t-shirts, printed with its signature rose motifs, and evolved its cowboy boot range, in shades of silver and with bourgeoise quilted detailing.

Phipps

‘We started looking at ice, and then the explorer Ernest Shackleton, whose boat got stuck the ice in the Antarctic for like two years,’ says designer Spencer Phipps of the starting point for his A/W 2021 collection. ‘I thought that was a pretty great metaphor for where we are at right now!’ For autumn, the eco-minded designer created an impressively well produced, shot on the Skaftafellsjökull glacier, which was presented as a trailer for a feature film titled ‘Endurance,' which documents the threat of earth's extinction. The clothing suited to his supporting actors? Items that mashed up different clothing archetypes, like overcoats beloved of metal heads, retro Nordic knits in recycled cashmere and Seventies skiwear like long johns and onesies. Up clothes, clothing had a twisted edge, like cute band tees with glitter pink typography, emblazoned with the phrase ‘Save the fucking wales'. ‘Very tongue-in-cheek but totally earnest too,' Phipps says. 

Dolce & Gabbana

Lockdown has allowed designers to focus on trends which are not only emerging on catwalks, but on social media, including Tik Tok - think e-boys, e-girls, cottage core, grandma core. There were elements of these subcultures present at Dolce & Gabbana's A/W 2021 runway show, which in a democratic move, was live streamed not only on the brand's own digital channels, but through online retailer Farfetch too. This was a show that reveled in ostentation and exuberance, featuring clothing that would look stupendous through a screen: glitchy Technicolour knits, oversized metallic puffer jackets, shaggy fake fur robe coats and glittering paint-splattered denim. The brand also placed focus on its tailoring heritage, showcased patchwork pinstripe suits, paired with fluffy slippers and moon boots. We expect these items to be replicated on a Tik Tok Challenge any time soon.

Kiko Kostadinov

For Kostadinov’s A/W 2021 collection, the designer didn’t only take 30 traditional catwalk images of his offering (a classic way to distribute collections to media outlets), but also offered a further 60 silhouettes through a ‘Projection’ window on his eponymous website. The decision is a reflection of the collection as a whole – one that defies parameters or linear evolution, and has silhouettes which are open to interpretation. For autumn, Kostadinov looked to two texts, Christopher Priest’s ‘A Dream of Wessex’ (1977), which delves into a future trapped within virtual reality, and Patience Grey’s Honey From A Weed (1986), which charts the author’s culinary adventures of foraging across the Mediterranean.  What evolved was an offering in hothouse and coastal shades, featuring spliced jackets in bourgeois French tweeds, gardening aprons, V-neck knits and utilitarian trousers. Hybrid floral silks swathed sarong skirts and suiting and uniform silhouettes were layered to striking effect.

This week the S/S 2021 womenswear shows kick off in Milan, in a fashion showing season set to be different to any other. This season sees the introduction of small physical shows that align with social distancing and the prominence of digital screenings. While the world’s fashion press, buyers and street style stars won’t get to see fashion items up close, or marvel at the sleeve of a jacket or the embellishment of an accessory, one thing remains true in Milan: Italian craftsmanship will still be world class.

It’s the impeccable nature of Italian craftsmanship that has inspired ‘Italian Masters’, Mr Porter’s latest country-celebrating capsule collection featuring a roster of its artisan-championing labels, including Valextra, Aspesi, Lardini and Rubinacci. ‘There’s no doubt that “Made in Italy” is hailed one of the most desired attributes a product can proclaim. It stands for the best in craft, the finest materials, and time-honoured manufacturing techniques, which together represent the epitome of luxury and the roots of long-lasting menswear,’ says buying director Sam Kershaw. Previous capsule collections, Made in California, Vive La France and The Japan Edit also celebrated fashion from different areas of the globe.

Italian Masters boasts over 250 distinct products across clothing, footwear, accessories and homeware, including sleek suede jackets by Valstar, colourful woollen throws by Missoni Home and richly embroidered suiting by Etro. ‘We’ve worked with each partner to create an exclusive offering that both honoured each brands’ DNA and celebrated their unique craft and offering,’ Kershaw adds.

In celebration of the launch, Mr Porter has also partnered with the Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d'Arte to support the Foundation’s annual ‘A School, A Job. Training to Excellence' apprenticeship programme, which matches 25 Italian graduates from a selection of the best schools and universities of Arts and Crafts with 25 Italian artisanal ateliers or businesses. 

INFORMATION

mrporter.com

Whether you're heading pool-side or planning a city staycation, a summer sabbatical is the perfect time to upgrade your trunks and t-shirts. With this selection of modern maritime stripes, graphic patterns and artistic illustrations, one thing is clear – beachwear is no longer restricted to tropical R and R.

Mami Wata

South African-based lifestyle label Mami Wata is dedicated to beach culture and African surf. Launched in 2017, the brand – named after a West African water deity – works to support the continent's rich crafting culture by manufacturing on a small scale with ethical African factories. Bringing business to the local beaches, they encourage surf tourism in Africa. ‘Africa is the final frontier of surf exploration. If you're looking for raw surf adventure and exploration, Africa is one of the final places where you can experience that,' says C.E.O and co-founder, Nick Dutton. With patterns that range from the subtle to more strident, including surfing animals and the brand's banana logo, Mami Wata is a key player of this season's summer staples that work just as well for the beach and the streets. 

Arrels Barcelona

Every season Arrels Barcelona works with a line-up of ten artists, giving them full creative license to create the collection's colourful patterns. With an aspiration to have their swim shorts be walking works of art, co-founder Javier Llaudet explains that the designs are made for more than just a dip in the blue – they're made for summer as a whole. This season the sartorial selection includes everything from Jean Jullien's breezy sense of humour, depicting a man melting in the summer heat, to Quentin Monge's pattern ‘Blue Nereids', featuring a series of water nymphs frolicking in the sea. Whether you want to flex the remnants of your fine art A-levels or focus on absorbing some vitamin D, these are the trunks to do it in.

O.N.S x Leah Goren

The must-have capsule collection of the summer comes courtesy of O.N.S and artist Leah Goren. A California native, Leah took her West-coast beach vibes and mixed them with O.N.S's New York DNA to create motives of relaxed skaters and Rockaway beach surfers for the brand's latest collection. ‘I wanted to show vignettes that evoked a warm summer day. The crowds of people on the beach, the skate park right in front, drawing while watching my friends surf,' Leah explains. An all-American homage to the East and West Coast, we think that the array of printed tees, bright swim shorts and retro camp collar shirts in beachy silhouettes make up the perfect wardrobe to get through the dog days of summer.

Vilebrequin x Fatboy x Miasun

Founded in 1971, Vilebrequin continues to embody the carefree spirit of Saint Tropez in the Seventies. In recent years, the brand has collaborated with top designer names including Virgil Abloh at Off White and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac. It’s also been working hard on its sustainability efforts, introducing a range of swimming trunks made from 100 per cent recycled polyester filament spun from plastic waste recovered from the Mediterranean sea. Now the brand is teaming up with Miasun, recently acquired by Fatboy, the producers of the comfy outdoor weatherproof furnishings (the most popular being their outdoor nylon pillow). Miasun’s French founders Hortense Pontabry and Valériane Voirin dreamed up the idea for a compact, easy-to-carry and lightweight sunshade to replace a traditional cumbersome parasol, printed with a distinctive Vilebrequin design in nautical navy and white. Weighing only 1.3kg, the fold-up sun shade is made from natural cotton canvas with a UV filter, blocking out 94 per cent of harmful UV A and UVB rays, and packs easily into a beach tote, and its simple shape is engineered to be wind proof of gusts up to 40 mph.

In the days that have passed since the world went into lockdown, 80 per cent of the clothes we own haven’t touched our skin. The A/W 2020 menswear collections presented in January hang in limbo too as production has been halted and buyers reconsider orders due to be delivered in July. Divorced from their studios, designers have been working alone from home, conducting fittings over FaceTime and Zoom; scrutinising fabrics through well-thumbed screens.

If it is true that you can see the approaching of a revolution in clothes, then a new, altruistic attitude is on the way, one that champions the digital realm, and opens up designers to an even wider and plugged in global audience.

London: Nicholas Daley

The throb of a guitar, a poem narrated to a room, the smell of incense and sweat; birthday cakes and cocktails. We’ve become used to experiencing life framed by computer screen. This month’s London Fashion Week has replaced physical shows with a stream of digital content, yet for a designer like Nicholas Daley – who has used his moment as a chance to share the spotlight with a host of black talents from poet James Massiah to South London musical duo Kwake Bass and Wu-Lu – this pivot throws up some challenges.

‘Community, culture and craft is what I always want to push. A/W 2020 was my last season with New Gen and my first full runway with collaborations. The venue was the biggest I’ve worked in! It felt like a really positive show, very complete. I want to keep that momentum rolling,’ he says from his studio. Daley is more curatorial in his approach – the music, the set, the crowd he calls upon carry the same importance as one of his check Irish linen cardigans. ‘The backdrop of this pandemic is re-evaluating. Everyone is just trying to adapt and get hold of the situation. That’s why I always align with musicians because music is a very unifying force. The times feel right for that.’

Paris: Phipps

‘Can everybody calm down. Make less, make it better. Focus on what you do well,’ the American designer Spencer Phipps says from his home in Paris. Mercifully this period of confinement has forced the industry to align to his eco ethos. A/W 2020 was about the conservation and protection of forests and included a curated line of customised vintage and deadstock garments that will go on sale under the name PHIPPS GOLD LABEL via his re-designed website. ‘Great t-shirts, one-off pieces, cool collectible stuff. I think those are the kind of things people want – special things with character and things that don’t feel like you’re adding to the problem,’ Phipps says. ‘I feel weirdly fortunate because our whole thing has been useful, purposeful luxury items – there’s a reason for them.’

Phipps has installed a make-shift climbing wall in his spare room and has spent most of his time wearing sweatpants, fitting print trials and prototypes onto himself, sending selfies to his assistant. ‘Offices are opening again but I’m planning on maintaining this kind of rhythm now I’ve seen how I can move around, do stuff on my phone, come back and do other things. I feel much more disciplined – I can work out whilst doing emails simultaneously. That’s a new skill for me!’ 

New York: Kenneth Nicholson

L.A-based Kenneth Nicholson’s A/W 2020 collection started with the idea of hybrids: ‘Everything is referential. Like, if you see something online, it is a joke but it references another meme from a month ago and takes on a new life. I was really trying to tap into this collage, this layering of what I felt was happening.’ In lockdown he has been characteristically brooding: ‘I think for the longest time fashion felt very impenetrable – you either had access or were perpetually longing to have access to it. And so, for me, seeing all of the initiatives like the CFDA’s A Common Thread and major luxury houses stepping in, that’s phenomenal. I don’t think things like that will go away easily.’

