London Menswear Collections: Dystopia and back-to-work functionality on third day of shows
Christopher Raeburn took as his theme a merging of fashion and science, using cutting-edge fabrics and referencing the early years of the Race for Space
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Day three of London Collections: Men was preoccupied by two distinct and strikingly paradoxical themes; intergalactic dystopia and back-to-work functionality. J.W.Anderson got things rolling with a collection inspired by narrative - particularly that of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s fable The Little Prince where a young boy from outerspace encounters a series of offbeat characters on his journey to Earth, crash-landing in the Sahara Desert.
The influence could be felt enormously with goggle-like aviators, breezy linen tunics and quilted tabards matched by makeshift crowns and flight suits fit with utility pockets. The Northern Irish designer retained some familiarity though as the collection continued to build on a modern interpretation of gender with glossy shoulder bags and cartoonish men’s and women’s faces set amongst puzzle pieces. His trademark androgynous aesthetic was quite literally taken to astronomical heights.
For Christopher Raeburn, the theme took a more literal shot at merging fashion and science using cutting-edge fabric innovation and referencing the early years of the Race for Space as inspiration. Synonymous with sustainability,
Raeburn uncovers the power of functional fabrics such as Nomex and Airbrake to create stark white parkas with modular compartments and oversized Velcro straps that resemble space-wear. More literal elements saw lunar-inspired motifs emblazon jerseys, backpacks and detachable woven badges. Looking to the literal stars, this season space is positively en vogue.
Perhaps one of the greatest design challenges of all, every day life served as the inspiration for Margaret Howell and Christopher Shannon who strove to create collections that utilised functional fabrics while serving a purpose. Howell is renowned for her ability to remain undeterred by the short-lived fads of the fashion world and this season was no exception.
With a pragmatic colour palette of navy, ecru, khaki and medallion yellow a refined collection of solid classics was born; oversized boxy shirts, fisherman’s jumpers and high-waisted, cropped pants. The designer continued to explore more graphic elements too with stripes and polka dots contributing to a more playful feel.
Known for his leisure wear staples, Christopher Shannon put a new spin on an old favourite trading in technical fabrics for hard-wearing textiles such as denim and cotton. Monday mornings and a desire to return to a focus on fabrication lead Shannon to experiment with four different washes of denim spanning a verse of decades; 80s funnel neck tracksuits and 90s baggy jeans were fashioned with multiway t-shirts and double denim combos stitched with belt loops.
Well known for his take on recognisable insignia – from cigarette packets to carrier bags – Shannon incited the branding of British retailer Sports Direct reworking their logo on t-shirts and sweatshirts to read “Lovers Direct” or “Haters Direct”. With an experimental take on masculine sportswear the Liverpudlian designer has won us over with a modern, relevant and playful collection.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments