London Fashion Week Men's: Day one round-up – past, present and future
A triumphant parade of cutting-edge talent takes its rightful place on the fashion calendar, with innovative looks referencing everything from dystopian sci-fi to Nineties drinking culture, and from A Clockwork Orange to Power Rangers
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Your support makes all the difference.It seems apt that now, in its 10th season, London Collections Men should be renamed as London Fashion Week Men’s.
In 2012, the British Fashion Council sought to create a platform for British menswear but, despite its success, it remained estranged from its female counterpart – until now.
The new name not only aligns the event with its womenswear sister, but finally stakes the triumphant parade of cutting-edge talent a rightful place on the fashion calendar. In the face of dual-gendered shows, the men’s collections have, and always will, showcase the breadth of both home-grown and international creativity.
This season, the four day menswear showcase kicked off with Topman and, of course, a celebration of all things British. For autumn/winter 2017, the brand looked to the pubbing and clubbing scene of the Nineties, contriving its very own fictional south London pub; The Fuzzy Duck. Here, beer-thirsty boys revel in premium ale after a hard days graft; they work all day and party all night.
Seen in a fluid mix of rave graphics, neons and psychedelic pub prints, sportswear staples like oversized sweatshirts, hoodies and running tights form the basis of the collection. But, a nod to the working man can be found in mismatched, military wool tailoring, coats and shearling patchwork jackets.
Another dose of Nineties nostalgia came from the master of wit, Bobby Abley. A designer known for his unique ability to blend playful imagery with cutting edge, contemporary design, this season Bobby looked to none other than the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers as his muse. The bright palette of the Ranger’s colourful costumes mixed with trailing martial art belts and dinosaur stencil prints saw Abley put his stamp on yet another piece of pop-culture history.
While both of these brands sought to represent the past, Chinese designer Xander Zhou cited what he likes to call “the new generasian”. Storming down the runway, Zhou’s militia of futuristic boys came armed with progressive tailoring. The sci-fi influence was clear, from silver wrinkled trench coats to voluminous shapes, but the angular finishes kimono ties and nod to orientalism grounded its peculiarity. There was also a cunning take on layering at play with boxy crop tops, sharp-shouldered jackets and high neck knits transporting mundane garments into Zhou’s virtual world.
For Kent boy Liam Hodges, science-fiction adventure also infused his signature stock of big, garish shapes and graphic tees. And, considering the turbulent year that has preceded us, it seems only natural that he should seek to comment on what's to come. As the voiceover sounded the “decline of western civilisation”, a mix of forest, olive and acid green swaddled hard-hitting camo with a post-apocalyptic, dystopian vibe.
Padded salopette trousers featured removable pockets while puffa jackets, jersey pieces and fluro fur merged the Hodges’ technical design with corresponding innovation.
While the state we find ourselves in served this collection well, nods to dystopian, cult classic movies were seen too. The designer’s signature x-ray print took inspiration from Mary the triple-breasted sex worker in Total Recall, while Hodges’ droogs bore an informal take on the city gent’s bowler seen in Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange.
The past, the present and the tentative future strung today’s collections together along with a fascination of techno-colouring, uniformity and wide, patchworked silhouettes.
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