Even before COVID-19 fashion had begun to acknowledge inclusivity, diversity and the importance of opening up. Nicholson riffs his collections off of the misconception that gender fluidity is a new-fangled theory. ‘Part of the conversation has to be about that empirical evidence that in the 17th and 18th century men did wear lace, men did embrace a lot of silhouettes. I still want to have this notion of respecting fashion history and gently leading people to embrace something that feels new. With everything the way it is right now, I want to turn it up a little, to really go for it.’ 

Milan: Sunnei

Simone Rizzo and Loris Messina have always approached SUNNEI as a multidisciplinary project that is part wardrobe and part youth club. ‘What we do is far from seasonal trends and other dynamics of the fashion system, however during this period we had the chance to slow down and understand what really matters,’ they say. So much of what makes something SUNNEI is defined by the community of people wearing it, loving it.

During lockdown the pair decided to host forty days of live performances, generating what they call ‘shared one-of-a-kind moments.’ ‘We basically took this as an opportunity to dig into art and its innumerable branches, from illustration to music, drawing, sculpture, cooking, floristry and more. We didn’t stop interacting with the people around us – we just looked for alternative ways to reach them.’

INFORMATION

nicholasdaley.net

phipps.international

kennethnicholson.us

sunnei.it

londonfashionweek.co.uk

Benji B is all about connecting the dots. Fashion, music, design – for the London-based DJ and producer the art forms are all on the same plane, tapping into the same frequencies. ‘I don’t see a distinction. All of these practices are about turning ideas into form,’ he says.  

It’s a philosophy that has shaped his career for over 20 years – first at the helm of his BBC Radio 1 show and his seminal club night, Deviation, and more recently through his work in fashion as the go-to curator of sound and music for the likes of Louis Vuitton, Cerruti 1881 Paris , Celine, Bethany Williams and Gieves and Hawkes.

Crafting some of the most memorable fashion week soundtracks, Benji collaborated closely with Phoebe Philo during her time at Celine, experimenting with everything from time-delayed speakers to famously recording the ambient street sounds of Paris.

‘That particular collection was inspired by a French film that had extremely crude sounds. I recorded drilling on the street – and it was amazing to watch the audience response. Some of the most famous fashion critics feeling uncomfortable, and then watching that discomfort turn to surrender. It was fascinating!’

When long-term friend and collaborator Virgil Abloh took the helm of Louis Vuitton as artistic director for menswear in 2018, Benji was the natural choice as music selector. ‘Putting together the show in the Palais Royal, it was just a moment,’ he says of their debut S/S 2019 collaboration – where Canadian group BadBadNotGood brought to life the rainbow hued collection, changing keys with each colour shift. ‘It’s such a privilege to use music to add another dimension to how people engage with fashion.’

It’s not just the clothing but also the set design that shapes the sound. ‘When I do music for fashion shows, it’s about the space and responding to it. The music can be a complement to the set or a juxtaposition to it’ he says. Seeing the collection at an early stage, he thinks about the whole experience, how it will sound, look and feel. ‘The music I do is not in the background, it’s part of the experience. It’s part of the clothes, it’s part of the art.’

Like Abloh and Kanye West – who he also regularly collaborates with, Benji is compelled by the more democratic direction of fashion in the social media era. ‘Instagram has blown apart the idea of gatekeepers. The idea that you have to get to a certain stage before you are able to engage with nice things, whether its expensive watches or fashion, no longer applies. The true definition of luxury is not a power yacht in Monaco, it’s something that’s hand made – whether that’s from an established brand or a new designer who has taken the time to craft a piece. It’s really about authenticity.’ 

What’s meaningful to people in their everyday lives is what drives him. ‘The reason I love design so much is that people are able to turn ideas into something that has a use. This is true of furniture and music, but also great clothing. When you cut through the circus of the fashion world, when you work with the true creatives – Virgil Abloh, Bethany Williams, Kim Jones – without exception these people are amazing artists. They are at the level of Frank Gehry or Jean-Michel Basquiat or Keith Haring – that’s why they are where they are. Sometimes with the noise of fashion you can overlook how authentic and gifted these people truly are.’

How does he see the fashion show evolving in the future? ‘Well, it’s mind blowing to me that we can stream shows on Instagram Live. That wasn’t possible just a few years ago. But when you think about it, McQueen did AI twenty years ago – so who knows where it can go next? In a sense London deserves so much credit for bringing theatre to fashion shows over the years.’

INFORMATION

mixcloud.com/benjib

At the end of a suburban street in South London, lined neatly with rows of early Victorian terraced houses and trees, a group of shirtmakers stand at pattern cutting tables and folding machines, and sit studiously at sewing stations. Needles whirr, blades slice satisfyingly through Swiss and Italian fabrics, scissors snip loose threads and piles of unusually matte Australian mother of pearl buttons tinkle in cardboard boxes.

It’s inside a long light-filled 7,200 sq ft modern warehouse conversion, nestled down a grey gravel path and hidden from street view by a dark timber door, that Pink Shirtmaker’s bespoke workshop sits. With a sleek interior designed by MoreySmith – whose recent workplace projects have included an overhaul of Dunhill’s global headquarters and LVMH House, both in Mayfair – the space opened its doors in April, after a speedy two month renovation. 



It’s one of the new artisanal threads in the LVMH-owned British shirtmakers’ aesthetic overhaul. In 2017, it installed new CEO, Christopher Zanardi-Landi, new creative director John Ray and last autumn unveiled a new logo, branding and manufacturing, aimed to bring the heart back into the 1984-founded label once synonymous with colourful and boldly-striped British style, quality and flair. ‘We’re putting pleasure back into making shirts,’ says head of brand Richard Beaumont. ‘People think it’s simply something to wear under a jacket, or buy in blue and white. We’re coming from the other way.’

Leading this new dressing direction, armed with sugary pink pattern cards, thick volumes of fabric samples and a cacophony of collar styles is Pink production director Richard Gibson, who came from Londonderry, where he owned a shirtmaking factory (once a Pink supplier) to London to lead Pink’s bespoke workshop. Since April, it has worked with 200 clients, who away from the stuffiness of Savile Row, can choose from 400 fabrics – from classically British Giza Poplin to silky West Indian Sea Island Cotton Twill – seven collar and three cuff and pocket styles, for a shirt formed from 24 different body measurements. Unlike other bespoke shirt fitters, who, unknowing to their customers, tweak fits based on block patterns, every bespoke Pink shirt is cut entirely from scratch. One keen client has already ordered fifty.

This artisanal transparency is reflected in MoreySmith’s workshop design. The narrow fair faced concrete space – ideal for repeated workstations – is sparsely decorated, and light filled. The warehouse’s original raised polished concrete floor has been stripped out and replaced with warmer reclaimed timber, and a communal kitchen and meeting rooms installed.

Unusually, the space is both a working factory and also a showroom for welcoming bespoke clients. It is fitted with two entrances. Through the customer reception, complete with a sumptuous dark green walled changing room and pattern cutting table, customers are able to see directly onto Pink’s shirtmaking floor through welcoming glass windows. ‘We were trying to create a feeling of openness and transparency,’ says Linda Morey-Burrows, principal director of MoreySmith. ‘Visibility is key,’ adds Gibson.

A client’s first fitting appointment can take place at Pink’s London Jermyn Street, Paris or Manhattan's Madison Avenue boutiques, where the initial 24 measurements are taken, alongside a client’s preference around style and silhouette. After the first fitting shirt pattern is cut in Vauxhall by Pink’s bespoke cutter Lizandra Cardoni, clients are then invited back to their preferred boutique or to Pink's South London workshop itself within four weeks, for a series of fittings until final satisfaction is met.

‘John Ray has an amazing ability for creating classic shirts with a Pink DNA,’ Gibson explains. Its recent ready-to-wear designs include vintage-looking striped shirts inspired by archive Pink patterns from the 1980s and checked shirts stonewashed with pumice for a time-honed softness. Its newly launched ‘Smart Shirt’ has a shorter silhouette with a smaller collar and cuffs, encouraging a more casual look. ‘We won’t just copy a customer’s preferred shirt,’ Gibson adds. It has to be a Pink shirt that is bespoke.’ 

Ray’s fastidious eye even narrows on the buttons that are used in Pink’s bespoke styles. ‘He wanted the highest quality Australian mother of pearl buttons, but unusually matte instead of shiny and thinner than usual,’ Gibson explains. ‘They’re incredibly hard to make.’ Unusual, artisanal and painstaking to produce: they’re a symbol of the brand’s bespoke aesthetic, sure to spearhead Pink’s modern identity, and the modern man’s shirt-first wardrobe too.

INFORMATION

thomaspink.com

We live in liquid times. The choppy politics of both identity and place have washed hoary notions about what is certain. With deep fakes and shallow truths, now is the time for honesty and integrity. Fashion is taking note. ‘To me, this time is about being conscious. Being real. Don’t be afraid to say who you are – whoever you are,’ Ermenegildo Zegna’s artistic director Alessandro Sartori says. Zegna’s latest campaign is concerned not only with the cut of a cashmere blouson or the smarts of sustainable suiting but hopes to harness fashion’s ability to foster conversation. The question? What makes a man today.

Since Sartori graduated from Istituto Marangoni Milano in 1989, much has changed. The pace of fashion for one, the unexpected emergence of a constant feedback loop care of social media and, more exhilaratingly, the shift in attitude to use clothes to enhance a personality rather than use them as uniform. ‘I have noticed more of a sense of wanting to dress yourself in a way that shows who you are and it wasn’t always like that.’ Sartori’s A/W 2019 collection was inspired by life in perpetual motion; the show was staged inside Milan’s vast central station to illustrate the many paths crossed throughout a single day. The company is placing its product at the centre of a wider, more critical dialogue. ‘Borders keep being narrowed throughout the world. We felt the urge to advocate the power of openness and multiplicity,’ Sartori says.

The latest campaign, starring two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali, channels a new sincerity and sensuosity. It proffers a roll-call of men with something to say. ‘After a long time of presenting men without fear, I became more interested in a man who can talk about his emotions, his personality. How do we love, how fragile are we? It’s about sensitivity and sensibility. All of this is super important because we don’t dress machines,’ Sartori says. ‘We dress human beings.’

Sartori shifted his attitude after noting the vivid and unfeigned talk in the design studio. Millennials flood their dialogue with candidness and frequent self-reflection and this has impacted much of the fresh approach. ‘The studio is 50 per cent men and 50 per cent women and about a year ago we started to have more open discussions and I cannot tell you how many ideas – how many creative ideas – I got from it!’ he says. ‘When we show what we are going to do for the coming season, it’s not just a presentation now, it’s a conversation.’ In this mood, the campaign proposes masculinity as a state of mind, not a set of given rules. It places man in the outdoors, face down in the minutiae of the natural, awesome world.

