London Fashion Week A/W 2018 menswear editor’s picks
Belstaff: 2018 marks the 70th anniversary of Belstaff’s classic Trialmaster jacket, and to celebrate the brand exhibited a timeline of archive jackets charting its evolution from 1948 to the present day. Taking the jacket as a starting point, creative director Delphine Ninous focused on its association with British subcultures, that manifested itself in a collection of youth infused outerwear. Shrunken biker jackets came with leopard and velvet inserts or covered entirely in tiny paint speckles. Elsewhere, the brand’s four-pocket parka was reimagined in luxurious camel with street smart high-vis reflective strips. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
A-Cold-Wall: Samuel Ross studied graphics and illustration alongside product design before working as an assistant to Virgil Abloh of Off-White for three years. During this time, he was involved in designing garments as well as working on catwalk staging, retail installations and films for the brand. Inspired by his past, yet looking to an uncertain future, Ross presented a collection of post-apocalyptic streetwear. Models paced slowly through fallen iron girders in wellington boots, their faces occasionally covered by tightly pulled hoods. Garments were often deconstructed and stamped with a season serial number - a pair of trousers came with one clear plastic leg, while a heavy duty rib knit jumper had a clean graphic square cut out from its side. Outerwear was key - lightweight nylon windbreakers billowed in movement, and a neatly cut quilted jacket alluded to armour. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Phoebe English: The designer’s intimate presentation, set against a backdrop of garment toiles was the perfect setting to observe close up the designers eye for detail. Shirts with transparent buttons and delicate granddad collars sat alongside others with scalloped sleeves and longer length hems. A collaboration with knitwear designer Helen Lawerence saw textured waffle and fine rib jumpers made from soft British lambswool in tomato red and inky blue. Elsewhere a trench coat came in a lightweight waterproof waxed cotton and workwear inspired jackets in heavy duty moleskin.
Kiko Kostadinov: The burgeoning fashion talent, who was the first Menswear student to be awarded New Gen Men British Fashion Council support after graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2016, has become associated with industrialism, uniforms and utility silhouettes. For Kostadinov’s 00052018 collection, the designer chose to rebel against the modern world of technology, with a collection inspired by the relaxed bohemianism of Ibiza. Debuting womenswear for the first time, models wore pagan floral headdresses, walking in loose jersey trousers and spacey tunics. The menswear retained the designers idiosyncratic futuristic bent, but models accessorised their looks- including kayaking suits and cycling shirts and reversible knitwear inspired by Bulgarian pottery- with celestial blonde wigs, jewellery designed by the Ancient Rome-inspired Joanne Burke and folky crystal encrusted crochet bags. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Qasimi: The brand embarked on a nomadic adventure for A/W 2018 in a collection that took in different cultures, traditions and customs from far flung corners of the globe and then fused them together with a city dwellers sensibility. The journey focused on a textile discovery and more specifically the worldwide used of madras and gingham. These patterns were blown up into various sizes sometimes appearing unrecognisable as abstract lines running across a chunky knitted jumper and more noticeably covering a voluminous overcoat and cropped jacket. Elsewhere, intricate hand drawings by illustrator Zoe Keller of exotic fruits and fauna and wild animals were printed over check fabrics. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
J JS Lee MAN: The Seoul-born designer, who founded her womenswear line in 2010, presented her debut men’s offering as part of the London Fashion Week Men’s line up. To launch the collection, Lee launched a film titled ’A Singular Interview’, directed by Tezo Don Lee and filmed at the Corinthia Hotel, which focused on the character of Finn, a young journalist prepped to interview a renowned sportsman called Jisung Park. The trippy piece culminates in Finn wondering into a room hanging with TV screens replaying his interview. Lee’s accompanying collection made for offbeat office attire. Tailoring came deconstructed - seen in a micro dot wool jacket spliced into three different pieces. There were heavy cotton twill jumpsuits, long trench coats and a short oversized jacket with detachable sleeves. Bonus points for the boardroom.
Matthew Miller: On the first evening of London Fashion Week Men’s, London-based designer Matthew Miller proved he was well and truly with the brand. He eschewed the traditional presentation or catwalk show format, instead opting to stage ‘Riot’ a gig in East London, with three bands - Ekeno, Whiteroom and Strange Cages- wearing pieces from his latest collection. Miller’s collection featured sharp tailoring and military details, like bomber jackets embellished with multiple grenade shape pockets or sharp coats tied with utility belts. Not just partnering with musicians, the collection boasted a number of collaborations, Miller working with Cutler and Gross on opticals, Filling Pieces on sneakers and trenchcoats and rain macs with Hancock. Music to our eyes and ears!
Casely-Hayford: Father and son duo Joe and Charlie Casely-Hayford are fascinated by British subcultures. For the brands A/W 2018 collection, the designers celebrated their version of the 21st century boy, inspired by a high heel and cape clad flamboyant man seen by Joe walking down the road two days in a row. For the label’s ‘London Boy’ collection, this translated into wide legged suits paired with bold and bright knitwear, parka coats with sporty neon stripes, sporty zip up tops and checked tailoring, all teamed with a sneaker, a chunky loafer or a square heeled boot. Not forgetting a high necked cape, part trench, part windbreaker. Clothes certain to catch the eyes of passers by.
