The future of Men’s fashion weeks has become increasingly uncertain. In a new effort to simplify the dizzying fashion cycle, several global brands are comprising womenswear and menswear into a single show during Women’s Ready-to-Wear presentations. Consequently, significant dents have been left in Men’s fashion week schedules. However, the opening of Men’s Spring/Summer 2017 collections, London Collections: Men, continues to prove itself as a relevant and unique cog within the fashion cycle. In its fourth year, LC:M remains largely untouched by the commercialism of more established fashion weeks, yet, it commands a colourful schedule of the industry’s most prized visionaries alongside London’s emerging talent.
Recognised as one of the highlights of the week, Craig Green pushed his vision for Spring/Summer 2017 to new places. Exploration was the ongoing theme of a collection that spliced Indian kaftans and looped together quilted Moroccan prints into disjointed double breasted jackets. Following this, a series of flags or, perhaps, boy scout scarves were interwoven as complex swathes of folding, revealing a new shape for Green and an unprecedented handling of colour. The show closed on a more abstruse premise, the designer sought to explore modern masculinity. In a powerful finale of deconstructed trench coats and pinstripe suits, Green found what he was looking for. It is easy to transgress the boundaries of menswear; a feminine silhouette for men still upsets the masses. But through his calculated unpacking of traditional shapes, the male silhouette was diversified by way of subtlely rather than incendiary designs.
That’s not to say that London’s provocateurs aren’t furthering the conversation. J.W Anderson’s presentation was typically goading but nevertheless, stimulating in its erratic disposition. Reverting to a childlike stream of consciousness, Anderson toyed with layering, proportion and youthful fantasy. Bibs were layered over elongated jigsaw patterned shirts and excessively long sleeves trailed behind models who wore beaded crowns or ski-like goggles. It was almost a literal sartorial translation of a child rummaging through a toy box, or a parent’s wardrobe. But, J.W Anderson is good at what he does. Weaving through this volatile mix were a number of commercial pieces that are guaranteed to sell, namely, structured overalls and covetable bomber jackets. It could be said that J.W Anderson is the quintessential London designer in his unique ability to coalesce creativity and commerce with a dash of utter irreverence.
While London is traditionally regarded as the eccentric edition of the four major fashion capitals, it also holds a reputation as the birthplace of the most refined silhouette in sartorial history: the suit. In an unlikely combination of the two, Grace Wales Bonner widened the capacity of the stationary silhouette as we understand it today. The collection offered an emotional merge of time and culture. Tailcoats, capelets and romantic ruffling were reimagined as succinctly modern pieces with the addition of embroidery, militant embellishment and beaded crystal masks. The collection was marked with a cultural hybridity that has become Wales Bonner’s unique signature. Days after the presentation, the 25 year old designer received the LVMH Prize. The most lucrative prize in the industry, it is worth a year’s mentorship and €300,000. It doesn’t go unnoticed that an investment of this stature was awarded to a burgeoning menswear label, which is a promising step for menswear.
In addition to international sponsorship, there are a number of nurturing incubators operating in London providing vital support for emerging menswear talents, such as NEWGEN MEN, Fashion East and MAN. Returning for a second season with Fashion East was Rory Parnell Mooney, an Irish-born designer with an acute vision for his eponymous label. A curated palette of red, black and white was rhythmically coordinated through Parnell Mooney’s fashionably oversized proportions. Each element within the installation felt meticulously considered and purposeful. Under the mentorship of Fashion East, Mooney is quickly becoming a rising star amongst his contemporaries. The same could be said for MAN’s Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY, whose collection juxtaposed historic couture silhouettes with the debauchery of club kids. Rather than responding as opposing forces the two blended together seamlessly. Jeffrey’s cult club night, ‘Loverboy’, has informed his designs with an authentic understanding of the subculture while his training from Central St Martins has honed his impressive tailoring ability. And the result? Clothes that thump with an irresistible salaciousness, subverting all sense of gender conformity and sexuality.
While gender fluidity is nothing new in fashion, it is truly reflective of our time to see global brands – namely Gucci, Tom Ford and Burberry – confront fashion’s staid fixation with ‘his and hers’ by integrating co-ed collections into their business model. The merits to combining womenswear and menswear are apparent, both conceptually and commercially. However, consideration needs to be given to the effect this has on Men’s fashion weeks. With the absence of Burberry from LC:M this season, the schedule lacked its biggest spectacle, one that attracts hundreds of buyers and editors to the showcase each season. Unfortunately, this has a knock on effect for smaller menswear-only businesses, who rely on the attendance of the fashion industry in order to prosper. This season, LC:M showed a total of 57 presentations, a sizable drop from 77 presentations last June. Already, the menswear industry is bearing the brunt of this change.
From veterans to emerging designers, the strength of menswear talent in London is palpable. London Collections: Men provides an essential space for designers to explore the potential of menswear, to transform its silhouette and to challenge the relationship between gender and masculinity. In addition, it offers opportunity and an invaluable support system for emerging talents, perhaps more than any other fashion week. To see this platform reduce or fold into a larger menswear fair would be an injustice to the vibrancy of the men’s fashion industry in London. But whatever the future of Men’s fashion weeks may be, this season at least proved that London Collections: Men is still a dialogue worth having.