The environment is at the heart of Zegna. It is the only luxury brand to be vertically integrated and own the entire supply chain. In 1993 the group founded Oasi Zegna as a project to promote the work of its founder to transform mountain territory near the company’s wool mill in Trivero into a nature reserve by planting half a million trees in the late 1930s. In 2014, Zegna purchased the family run Achill Farm in Armidale, northern New South Wales, so they could support the struggling Australian farming industry. ‘Our sheep at Achill Farm are fed with organic food and then by the time their merino wool comes into the store as fully finished garments, there have been so many steps involved. Today we have bigger possibilities and we can use this full supply chain differently to really try and have zero waste. We are lucky to have it.’

For the coming season and beyond, the attitude is one of regeneration: re-use and resurrect. The call to action is #UseTheExisting. Suits are made entirely from wool remnants. Eco down jackets, quilted coats and long parkas are in recycled polyester. A knitted sweater is in salvaged cashmere. This approach is rooted in an openness to do traditional things differently. ‘It’s a mind-set that you have to change first. Then you have constraints, but little by little you can find solutions and new processes. Is it possible to have 100 per cent sustainable today? No, but we are working hard to explore how we can achieve this. If we can recycle and repurpose something three or five times that’s great. But what happens when there is still that 5 per cent left?’ Sartori asks. It’s curiosity that makes the man.

INFORMATION

zegna.com

‘Last spring, I found myself drawn to a lot more feminine colours,’ says Amy Smilovic, founder of Tibi, gesturing to a rail upon which clean oversized blazers in hues of fresh lemon and pale dusky pink hang. ‘If you saw a runway show of all these pretty pastels, you wouldn’t necessarily assume it was Tibi. So I thought the best way to masculinise them is to put them on men.’

In September 2018, at Tibi’s spring/summer 2019 show — held in a disused bank on Wall Street just around the corner from the brand’s studio on Broadway — a handful of male models walked down the runway wearing relaxed tailored trousers, oversized suit jackets and knitted polo shirts in shades of caramel, sky blue and soft pink. But contrary to what the catwalk suggested, this wasn’t Smilovic announcing a new menswear line. It was a mere styling trick. ‘We thought, if the audience saw the womenswear pieces on men, they weren’t going to think that Tibi has gone really frilly,’ says Smilovic, who founded the New York-based label in 1999. ‘They were going to see it the way we wanted it to be seen.’

As it turned out, Canadian e-tailer SSense saw exactly what they wanted to see, too — advanced suiting for men, distinct from the traditional Italian tailoring brands and streetwear labels dominating the current menswear scene. ‘SSense came to us after the show and said it was what they were missing,’ she says. ‘We found out about this gap in the market in a roundabout way.’ Initially launched as a trial with SSense, the range was so successful Smilovic has had to put pieces back into production in the middle of the season, after SSense sold out.

‘We’re now expanding it to other retailers,’ she says. Amy Smilovic plans to build the offering slowly, incorporating it into the Tibi flagship store in New York and taking on a select few retail partners — it won’t yet have presence on the Tibi website. The 20-piece collection will span the categories, including a coat, two blazers, sweaters and trousers. ‘It’s a capsule that really ticks off all the parts of your day and your lifestyle,’ she says. ‘That’s what makes it unique.’

What’s also unique is this symbiosis with the women’s collection. The menswear offering will be the same, altered slightly in size to account for narrower hips and longer limbs. ‘The adjustments are really slight because all of our patterns always start with such a menswear feel,’ says Smilovic, of the brand’s signature suiting that is always made from menswear fabrics. ‘We were geared up to rebuild all the gradient scales for sizing, but our womenswear pieces are so loose anyway that we didn’t have to. The shoulders on our blazers are already 50 inches, for a US size four.’

It helped that Smilovic’s pattern makers trained in menswear. But she did draft in a male fit model, and next on her agenda is hiring a permanent menswear specialist to help oversee the design and wear-test the prototypes. ‘My team and I live in the clothing, we put the samples on our body so we know if we are fidgeting or uncomfortable,’ she says. ‘I’m not a guy so I cannot bring this to the table. I don’t want to all of a sudden convince myself that that’s not important.’

For now, she’s tapping into the men she does have in the studio, who have been wearing Tibi’s menswear pieces for the past few months. Its official introduction is a natural evolution of a brand which is renowned for its playful yet functional approach to everyday dressing. ‘I’m excited to explore a new customer but it’s so uneventful at the same time,’ she says. ‘Menswear has always been so important to me and to the brand.’ Without it, Tibi wouldn’t be Tibi — whether it’s a woman wearing the suit, or a man.

INFORMATION
tibi.com

Artist, actor and fashion designer Greg Lauren isn’t one for labels. He is known for his artisanal approach to taking, reinventing and breaking apart archetypes that have been universally adopted by fashion. In his hands, formal military field jackets, plain hoodies and army issue cargo pants take on a West Coast ease. Earlier this year, Lauren started working with the eminent Italian nautical company Paul & Shark. ‘When the introduction came I said, do they know what I do? Do they know that I’m going to take all of those amazing classics and try and destroy, and turn it into something new? Will they let me be me?’ he said.

Growing up on the Upper East Side of New York, Lauren was exposed to a very specific, very potent code for how to dress. ‘Really, it was the artificial idea of some lifestyle that isn’t even very real,’ he says. His uncle is the renowned fashion designer Ralph Lauren who has shaped what we think of as the all-American style. ‘Every time I get the chance to take something that’s so classic, so conservative, I want to redo it in a fun way.’ In his early meetings at Paul & Shark, he took apart a smart, cashmere-blend peacoat and spliced it with vintage American denim overalls. It was the meeting of two worlds – Lauren’s crafty, bohemian spontaneity and the sacrosanct Made In Italy sprezzatura.

Lauren’s tear it up, turn-it-upside-down-and-inside-out MO feels opposed to the solemnity of upper-class elegance. Yet the co-branded pieces have everything that aficionados of Italian menswear love – and more. They combine Old World style with a modern, sustainable, hi-tech sensibility.

Drawing on Paul & Shark’s seafaring heritage, a long kimono, boxy work-shirt has been mixed with hi-tech typhoon fabric, which is used as patches behind tears on denim. An archival bright yellow hi-tech sailing parka from the 1980s is cut into a more military sport kimono, with vintage denim and black fleece sleeves. Lauren even stripped the lining and made a pair of cargo pocket trousers out of it. ‘I was taught to love certain things, beautiful things, but they were appropriate for another generation,’ Lauren says. ‘I am of the generation that wants imperfection. I think that something should be perfectly imperfect and clothing should be about individuality. It should be about uniqueness. In order to find that voice, I had to destroy the old things.’ 

INFORMATION

paulandshark.co.uk; greglauren.com

Rochas: A car mechanics garage overgrown with plants played host to designer Federico Curradi’s second menswear collection for Rochas. Models descended a metal staircase onto the concrete floor in a series of light and layered looks with an artisanal bent. Breezy longer length jackets with military details were slung over jersey vests and slouchy trousers, while crumpled silk unbuttoned shirts were nonchalantly tucked into baggy board shorts. Elsewhere, sloopy hand knitted jumpers, one with a deep V neckline and another with a flora motif, and a pair of paint splattered jeans and shirt further suggested an artists wardrobe. Porcelain charm necklaces, floppy sun hats and suede espadrilles accessorised the look.

Nanushka: Set in a tranquil courtyard secluded from the busy outside street, pieces of furniture and sculptures, created in collaboration with Studio Betak, lined the space. Designer Sandra Sandor described her second full menswear collection as ‘bohemian minimalist’. The clean lines of a high shine vegan leather jacket framed a striped soft linen shirt, while a pair of lightweight cotton drawstring trousers were juxtaposed with a sharp cropped blazer. The easy and elegant mood continued with a translucent printed robe nonchalantly thrown over a silk jersey vest, and a striped knitted polo casually tucked into fluid track pant-like trousers. Floppy sun hats and fisherman sandals competed the high summer look.

Thom Browne: The École des Beaux-Arts played host to Thom Browne’s theatrical S/S 2020 show. On entering guests were greated by a line of models standing like statues encased in oversized suit carriers. Then James Whiteside, American Ballet Theatre’s principal dancer, took to the catwalk pirouetting and leaping in a high-cut tutu and trompe l’oeil blazer leotard. The suit carriers were then pealed back one by one to reveal the models wearing Ivy League inspired sports suits consisting of a neat seersucker jacket and matching shorts with attached cod pieces. More sports references followed, shoulder lines were extended resembling American football uniforms, while fabric made basketballs appeared caught in voluminous crinoline cage pants.

Acne Studios: Creative director and brand co-founder Jonny Johansson presented his S/S 2020 collection in a plush carpeted room. Models brushed past audience members through narrow rows in a collection that embraced experimentation with art school gusto. Unexpected fabric combinations collided in a transparent acetate jacket with jacquard lining, while multiple strips of ribbon were latticed together to make a pair of trousers. Elsewhere, a jumper and coat of mashed up knit techniques came with heavy fringing, and an iridescent shirt grew a crochet panel at its bottom. The craft-like spirit continued into accessories – earrings were inventively made from chains and cable ties, and cuffs had threads that hung down over the hand.

MYAR: Designer Andrea Rosso takes vintage military garments and amends them using artisanal techniques to create unique pieces. For S/S 2020 he looked to the island of Hawaii and its culture for inspiration. Classic Hawaiian shirts were fused with dead stock army garments and camouflage fabrics and reworked into a series of tailored pieces. An upcycled jacket came lined with a tropical shirt while another carried a patchwork palm motif on its back. Elsewhere striped Telnyashka T-shirts from the Russian army are printed with hibiscus flowers, and block colour patch pockets disrupt exotic prints. For the first time the story and customisation process behind each garment will be fully revealed by scanning the QR codes thermo-applied inside each piece.

Ann Demeulemeester: Designer, Sébastien Meunier, set sail this season in collection awash with sea fairing troupes. Models strode through a mist filled room to an upbeat soundtrack. Traditional sailor uniform codes ran throughout – jackets came with tarnished gold buttons and angular lapels that enveloped the shoulders, trousers were wide and worn half mast, billowing shirts had lace up fronts and sides. Elsewhere, fisherman net tops clung to the body and lightweight canvas coats resembled ship sales. Oversized duffle bags that tied with thick ropes, wader-like boots and a single pearl earring completed the look.

GmbH: Designers Alexander Huseby and Serhat Isik presented their S/S 2020 collection at the I.N.J.S. building. Guests sat outside facing the lush gardens as models walked the stone terrace in a series of sleek and powerful silhouettes. The designers continued to develop their take on modern tailoring – strong shoulder jackets and sculpted waist overcoats featuring statically placed harness-like straps had a regal about them. Body hugging tops and billowing silk shirts covered in an Evil Eye print were teamed with tailored wide leg trousers. Elsewhere, contoured denim shirts where tucked into hip hugging jeans with the fly zip exposed. In addition, shoes with an overlapping strap were cleverly made by an Italian supplier from apple pulp. Mirrored eye shaped sunglasses and belt bags completed the collection.