Kent & Curwen: This season Kent & Curwen launched its A/W 2018 collection with a collaboration with esteemed photographer Perry Ogden. Portraits featuring real boxers, artists and musicians wearing the collection in their day to day lives were showcased in an exhibition. Creative director Daniel Kearns turned up the volume on a classic overcoat by giving it exaggerated lapels and a more generous cut to the body, allowing for chunky cable knit to be worn underneath, while a silk bomber jacket came emblazoned with patches. Elsewhere tailored blazers where cut lean and teamed with narrow leg trousers. Keeping with the brand’s heritage, its classic rugby shirt appeared in a selection of new striped colour combinations all carrying the rose motif.
Band of Outsiders: With Kool and the Gang’s ‘Jungle Boogie’ filling the frosty air, a cast of hockey players and figure skaters took to the ice at Somerset House’s annual winter ice rink. Daniel Hettmann and Angelo van Mol’s third collection for the brand continued in a playful yet wearable direction. There were cartoon-like prints of skiers slalomed over pyjama shirts and matching tie waist trousers, while a generously cut white fluffy shearling jacket made its wearer humouressly pass for a polar bear. A new collaboration with Swedish raincoat brand Stutterheim offered a navy rubberised hooded jacket with graphic white sky stripes racing across its front.
Alex Mullins: For his debut catwalk collection, Alex Mullins looked to the split functions of the human brain for inspiration. The creative right side manifested itself in Mullins’ use of vivid colours and graphic fragmented prints, while in opposition the more analytical left side came through in his use of strict tailoring. Jackets came with sections of buttons that could be undone to create different silhouettes, elsewhere pieces from smashed ceramic plates featuring faces were stuck to trousers. A multi coloured spiral tie dye roll neck and matching trousers made for the perfect assault on the senses. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Vivienne Westwood: The visionary designer eschewed the conventional catwalk format for a digital presentation which debuted a near three minute film titled ’Don’t Get Killed’, documenting the fun and revelry of a look book photo shoot, with both the brand’s band of distinctive models (including the Maybury sisters and Harry Freegard who also walked for Rottingdean Bazaar in the MAN show) speaking to the camera, and Dame Viv herself, alerting the reader to the fact the film was about ‘war.’ The clothing in the film had fighting spirit too. There were Princess coats in the brand’s signature Harris tweed and undyed wool, military references in the use of red Melton and Mountbatten pink, sustainable hemp knitwear and the label’s idiosyncratic rehash of Saville Row suiting, with shirts in bright stripes. Clothes worth fighting for indeed.
Christopher Raeburn: Ever ethically minded, Christopher Raeburn looked to the deep blue for A/W 2018. The pollution of oceans by microfibres has been a poignant topic of late, and Raeburn equipped his models with clothing that could withstand the most fearsome of tempests or human-produced pollutants. Building on his dedication to using recycled materials - which in the past have ranged from reused parachutes to salvaged life rafts - the designer reworked neoprene immersion suits and RAF helicopter winchman coveralls into protective coats with zips and whistles, with models appearing part workman part deep sea diver. Emphasising his sustainable focus, Raeburn detailed totes and backpacks with ‘Reduced’ ‘Recycled’ ‘Remade’ slogans. Equipped with Raeburn’s offering we’d happily dive into any part of the deep blue. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Lou Dalton: A gang of boys decked out in Dalton attire sat shooting the breeze on an enclave of moss covered artificial rocks. Based on a memories from her youth growing up in Shropshire, Dalton continued to evolve her unique approach for producing quietly considered updates of wardrobe staples. Generously cut overcoats came quilted, adding extra protection from the elements and Harrington-style jackets were reimagined in waterproof wool. Wide leg trousers came in felt-like fabrics with a velvet stripe running down the side adding a touch of sporty decadence, elsewhere tapered track pants came in fine Italian wool. Dalton continued her collaboration with knitwear specialists John Smedley with a lilac jumper covered in big bobbles and another reminiscent of TV static interference. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Kiko Kostadinov: The designer debuted his brand at Dover Street Market, and retains a close affinity and relationship with the directional retail behemoth. Straight after his A/W 2018 show, Kostadinov set up shop at the boutique’s London outpost, showcasing three womenswear looks which he debuted during the collection. Kostadinov was inspired by the bohemianism of Ibiza, and the details of his womenswear pieces had folkloric and pagan touches: jewellery by Wallpaper* favourite Joanne Burke, embellished crochet toggle bands and ethereal floral headpieces by Katsuya Kamo. Topping off the looks? A pair of futuristic Asics trainers (marking the second season of Kostadinov’s collaboration with the footwear brand). For the designer’s female fans, the installation will run until tomorrow evening.
Cottweiler: Matthew Dainty and Ben Cottrell took editors on a archeological adventure for A/W 2018, holding their show at the National History Musuem. The artefacts of this geological excursion to its Earth’s Treasury Room? Shiny sportswear in blues, whites and greys, paired with colourful snakeskin loafers and lengths of carabiners, distressed merino wool jumpers, hoodies with tribal hand prints and trainers with foamy soles resembling piles of rubble or gnarly stalactites. For explorers keen to stow away the fruits of their dig, Mulberry provided shoulder bags and vanity cases in scaly and phosphorent lizard like shades. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Daniel w Fletcher: The Central Saint Martins student who graduated two years ago, and was nominated for the LVMH Prize in 2017, presented a collection inspired by the antithetical visual trends of the eighties. Fletcher interplayed suiting with sportswear, and the collection culminated in louche silk trousers with poppers and a seductive flare, open collared rugby shirts, teddy bear fur jackets and striped shirts with delicate ties. The designer presented his collection against a backdrop of paintings splashed on canvas, and created by Fletcher himself and artists Fenella Brereton and Abigail Fletcher. These abstract markings were also printed on silk shirts- (brush)strokes of genius!