Officine Générale: Pierre Mahéo is a designer not concerned with the seasonal whirlwind of hard and fast trends, choosing instead to quietly build on his brand aesthetic. For S/S 2020 he was in full holiday mood, thinking about the Italian island of Ischia and a high summer wardrobe. Softly tailored blazers and neat bombers were teamed with board shorts and flat front trousers cropped at the ankle. Pyjama-style shirts came with pipping around their edges or covered in a tiny mosaic print. A lightweight longer length jacket worn with an unbuttoned plaid shirt, jeans and sandals exuded a casual elegance.

Byredo: On the wooden floor of a Parisian sports hall, Byredo’s creative director Ben Gorham fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a professional basketball player by recreating a NBA backdrop to introduce his new Byproduct concept for S/S 2020. The designer worked with Stockholm-based tailor A.W Bauer & Co. to create ten suits inspired by basketball players’ style of the early 2000s, basing the cuts of the long blazers and trousers on their athletic body shape. Similarly, the Byproduct sneakers nod to the basketball aesthetic while being assembled in a patchwork of leather waste from the brand’s handbag products.

Namacheko: A narrow multicoloured curtain lined corridor was the setting for Namachecko’s S/S 2020 show. Models brushed by guests in tailored and knit ensembles. An update on the black suit opened the show – its jacket moulded to the body with panels and an elongated patterned knit emerging from underneath. Overcoats came spliced together, their top halves in a bold block colour the bottom patterned with small glass-like tubular rods appliquéd on top. These were teamed with shirts, their extended collars reaching a sharp point, and nylon knitted longer length tank tops. Narrow leg trousers with stirrups were worn over derby style shoes with a crochet rubber toe cap. Four oversized jumpers made of woven striped knitted bands closed the show.

Wooyoungmi: The invitation to the show – a white cassette tape – hinted at the vintage reference to the collection. The Seoul/Paris label channelled the energy and drive of City Pop, the musical genre shaped by the long-reigning post-war optimism in the 70s and 80s in Japan. The jazz, new wave fusion soundtracked the yuppie era when clothes were bold and punchy. Holiday shorts were matched with smart jackets; utility tailoring came in nylon. Hawaiian sunsets inspired acid dip dye denims and were printed over short sleeved shirts. Silver dolphin and palm tree charms, worn in the ears and high around the neck on chains, were made in collaboration with Korean jewellery brand, Portrait Report. The muse was young and sun-seeking.

Pierre Hardy: This season Pierre Hardy looked back at some of his most successful shoe styles and reworked them for now. The designer continued to push his signature sneaker in new directions, this time colourful leather and knitted panels where spliced together for graphic effect, while their moulded angular and sweeping soles were decreased in size to modest proportions. On the flip side a classic Chelsea boot and Derby shoe were given an optical update in pure white. Elsewhere, a suede trekking sandal came with Velcro fastening straps and rubber grip sole, and a hiking inspired boot with padded upper and chucking laces running up its front made their debut.

Dunhill: Models marched purposely out of a fine vale of smoke onto a high shine metal catwalk. The pounding electronic soundtrack intensifying with each look exit. Elegant volumes ran throughout – generously cut double breasted jackets that fastened with a single button hovered around the body, liquid satin trousers sometimes layered under shorts were worn with leather hotel slippers or heavy duty gold toe capped shoes, billowing elongated silk shirts came printed with classic images of the Dunhill Jermyn Street store or house logo. Elsewhere, a soft black leather tracksuit, lean blazer with sharp lapels and midnight blue poncho added a touch of danger. Safari-like jackets were cinched at the waist with long trailing belts, and lightweight wool coats cocooned the wearer. Oversized briefcases with lizard details and quilted attaches resembling a classic car interior complete the collection.

OAMC: Designer Luke Meier presenter his S/S 2020 collection in a spacious auditorium encased in huge diaphanous sheets of white muslin. These floating panels acted as a serene backdrop to a collection of restrained modern menswear. The silhouette was light and layered – a billowing lightweight anorak floated effortlessly over an elongated top and baggy trousers, while voluminous board shorts where layered over elongated sock boots. Elsewhere, boxy tailored jackets and utility shirts were heavily pressed with harsh crease lines, and diagonal ribbed knits addeded a graphic rigour. Quilted rucksacks and totes appeared like fluffy pillows, with some featuring watercolour motifs. The brand continued its collaboration with Adidas Originals with the Type-04, a cut-away technical sneaker.

Vetements: The show was hosted inside the two-floor McDonald’s on Paris’ Champs-Élysées. The clichéd, everyday setting made a perfect backdrop to the brand’s cynical, pop approach to clothes. The guests all sat sipping filtered cola as the scent of fries permeated the air. The clothes were textbook Vetements; police uniforms, tracksuits and ‘Black Friday dress’ were all riffed on and turned inside out, corporate logos revamped. Biker denims, crushed pinstripe suiting, repurposed football jerseys – archetypal ‘clothes’ repurposed into fashion. The recognisable forced into your face. It was frenzied and fabulous.

Eytys: Swedish brand Eytys is best known for its shape shifting footwear. Recently they added RTW and this season they made their Paris presentation debut with a full blown collection. Big and baggy was the mood with 90s RnB style notes – wide leg slouchy jeans hung on the hips, while fluid silk shirts were worn left open. Cargo pants came in washed denim with the usual side pockets switched to the front. A graphic printed zip up anorak and MC leather jacket added some hip hop swagger. Sneakers with bumper car soles, cowboy boots with heavy duty treads and pumped up sandals kept the volume at max.

John Lobb: This season artistic director Paula Gerbase presented her S/S 2020 collection on a series of specially commissioned sculptures. New styles includ the ‘Foundry’ sneaker – taking inspiration from 1920s sportswear silhouettes from the Lobb bespoke archive, the five panel upper uses a technical nylon canvas and a hardy cross grain leather for the first time. Appearing in the brand's classic house palette of russet, turquoise and grey, the colours allude to the oceanic tones of the Cornish coastline. In addition, three expertly crafted unisex sandals made there debut – the ‘Cross’ is a city sandal with criss-cross straps and an open toe, the single buckle ‘Stratton’ features a toe and back strap, and the ‘Beacon’, is a double buckle slider, which nods to fastenings of Lobb’s signature ‘William’ style. Each is available in a black or white colourway, in the newly developed cross grain calf, with rubber or leather soles.

Ours is an age where fashion collections are admired and double-tapped on Instagram more widely than they are worn. Of course, if you’re as canny a designer as Kim Jones is, you can do good things with ’grammability. Jones spent seven years at Louis Vuitton ushering in a smart, sports-luxe approach – his influence can be seen in every tailored trackpant, every bum bag slung diagonally across the chest. But now, as menswear artistic director at Dior, he’s taking a new tack, learning to apply the majesty of couture to the masculine wardrobe.

At Dior, Jones is schooling Gen Z on the art of craft. He has drawn inspiration from archive pieces dating back to the 1950s and the couture techniques of the 70-year-old house are at the forefront of its new-look ready-to-wear men’s line. His debut, S/S19 show for the house included a tailored, wraparound, single-button jacket named ‘Tailleur Oblique’. ‘We were looking at women’s couture and with that comes this elegance,’ he says. What worked for womenswear in the 1950s, he adds, can be applied to a lot of menswear now. He sees his role as editor of custom-made codes, from the curve of the house’s classic 1947 ‘Bar’ jacket to the floral decoration in the palest grey and pink.

The ideas behind his application of high craft to the new collection were rooted in objects that Christian Dior handled every day: ‘I looked at everything from his homes to his childhood, his time as a gallerist before setting up his label,’ Jones says. Floral patterns were drawn from Dior’s personal dining service held in the Christian Dior archive at Granville, France, which were photographed and hand-drawn before they were translated into three-dimensional embroidery applied all over a collared shirt. The hand-beading took eight people three weeks to complete.

Jones has taken on traditional elements that then reveal themselves in modern ways. What looks like a simple lace vest is an ornate piece that took the atelier one month to develop. A traditional silk gauze was given a nylon warp to lend a technical finish to the surface; a fil coupé jacquard was then applied, adding clusters of flowers inspired by Dior’s crockery. ‘The house of Dior was only ten years of his life,’ Jones says. ‘His loves and passions were nature, art, design. [I’ve taken] all those things and mixed them together. ’

The toile de Jouy pattern from the interior of Dior’s original store at Paris’ 30 Avenue Montaigne, designed by Victor Grandpierre, has been resurrected as a new signature. It is used on a piece that combines a collarless shirt attached to the inside of a Saharan blouson. ‘Twice the material is pieced together so that the toile de Jouy matches at every seam,’ Jones says. ‘Having the atelier and being able to use couture techniques is a different way of working [for me]. We see things much more in person at Dior. Things are made in the building, which means you have more time to think about them.’

At least 15 people were involved in the creation of a sheer tulle shirt onto which laser-cut feathers were applied. The couture approach is about tactility, know-how, handwork. ‘I’m learning about things that excite me and I want people to see them too. I think a generation growing up looking mostly online are used to seeing things in 2D. Now they want to see them in real life.’

Jones’ work today has a lightness and an ease that comes from sportswear, yet it is rendered with fearsome opulence. In his 1954 book The Glass of Fashion, the photographer Cecil Beaton talked to Dior about the designer’s role in taking note of – and shaping – contemporary life. ‘The atmosphere of the times is an essentially unknowable element, but it is very important,’ Dior advised Beaton. Throughout his 16-year career, Jones has consistently measured and moulded the mood. And as screen dependence threatens to atrophy our sense of touch, the rarefied world of haute couture is a reminder of the dexterity of the human hand. Sure, it is extravagant, elusive, but its results suit social media’s appetite for spectacle. And the textures and techniques in Jones’ debut remind us of our own physicality. It reminds us of fabric touching the skin. And the hands that make our clothes. §

As originally featured in the March 2019 issue of Wallpaper* (W*240)

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Dior website

he inner ear, the knuckle, the tongue; the body parts explored in Alan Crocetti’s designs subvert the typically erogenous zones explored in jewellery. The Brazil-born, London-based jeweller’s recent Erotica collection includes earrings formed from molten globules of sterling silver which dangle from the ear’s antitragus – the inner ear line just above the lobe – and Zirconia-embellished gothic spikes which pierce the lip.

‘The collection wasn’t actually about over sexualising the body,’ Crocetti explains. ‘It was about fetishisation of the jewellery itself and appreciating it in all its forms.’ Crocetti showcased his debut collection as part of Fashion East’s S/S 2015 menswear presentation  after dropping out of Central Saint Martins’ womenswear design degree. Since then, his collections have placed focus on particular areas of the body. A repeated design includes a pair of washer-like stacked hoops which loop through the lobe and inner ear. In Erotica, these are encrusted with pavé Zirconia. ‘They focus on the unexplored area of the body,’ he says. ‘You don’t have to have your inner ear pierced to wear them. I like that illusion.’

In Erotica, the knuckle was another focal point for Crocetti. The collection features chunky orb-like rings which sit on the main knuckle and appear to limit the moveability of the finger’s joints. ‘The pieces came from the idea of embellishing a part of the body which is so functional’ he explains. ‘The rings are about being dominated and in control of the pieces at the same time’.

‘I like that Alan is obsessed with the body, and that certain pieces work ergonomically’ says Damien Paul, head of menswear, at Matchesfashion.com. The retailer, which is proving something of a leader in its savvy contemporary men’s jewellery offering, was an early supporter of the designer. ‘The blurred lines with which he designs for men and women is very modern.’

‘As clichéd as it may sound, I design for the human body, regardless of gender,’ Crocetti says. The spiked details in his Erotica pieces are festooned with crystals, subverting their apparent toughness; his knuckle dusters, too, have a curvy softness. ‘I began showing my collections at men’s fashion week as I was frustrated at pre-established ideas of what masculinity entails. There’s nothing more empowering than self expression. Finding your armour helps you stay in touch with your own self-awareness.’ 

E. Tautz: The invitation to the S/S 20 show was a photograph taken by British social documentary photographer Tish Murtha for her Youth Unemployment in the West End of Newcastle series between 1979 – 1981. Creative director Patrick Grant chose a picture of three teens playing cards, a heavily patterned floral wall behind their heads. These flowers inspired the title of the collection – ‘Les Fleurs’ – and led the research to the easy, pastel style of Barry Manilow. The collection of chic Dolman sleeved shirts, sports shorts and suits in shades of tangerine, red and berry were ‘juicy and fruity and floral. The sort of things Barry would wear to sing about the things he loves,’ Grant said.

Rahemur Rahman: A weightlessness has come over Rahman during the last six months. ‘I came out to my parents and it felt nice. I felt softer. It felt gentle to be me.’ The designer collected all of the family photographs he could find; a montage of his grandparents in Sixties Bangladesh, his father in London in the 1980s and memories of himself growing up in the 1990s. ‘It’s a weird mix but every era kept an aspect of home.’ Collaborating with Aryana - a member of the World Fair Trade Organisation - Rahman continues to introduce traditional printmaking from South Asia into his clothes. For S/S20, the textile is inspired by a six colour woodblock khadi print held at the V&A. ‘All of the artisans I spoke to said they couldn’t do it today as the generation that could was wiped out after Partition. So we worked hard to make it with four colours,’ he said. This is cultural identity used as a pass for freedom, rather than a passing fad.

Band of Outsiders: The brand collaborated with Brooklyn-based artist Amit Greenberg for a second time. His playful drawings of characters in high-summer pool party repose were printed on classic, West-coast cool Bermudas, fresh white denims and light, roomy short sleeve shirts. Creative director Angelo Van Mol wasn’t interested in cerebral references for S/S20: ‘it’s about ease, it’s about summer. It’s about having fun!’ Standout the slip-on sneakers with graphic soles produced in collaboration with the Korean brand, Age OFFICIAL.

Fashion East: New to the roster was dancer and designer Saul Nash, who graduated from RCA in 2018. With a BA in Performance Design and Practice, his clothes – shown via dance performance choreographed by Nash himself – reflected a body in motion and had a sensual, sportif look. Zips curved around the legs of tracksuit pants and sleeves, so garments took on new shapes. Panels were sheer. In her second outing, Robyn Lynch recalled her Irish heritage with a range of tonal clothes that brought the summer holidays to mind. With double waist bands and cable knit jumpers cut into sports tops, the collection channelled a youthful carefreeness from a time gone by. The Nigerian-born Mowalola Ogunlesi’s clothes felt like a hot slick of chilli oil to the eye; her vision was erotic, masculine and severe. She was inspired by the visceral sensation of intense romance: ‘the horrific feeling of love – when your motions are turned to a hundred.’ The leather halter jumpsuits knotted at the neck, the stiff denims and hand-dyed lime green cowhide were part Dennis Rodman, part ‘Lil Kim, part 1970s trailer park. Utterly right for right now.

Lou Dalton: For S/S20 Dalton imagined a young Prince Charles on his summer holidays; models sat on fold-away camping chairs and stools amidst khaki tents. Dalton isn’t preoccupied with conceptual approaches to clothing. There are no grandiose statements being made here – just well-made garments in a raft of delectable colours and fabrics, inspired often by open air affairs. For S/S20 this meant fine gauge sea island knits in collaboration with John Smedley, wide-leg cotton trousers, technical fabric shorts and reversible, showerproof outerwear made with Gloverall.

Iceberg: From Charles Jeffrey’s Loverboy nu-punks to the torn tailoring at Art School, rebellion is a running theme to the S/S20 London menswear shows. At ICEBERG, Creative director James Long fashioned a positive display of personalities; the punks of Kings Road met the local Sloanes and South Kensington Goths. The show was an upbeat succession of youthful, colourful clothes. The season marked the debut of ICEBERG ART DENIM – a series of collaborations with artists, starting with Peter Blake’s pop-art applied as patches on denim, intarsia knits and punk pop accessories. 

Belstaff: Since the 1920s, the British brand has created head-to-toe kit for those with a hunger to explore. The second collection by Creative director Sean Lehnhardt-Moore itself began with a twin discovery in the archives: a neat cotton fishing jacket and a crisp nautical style from the 1970s. The look was light and lived-in – slub yarns and battered jackets that evoked memories of a long, adventurous summer safari.

Bianca Saunders: Saunders was inspired by conversations she had making ‘Unravelling’, a documentary featuring a group of male friends talking about masculinity. ’I’m always thinking about that balance between masculine and feminine, having the darts go straight up the shirts and the shoulder more relaxed. I want to create the in-between of how things come together,’ she said. Models stood around a large, yolk yellow canvas inspired by American painter Barkley L. Hendricks, who has been celebrated for his influence on black portraiture since the 1960s. Elastic ruching twisted single-button tailoring and shirting around the body in a way that felt neither butch or femme. ‘A subtle sexiness, but not all the way – that’s what I’m trying to do,’ Saunders said. 

Nicholas Daley: The presentation of Daley’s collection took place inside a church founded in the 12th century. He filled it with live, pulsating music and creamy incense. Inspiration came from African-American jazz group Sun Ra Arkestra, in particular their influential LP Astro Black, released in 1973. Daley’s passion for sound and its influence on style culminated in a performance by award-winning avant-garde jazz group Sons of Kemet; the energy and craft of the musicians were reflected in the dash and grace of Daley’s signature pin-stripes and oversized checks in Irish linen.

We’re on the warpath against wasted materials. Lucky for our everlasting aeshetic, three menswear labels are championing revamping antique fabrics to fit an eco-friendly lifestyle, and are part of a new generation of sustainability advocates upping the potential of landfill-destined threads.

Here, we take a look at what treasures Bode, John Alexander Skelton and Xenia Telunts are laying their hands on for S/S 2019...

Bode
Inspired by the familial histories and personal narratives infusing antique textiles and heirlooms, Emily Bode reinterprets historical, female centred techniques – such as quilting, mending and appliqué – in new fabrications for her New York-based brand. The brand turns three this summer, and has been nominated for this year's LVMH Prize. As a thorough archivist, Bode grew up collecting vintage men’s clothing, such as school gym uniforms and workwear, but also quilts and mattress fabrics found in flea markets, that she now reworks in modern, boxy silhouettes from her Chinatown studio.

‘Because of the nature of the textiles, it has been a priority to continue working with individual tailors to make the majority of our clothing,’ Bode says of her approach to making one-of-a-kind garments. ‘I am passionate about reinvigorating American manufacturing and aiding in bringing back the emphasis on craftsmanship into luxury menswear.’

This season, the designer explored the rich heritage of her long-time collaborator, Canadian artist Aaron Aujla. As a Punjabi descendent and third generation immigrant, Aujla's Indian roots have interplay with his British-Canadian surroundings. This cultural clash pervades the collection where traditional Khadi fabric – a hand spun natural cotton cloth – is turned into rugby uniforms, while colourful silk and linen shirts are embroidered or screen-printed with historic Indian designs. Aujla also created a collection of furniture, which echoes the same materials and techniques. This exploration in repurposed homeware is one that the label is planning to further develop in the future.

John Alexander Skelton

There’s a story behind each piece designed by John Alexander Skelton for his eponymous brand. Since Skelton graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2016, he's produced six numbered collections. Materials are mostly sourced in the UK and India – most of them hand embroidered or coloured with aged natural dyes – which fits the designer's own narratives around crafts and folk traditions. ‘I’m a very small fish in the pond but I would like to be able to support crafts people – like hand weavers in India – to enable them to keep going,’ he says. ‘As a designer, I’m part of the last generation to still be able to use those really amazing fabrics so they don’t get lost.’ Antique French fabrics, grain sacks and old house linens are left in their natural state, only for Skelton to reveal their luxurious details and rich history into repurposed coats. Well-worn wax cotton jackets are also turned into beautiful tailoring.

Without making sustainability the primary focus of his label, Skelton’s attraction to natural fabrics and handmade techniques goes hand in hand with the idea of producing garments that last with the highest quality possible, while also keeping complete control over the production of unique pieces. ‘My idea of upcycling is when you find something that is really interesting, you give it a new life and change someone’s perception on the material just by using your own imagination.’

Xenia Telunts

Based in rural Yorkshire, Xenia Telunts moved to England from Moscow where, looking back at the USSR, upcycling used to be a necessity rather than a trend. She studied at London College of Fashion before starting her sustainable label in 2017. By reworking utilitarian Soviet workwear, such as the fufaika coat made by quilting different layers of fabric together, Telunts brings a contemporary edge to a unisex wardrobe of functional pieces, created with zero-waste pattern cutting, organic fabrics and ethical responsibility. ‘While studying at LCF, I began using natural dyes initially for the aesthetic,’ explains the designer. ‘But once you begin researching natural techniques, and you start learning about the impact of commercial, chemical dyeing, you can’t really go back.’

Working very closely with manufacturers, Telunts consciously chooses her materials, such as hand woven cotton from India or vintage linen cloth, through a small community of makers, and designs clothes at a reduced scale to minimise waste. ‘I’m seeking something that has minimal impact on the environment but the most positive effect on the people who make and wear it,’ she says. For her S/S 2019 collection, the designer moved from darker, heavier pieces to a muted palette of more fluid silhouettes, while also developing patchwork pieces with repurposed fabrics.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Bode website, Johh Alexander Skelton website, Xenia Telunts website

It was mid-December, a week after Chanel’s Egyptian-themed Métiers d’Art show in New York, and the artisan workshops were already back at full speed, preparing for the couture shows in January. In ateliers around Paris and beyond, people toiled in silent concentration, repeating the same gestures on feathers or buttons or fabrics or beads that their predecessors practised for generations, striving to create objects of wonder and surprise.

Paris once counted thousands of these workshops, crafting embroidery, hats, gloves, shoes, jewels and more by hand. Only a few have stood the test of time. Coco Chanel collaborated regularly with several of them, and when Karl Lagerfeld arrived at Chanel in 1983, he strengthened the connection.

Since then, the house has acquired 26 métiers d’art workshops, run by a subsidiary called Paraffection. Most are French, though they include a cashmere specialist in Scotland and a leather tannery in Spain. ‘Chanel would never have been what it is without them,’ says the house’s fashion president, Bruno Pavlovsky. ‘They are part of the DNA of the brand and one of our strongest assets.’ He explains that many of their acquisitions were financially sound, yet unsure about the future, especially those that lacked a succession plan. By picking up the workshops it considers indispensable, Chanel ensures their future and its own. Together, Pavlovsky says, they are building a ‘strong, supportive creative process’. So while other houses invest in crocodile farms, Chanel turns to Atelier Montex to create ‘python’ from embroidered paillettes that’s even more precious than the real thing.

Maison Massaro: shoemaker, Aubervilliers – established 1894

To highlight the skills of these various artisans – or petites mains – Chanel presented its first Métiers d’Art collection in 2002. It is considered ready-to-wear, though many looks approach couture. Now one of the house’s fastest-growing collections, the Métiers d’Art show walks the runway in a different city every year.

The workshops are also growing, and actively hiring. And many of the artisans are under the age of 30. In order to keep up, Chanel is erecting a 26,000 sq m Métiers d’Art flagship on the periphery of Paris. Designed by architect Rudy Ricciotti with a delicate curtain of concrete threads, it is due to open in 2020.

To continue coming up with astonishing creations, the workshops are embracing new technologies and combining them with time- honoured tools and methods – laser cutters alongside Lunéville hooks. Given the means to experiment, they are taking tweed to the next level with technical threads, and using lasers to modify the surface of silk.

‘New technologies help us to make materials we never could before,’ says Hubert Barrère, artistic director of the venerable embroiderer Maison Lesage, which has also branched out into sophisticated tweeds. ‘What’s interesting is creating a new aesthetic by mixing things that don’t normally go together.’ He gives the example of a piece of embroidery from a 2015 collection, tiny 3D- printed plastic squares covered with lace. It is one of many treasures in Lesage’s archives, the world’s largest collection of couture embroidery, with 75,000 samples dating back to the company’s beginnings in 1858.

‘Our biggest challenge is to stay relevant,’ says Aska Yamashita, artistic director of embroiderer Atelier Montex, who created the spectacular beaded collar that Pharrell Williams wore in the latest Métiers d’Art show in New York. In 2014, Lagerfeld tested Atelier Montex’s ability to work with atypical materials by requesting concrete for a couture collection. Rising to the occasion, the Parisian workshop combined small concrete cubes with glittery bits of leather and embroidered concrete-and-crystal flowers.

The button and jewellery maker Desrues is constantly mixing contemporary techniques with traditional skills for new effects, and also continues to practise methods that have fallen out of style, such as pouring glass cabochons of the type Coco Chanel wore on her cuff bracelets, just in case [before his death in February this year] Lagerfeld decided to ask for them. A button can require up to ten different techniques, from casting metal to colouring resin, and Desrues’ atelier counts sculptors, engravers and chisellers among its staff.

Whether it is destined for the runway or the boutiques, every Chanel button and bijou at Desrues is crafted largely by hand, to the same high quality. Collections director Sylvain Peters says the workshop delivers about 10,000 to 15,000 buttons for each runway show, plus thousands more for the boutiques. Whatever Karl asked for, he notes, ‘I had no right to say “It’s not possible”.’

Desrues: costume jeweller, Plailly – established 1936

At the milliner Maison Michel, artisans steam rabbit felt and then deftly stretch it by hand over blocky wooden hat moulds in a variety of forms. Only two artisans know how to operate the rare old Weissman sewing machines, which allow them to sew straw with invisible stitches. These women use nothing but the instinct and intelligence in their hands to guide the straw and replicate the shape of each mould.

Every season, Maison Michel’s workshop comes up with new shapes; either original combinations of moulds or else brand new ones such as a beret with asymmetrical indents. Young artistic director Priscilla Royer, who has been at the hatmaker’s helm since 2015, says its vast archives – some 4,000 wooden blocks of di erent shapes and sizes – ‘give us enormous creative exibility’.

Founded as a feathermaker in 1880, Maison Lemarié is unique in that it brings together four different types of savoir-faire under one roof: feathers, flowers, couture (as in ruffles or smocking) and pleats. It often mixes them together, says general director Nadine Dufat. ‘When we present pleating in which we have inserted featherwork or flower petals, we are something other than just a pleater.’

The Lemarié workshop produces around 60,000 of Chanel’s iconic camellias each year, using heated metal balls to shape petals from various materials. In another room, artisans hand-paint feathers and meticulously glue them into stunning patterns, such as the Ancient Egypt-inspired feather marquetry for a Métiers d’Art dress that required more than 1,000 hours of handiwork.

‘When you buy a luxury brand you’re buying a dream, but also a savoir-faire. Without the people behind that savoir-faire, there’s nothing.’ – Hubert Barrère

Maison Massaro, founded in 1894, was the bespoke bootmaker for Coco Chanel, inventing the slingback shoe whose elastic band allowed it to be discreetly slipped off underneath the dinner table. Today the Aubervilliers atelier owes its survival to Chanel, existing solely to create shoes for the collections. It also serves the house’s best customers, whose wooden shoe lasts hang in rows, inscribed with their names.

The reason for the workshop’s fragility, says artistic director Jean-Étienne Prach, is that it takes four people with different skills to properly make a bespoke pair of women’s shoes. (Men’s shoes are no walk in the park, either – the atelier can spend 20 hours stitching a single pair.) Simply put, the undertaking is not a cost-effective business, which is why Massaro is the last bootmaker of its kind in the world today. Nonetheless, the workshop is very much in demand and has a five-month wait for a fitting.

Pavlovsky emphasises that acquiring these ateliers was not a play to monopolise their skills. Though they maintain a privileged relationship with Chanel, they are encouraged to continue working for other designers – and most of them do. This ‘pushes them to be more agile,’ he says. ‘The more you work with different perspectives, the better you are.’ There was a time when couture houses forbade these ateliers to talk about their collaboration. Maison Lesage’s Barrère tells the story of how one day, atelier founder François Lesage entered Yves Saint Laurent’s couture house by the front door. Saint Laurent’s partner, Pierre Bergé, was standing at the top of the stairs and instructed Lesage to use the tradesmen’s entrance – l’entrée des fournisseurs.

Soon afterwards, Lesage had the idea for a book about the artisan workshops, titled Entrée des Fournisseurs. ‘The book got a lot of attention because it gave the métiers d’art their due,’ Barrère says. ‘When you buy a luxury brand you’re buying a dream, but also a savoir-faire. Without the people behind that savoir-faire, there’s nothing.’ 

As originally featured in the March 2019 issue of Wallpaper* (W*240)

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Chanel website

Armani/Silos Fabula Charles Fréger: Milan Fashion Week Men’s allowed editors the chance to catch Armani/Silos’ exhibition of the work of Charles Fréger. The photographer is famed for capturing different global communities, rituals and dress codes, and the showcase features over 250 retrospective images, from Steps, Fréger’s portraits of the Finnish ice-skating team, to the famed series Wilder Mann, a series dedicated to pagan figures, which crosses 18 European countries. The exhibition is on view until 24 March 2019.

Kiton: There was an air of expedition behind Kiton’s A/W 2019 offering, one crafted to cater to its on-the-go tailoring and travel obsessed customer. Suiting has taken on an ease, unstructured and more casual, with heritage houndstooth and Prince of Wales check taking on a renewed relaxation. The collection also introduces a range of outdoors worthy pieces new to Kiton’s canon, including luxurious parkas lined with fur and cosy sheepskin jackets.

Versace: RuPaul’s commanding refrain ’Shante you stay, Sashay away’ announced the start of Donatella Versace’s A/W 2019 show. The opening section paid homage to the bondage codes Gianni dabbled with in the early 1990s - harness printed T-shirts were teamed up with see through plastic trousers, while backless tailored jackets held together with straps where worn over baroque silk shirts. Elsewhere, sharply cut grey suits were given a high octane boost with floro lace linings and feather boa trims. The tempo revved up further in a collaboration with Ford. The automotive giants iconic logo was emblazoned over jeans and shirts. An update of the brand’s souped-up Chain Reaction sneaker came in leopard and an array of ultra brights.

Andrea Pompilio: The designer continued to evolve his unique approach to producing playful updates on wardrobe staples. He looked to rave culture and the early morning post club journey home for inspiration. Big and baggy proportions were key, with Pompilio turning up the volume on a plaid duffle, while elongated shirts appeared from under boxy blazers. Elsewhere, a macro-check wool overcoat had the ease of a dressing gown and jumbo cord trousers were teamed with plus-size sneakers. Other highlights included a down jacket and parka in mismatched heritage fabrics and tech nylon, and an anorak  emblazoned with leopard print.

Church’s: This season Church’s took a leisurely stroll around the streets of West London. Presented against a photographic backdrop of houses and front doors, styles were displayed on Church’s logo emblazoned door mats. The brands classic Shannon style appeared with a creeper sole and a bold silver buckle side fastening, while their Pembrey penny loafers were given a punk makeover and covered in flat studs. Elsewhere, the cobbler expanded its St. James’s collection with new bag styles and an elegant double buckle monk in soft grain leather.

Bed J.W Ford: Self-taught designer Shinpei Yamagishi was feeling reflective ahead of his Milan Fashion Week debut. Since 2010, his label – pronounced ‘Bedford’ – has become known for its street slouchy tailoring and play on gender codes. For A/W 2019 the duality was illustrated in thick wools paired with elegant satins, soft leather with nylon. There were fringed shawl collars on wool trench coats. Rolled velvet collars. Dusty jewelled tones of rust, amethyst and red. It is a languid eclecticism favoured by Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester and Haider Ackermann. New for the season was a capsule made with Adidas Originals. The sportswear brand’s iconic three stripes are brought inside the leg on purple velvet track pants. Sock boot sneakers had gently spiked soles.

Brioni: Newly appointed executive design director Norbert Stumpfl presented his quietly confident debut collection for Brioni in a velvet lined room. The sumptuous surroundings showcased a collection of considered pieces that focused on effortless tailoring with luxurious details. A formal coat hides a shaved beaver lining, while a softly cut blazer came with an astrakhan collar. Elsewhere, a field jacket was given an exotic makeover in crocodile and a trench appeared in butter soft leather. As always tailoring was key – blazers in knitted jersey and cashmere had an easy elegance. The collection also introduced the Primo suit, a new slender fit silhouette and minimal construction making it the perfect day to night uniform.

Brunello Cucinelli: The brand loosened things up this season in a collection that turned up the volume while staying true to the brand’s classic silhouettes. Generously cut caban jackets and roomy cable knit cardigans were effortlessly thrown over single and double-breasted blazers. A suit in Bordeaux cashmere moleskin had a casual gentlemanly elegance about it, while the easy yet luxurious feel continued with a series of corduroy tuxedos. Elsewhere, fine v-neck knits appeared from under shirts, and relaxed fit jeans came in premium Japanese denim. Brown leather trekking boots and suede Derbies with rubber soles added a rugged sensibility.

Dondup: The Italian label is known for its subtle detailing and sure-fire wearability. For the coming season, the modish, understated outfitter pushed an outerwear message with the warmest, urban chicest style; a trench in wool plaid had a generous volume. Sleeves on slim cashmere knits were extra long. A nylon parka had fuzzy, teddy bear lining. Standout were custom parachute patchwork cargo pants – a canvas of velvet, corduroy, ultra light nylon, silk and heavy cotton. They had a modern, military rhythm.

Giuseppe Zanotti: The glamour and glitz of the label’s namesake founder was front and centre with splashy, sparkling leathers and glimmering textures on its classic styles. Standout was the Blabber capsule of sneakers, a development from S/S 2019’s Urchin style. This elegant new shape for the brand has a double tongue and double silver eyelets, lending it a lo-fi, 1990s Japanese insouciance. Covered in 3D printed vinyl spikes, it’s still packed with Zannotti’s seductive joie de vivre.

Miaoran: The Chinese-born designer Miao Ran moved to Italy to study at the Politecnico di Milano and has a Masters from Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, where he teaches today. After some time working with Missoni, Ran launched his namesake brand in 2015 in Milan. He referred to his A/W 2019 show as a love letter to Milan – ‘seen through foreign eyes’. Earlier in the week Alessandro Sartori talked of the diversity and transience of the city; Ran’s approach is to remix its sartorial codes. From the clergymen to the Carabinieri and pizzaioli, the clothes had a monastic line. Washed denim was in workwear shapes. Fine-wool suiting had formal uniform details lined in hot-pink piping. Trousers were ruched at the waist. The clothes had a sombreness that felt local yet unknown.

Missoni: Angela Missoni presented the brands A/W 2019 collection in an installation created by artist Anton Alvarez. Mannequins stood amongst a series of colourful cylindrical sculptures dressed in a more minimalist Missoni attire. Striped unstructured blazers, grandfather style cardigans and chunky jumpers came in a refined colour palette of soft gradients - shades of camel fluidly morphed into ochre; crimson red into bright orange; and deep wine into electric blue. Texture was also key with different knit techniques often being layered over each other for tactile effect. In a special collaboration with Alvarez, two distinctive cable knit dégradé sweaters came with whirling relief patterns embroidered by hand.

Etro: There was a pinch of A Midsummer Night’s Dream’s playful Puck in Etro’s A/W 2019 collection, one designed to take wearers on a fantastical pastoral voyage, through verdant forests and across flowering fields. The offering abounded with medieval style tapestries, patchwork motifs, foliage prints, the house’s signature paisley and alchemical gold thread details, and featured sumptuous smoking jackets, bold suits, puffer jackets and shearling coats. Excellent finery for escapades in enchanted forests.

Ralph Lauren Purple: This season Ralph Lauren mounted his horse and channeled his deep affinity for riding in a collection rich with equestrian tropes. A soft suede bomber emblazoned with laser cut ridding motifs taken from archival scarf looked polo ready, while a gabardine raincoat featured the same scarf print as a lining. A generously cut wool overcoat closed with buckles was inspired by the RL Stirrup Watch, this also appeared on belts and sneakers with a strap fastening. Wool-cashmere turtlenecks, and Fair Isle sweaters were tucked into high-waisted trousers reminiscent of jodhpurs. A touch of fun came in the form of a coat made of Steiff teddy fur.

Santoni: The accessories house has never followed convention and this season was no exception, with the brand holding a mock auction to present their A/W 2019 collection. Guests were invited to bid on pairs of shoes, each lot being humourlessly introduced by the auctioneer. The brand’s classic double buckle monk appeared in shiny ebony leather with a slightly squared toe, while an ankle boot with eliminated seams looked super sleek. The brand’s signature lace-up mountain boots came in a high-top version with soft ankle padding and para rubber sole, alongside a low cut walking style. Elsewhere, loafers in exotic crocodile were toughened up with a chunky tread, and brogues came with untreated heals and soles. A range of running shoes using the brand’s unique artisanal approach and finest leather completed the collection.

Tod’s: Set in the grounds of the grand Villa Necchi Campiglio, Tod’s presented a collection of fine menswear staples, giving each a luxury makeover. A classic puffer came in super soft chocolate brown leather, while a utility jacket in pale grey suede had an easy elegance. These were teamed with fine cashmere roll necks and basket weave knitted jumpers. Elsewhere, neat bombers and overcoats were made in eco-sustainable fabric. As always footwear was key – pull-on boots came with a new toecap embossed with the Gommino pattern, the classic Tod’s moccasin got a sporty update with a neoprene inner sock; and sneakers appeared in brushed calfskin with a Velcro fastening.

Tom Ford: The designer took a more minimalist approach this season in a pared down collection that played with volume, while staying true to the brand’s sleek silhouettes. The focus was high voltage outerwear - a blown up black parka revealed a cosy duvet lining, while a super lightweight puffer in copper came with a double-breasted zip fastening. The protective yet luxurious feel continued with nylon jackets and matching trousers that could be worn uniform-like. Elsewhere, a black leather suit with pronounced topstitching along its seams added a touch of danger, and an arctic white cashmere zip-up hoodie looked après ready. Bags in exotic skins came with concealed zips and robust hardware, and a new more sturdy monk strap ankle boot expanded Ford’s accessories range.

Jimmy Choo: A statement hybrid sneaker/trainer/shoe is the footwear of today; Jimmy Choo’s A/W 2019 collection explored a retro vision of the future. A millennial penchant for the glamorous and bold encouraged creative director Sandra Choi to new limits. The Diamond style sneaker which premiered last season returned, but amped up. Based on a crafted racing shoe, its chunky, semi-transparent octahedron sole is designed to look as if you’re about to step into a brilliant gemstone. It is a nod to Cinderella’s slipper via rock-infused, sportswear-inspired 1960s Americana and the ergonomic metallic sheen of the mid-century space race. Fantasy and the final frontier.

When Rocco Iannone was named creative director of Pal Zileri in June 2017, he had majestic ambitions – rooted in heritage, art and poetry – on his mind. ‘When I started at the brand I found a company totally focused on one category – the suit,’ he says of the 1980-established tailoring specialist. ‘My mission is very much about expanding this offering, with links to Italian style, territory and history.’

Iannone’s aesthetic mission began in Vicenza – a Northeastern Italian city populated with buildings by 16th-century architect Andrea Palladio – also the birthplace of Pal Zileri. The Veneto region has informed Iannone's desired colour codes for the house, derived from the tones of its architecture and natural surroundings; a spectrum of deep reds, blues and greens.

‘I started adding lots of images of the region into computer software,’ Iannone says. ‘Then I synthesised them to create a colour palette that really reflects it. In particular, there is a green which evokes the colour of the water in Venice in winter time, where water and fog combine into a particular shade.’

These hues are all encapsulated in Pal Zileri’s sublime S/S 2019 collection, one which features relaxed trousers, jacquard and striped blazers, backpacks and gauzy knitwear. Ioanne’s spring offering also includes a selection of androgynous women’s looks, which draw from the loose silhouettes, organic tones and nautical elements in its menswear.

As if the collection wasn’t captivating enough, for S/S 2019, Iannone has also created a beautiful hardback tome, one perfect for conveying his newly honed aesthetic to bookworm-inclined customers. Across its grainy, peach and turquoise hued pages, Iannone presents his vision for Pal Zileri in three chapters: ‘Identity,’ ‘Quiet Links’ and ‘The Collection’.

The connections between past and present, the city and the sartorial, the physical and the ideal are visually displayed, and a range of aesthetic elements are considered, from the black and white Venetian costumes which have inspired the brand's tessellated logo, the portraits which inform the body language in Pal Zileri's collection imagery, to the architectural landscapes which inspire its colour palette and boutique interiors.

‘Andrea Palladio was a maniac in terms of balance and harmony,’ says Iannone of the architect, who not only informed the landscape of Vicenza, but has also inspired his own design approach. The creative director's volume for Pal Zileri also reflects a considered and all encompassing approach to design. This draws from a spectrum of Italian history to convey a truly contemporary vision to the brand.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Pal Zileri website

GmbH is the standard legal acronym for a limited company in Germany, but there is nothing either limited or corporate about the maverick Berlin-based fashion label that adopted that tag. ‘We didn’t like the combination of our names,’ says Benjamin Alexander Huseby, who co-founded the brand with Serhat Isik, ‘so we decided to be nameless.’ The utilitarian moniker also nods to the city’s anti-fashion attitude. ‘Berlin has this element of being anti-corporate, and against the mainstream,’ says Huseby. ‘That is also how we think about things.’

The GmbH studio is located in a large industrial building in Kreuzberg, which also houses the techno club Ritter Butzke – a rare reminder of the district’s wilder days, as most other nearby spaces are being turned into luxury flats. ‘It has been a building site since we moved in a year ago,’ says Huseby. ‘It’s quite stressful. But it kind of adds to our aesthetic.’ For this, think traditional workwear, such as a fitted take on German carpenter trousers, in vintage, deadstock and club-friendly materials such as reflective polyester.

When the first collection, named after the techno anthem ‘When A Thought Becomes You’, launched in 2016, it was immediately picked up by Opening Ceremony. Last year, GmbH was shortlisted for the LVMH Prize for young designers. ‘It’s the casual approach and sophisticated shapes that make the designs feel exciting,’ says Herbert Hofmann of Berlin’s Voo store. ‘Their diverse customer base is inspiring too.’

GmbH’s founders are nothing if not diverse: Huseby was born to a Norwegian mother and Pakistani father and grew up in the Scandinavian countryside; Isik is a first-generation German of Turkish descent who was raised in the industrial Ruhr area. When mutual friends introduced them on a club’s dance floor, Isik had just left Berlin collective Bless and was working on his own menswear label. Huseby was a fashion photographer, shooting for respected magazines and brands. ‘I saw that together we could realise some of our ideas quite easily,’ he explains.

The duo is interested in the utilitarian clothes they see on their friends or on the street. They subvert these everyday looks into what they call ‘idealised’ pieces. Their A/W17 collection showed cropped blousons built from cut-and-sewn vintage Helly Hansen puffer jackets, and high-waisted patchwork cargo pants that were instant hits.

Although GmbH offers plenty of looks for partygoers, clubwear isn’t the only source of inspiration. Instead, there’s a strong autobiographical theme. The starting point for the duo’s S/S18 offering was their fathers’ dress codes. Isik’s father was a mine worker; Huseby’s worked in a video store, and was obsessed with flashy 1980s Italian fashion. Respectively, they inspired fleece jackets (as worn for cold, early morning starts) and the gold Cupro or silver viscose and linen mix that runs through the collection.

As originally featured in the April 2018 issue of Wallpaper* (W*229)

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the GmbH website

When Bottega Veneta’s creative director Tomas Maier decided to uproot his A/W 2018 runway show from Milan and move it to New York this past season, he did so with all creative guns blazing. The result was an extravagant Brutalist-inspired backdrop, designed by the award-winning Broadway powerhouse Scott Pask to mimic a well-appointed apartment. It formed a show set backdrop which male and female models promenaded around, and its open plan rooms also also served as an after-party venue brimming with design classics.

‘The New York show was not a regular runway show, but a show within an apartment,’ explains Maier, of the runway spectacle staged within the historic American Stock Exchange Building. ‘It was about creating a lifestyle of how someone would live and represent both Italian design and New York architecture – bringing the two sensibilities together.’

Scott Pask is renowned for his work on a wide range of productions, including The Book of Mormon, The Pillowman, and most recently, Mean Girls (which starts previews next week), and his design balanced architectural austerity with sumptuous furnishings to verisimilitudinous effect.

‘The goal for the set was to create… a space opulent in scale, yet austere in its material choices and textures that supported the world of the collection, ultimately becoming a tableau vivant for the models,’ explains Pask. ‘The environment [had to have] warmth, personality, and colour,' Pask adds of the set which was mapped out like a Manhattan residence, featuring a host of eclectic design classics, like reupholstered Fifties and Sixties Gio Ponti seating, Louis XVI chairs, Turkish carpets and art on loan from the Sperone Westwater Gallery and Gagosian Gallery.

‘I remember during my first conversation with Tomas, my first instinct was sensory, and based around the idea of the hearth, a fireplace. Visually, I wanted to create a more residential scale by designing a ceiling plane within the vast vertical height of the American Stock Exchange Building,’ Pask explains.

Pask, who has a degree in architecture and an MFA in theatrical design, moved into the world of set design after working in independent film and off-Broadway theatre. ‘I became interested in creating narrative foundations for the projects I was designing during my architectural education,’ he recounts. ‘Proportion, scale, and the human form and how it will inhabit the space are always paramount considerations [in my projects]. These, along with a conceptual foundation for the work and a deep consideration of materials grew out of my architectural work.’

He adds, ‘Something I am always interested in is the expansion and contraction of space throughout an experience – most often by physically shifting and moving planes within it to shape and create different scales of space. In the case of Bottega Veneta, it was to reveal the lounge space onstage by flying a seemingly monumental concrete wall [for] the audience’s ascent to the stage to join Tomas and his models for the post-show celebration.’

Despite the highly varied stylistic nature of his work, Pask has always looked to contemporary architecture for inspiration. ‘I’m always intrigued by practitioners who I think most poetically explore materials and light as their foundations – artists like Tadao Ando, Louis Kahn, David Adjaye and Snøhetta. Historical practitioners who also share those ambitions, especially the Italian Baroque architects who used theatrical manipulation of false perspective to create viewer aspiration, have always fascinated me as well.’ 

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Bottega Veneta website and the Scott Pask Studio website

Critics who've forgone the Florentine trade show Pitti Immagine Uomo in recent seasons were clamouring for invitations for S/S 2017. Having recently been held back by schedule clashes following the ascent of London Collections: Men, the fair was back on form with its best line up in years.

The guest designers were two of menswear’s buzziest names; the new kid on the block, Russia-born Gosha Rubchinskiy, and the original innovator, Raf Simons. If one were searching for a uniting theme across proceedings it turned out to be the relationship between old and new.

That’s something that’s already central to Simons’ work. For his show, he looked back both at his own archive – filling Florence’s Stazione Leopolda with hundreds of vintage mannequins sporting highlights from his archive – and the photography of the late great Robert Mapplethorpe. The show, a collaboration with the Mapplethorpe Foundation, was a tribute to the artist’s life and work – his images of flowers, nudes and muses decorated the pieces, while models looked like mini Roberts with their black leather separates and caps.

If the clothes were a tribute to a great artist, the set up was more of a Simons retrospective – fitting given that just over 10 years ago, in 2005, the designer held his 10th anniversary show at the fair. It was hard not keep in mind the rumours that Simons will shortly be heading to Calvin Klein and consider this a watershed moment and turning point for his eponymous brand.

Rubchinskiy is also obsessed with old and new; with the history of his native country, the highlights of style culture and the aesthetics of those young boys around him (many of who walked in the show following a casting call on Instagram). He paid tribute to Italy’s sportswear heritage through collaborations with Italian brands such as Fila, Kappa and Sergio Tacchini. They’ll fly off the shelves. The designer also used the opportunity to debut a Pasolini-inspired film and new limited edition book of his photography, both titled The Day of My Death, hammering home his multifaceted approach to the creative process.

Also showing were Japanese label Visvim, who presented their first ever proper runway show. They used the opportunity to focus on spectacle rather than clothing, offering a show full of ‘Instagramable moments’ for the fashion pack – see the retro dancers, flags and vintage motorbikes. Fausto Puglisi has enough spectacle in his clothes themselves – he used the occasion to debut a menswear offer full of Anicent Greek inspired emblems, heavy prints, slogans and embellishments. He described it as ‘fearless’ – the wearer would definitely have guts.

Elsewhere, in keeping with the notion of past and present, Gucci unveiled fresh additions from the Tom Ford-era into their museum, while Karl Lagerfeld, a man who’s usually always looking forward, offered a retrospective of some of his recent fashion images in the imposing setting of the Palazzo Pitti.

INFORMATION
Pitti Immagine Uomo ran from 13 - 17 June 2016. For more information, visit the Pitti Immagine Uomo website

Bouncing off the unrelenting prosperity of the luxury women’s activewear market is Paris-Stockholm men’s lifestyle brand Ron Dorff, founded by Frenchman Jérôme Touron and Swede Claus Lindorff. ‘For a long time women have had access to literally everything that men have in terms of fashion,’ says former ad man Lindorff. ‘We wanted to offer men their own brand, 100 percent focused on men’s sportswear.’ 

With a product mix that includes their ‘Skin Discipline’ body line (created in collaboration with Face Stockholm) and an entire wardrobe of grey marl sweats – some sporting their signature Dorffism, ‘Discipline is not a dirty word’ – the duo’s focus is simple yet smart essentials that marry ‘Scandinavian functionality with French classicism’. 

‘The idea was to offer everything a man needs before, during and after sports,’ continues Lindorff who founded BETC Luxe in 2005, ‘and to cater to an active urban man who doesn’t necessarily want to dress like an 17-year-old skateboarder, nor like his father.’

To complement their Paris flagship on the Marais’ rue Charlot, the pair have teamed up with French design consultancy Studio Dessuant Bone on a second standalone within London’s emerging menswear microcosm, Earlham Street, near Seven Dials.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Ron Dorff website

ADDRESS

5 Earlham Street, Seven Dials
London EC1V 7DY

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

Last summer, in Palma de Mallorca airport, Nicolas Gabard, founder of luxury menswear brand Husbands, bumped into a client dressed in Bermuda shorts. Gabard was wearing one of his own double-breasted suits, cut from Hield cloth manufactured in West Yorkshire. The client admitted he was embarrassed. Gabard replied simply: ‘One must never let go.’

For Gabard, there is no such thing as weekend wear. Clothing makes the man (and can unmake him). Three years ago he created Husbands because he wasn’t able to find the clothing for the man he wanted to be.

It was culture that gave Gabard a passion for menswear early on: ‘You read Proust and you love ankle boots. You listen to The Smiths and you love Morrissey’s clothes. You see Alain Delon in Le Samouraï and you love trench coats.’ He became a lawyer to please his father, but spent his free time hunting through flea markets for vintage clothes. Most of the time, he couldn’t find what he was looking for – even when he started using an expensive tailor.

Tiring of law, Gabard founded a communications agency. But he was still bored, so he sold his stake and launched Husbands, taking the name from the John Cassavetes film. His small boutique is in Paris’s 9th arrondissement, where François Truffaut and Serge Gainsbourg grew up. Albums by Joy Division and The Smiths and books sit on a shelf above a row of jackets. Gabard, who on the day we meet is wearing a Hardy Minnis double-breasted twill suit, denim shirt and silk-knit tie, insists that he deals in style, not fashion.

His catalogue changes little from season to season, and contains the basic components of an elegant man’s wardrobe: double-breasted suits, tweed jackets, blazers, trench coats, Chelsea boots, silk ties and scarves.

Husbands fills the gap between mass-produced and bespoke suits. The three-piece suits (from €1,490) are made by hand and to order in Italy (with personalised sleeve and jacket lengths). A key distinction of the Husbands’ suit is the entoilage, the full-length panel, made of linen and horsehair, that gives it structure and longevity. Another characteristic is that Husbands’ suit fabrics come from England, Scotland and Ireland.

Gabard considers himself to be an archivist not a designer. He scours old photos to find looks he likes, then hunts down the original fabrics. Coming upon a photo of Winston Churchill in a pinstripe suit, he obtained the identical navy wool from Fox Brothers in England. ‘I wake up in the morning and can put on the same flannel Churchill wore to Yalta,’ he says.

Though the fabrics and techniques he employs are traditional, the cuts are slimmed down for modern tastes. Gabard’s sartorial heroes are guys who never spent a day at the gym: Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Serge Gainsbourg, or David Hemmings in Blow-up. They cultivated indifference, but they put a lot of effort into how they dressed. ‘In the 1960s, Gainsbourg and Jagger took their fathers’ clothes and transformed them completely,’ says Gabard. He would like to convince a new generation of men to break the stereotype of the suit reserved for dandies and bankers: ‘A suit is a blank page – you can do what you want with it.’

As originally featured in the March 2016 issue of Wallpaper* (W*204)

INFORMATION

For more information, visit Husbands’ website

ADDRESS

Husbands
Rue Manuel
Paris 9e

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS