The 11th biannual Men’s Fashion Week took place from January 5th-8th in London, exploring and embracing the immense creative talent present in the city. On a whole, the collections engaged with the deconstruction of silhouette and structure and satisfied current trends, challenging conventional styling and reconceptualising the graphic paring of garments.

 

Charles Jeffery, voted Emerging Menswear Designer of the Year at the 2017 British Fashion Awards, presented his Charles Jeffrey Loverboy AW18 collection, which was polished, daring and dense in attitude embodying counter culture. Dazed Magazine declared Jeffery as “the ringleader of London’s next generation of club kids,”creating fashion that is bringing together his queer community and celebrating the vibrant talents that London has to offer. Being an excellent tailor, Jeffery delivered sharp angles and detailed suits, styled with allusive face paint and unique hairstyles, from classic inspiration of 60’s bowl cuts.

 

Texture was reimagined in earthy, cool tones, illustrated by Craig Green, as he presented a Fall/Winter 2018 collection that challenges conventional practicality. Engaging with the current trend of layering, Green juxtaposes harsh lines against soft shading, introducing shoulder cut outs into his garments which instantly create a jarring disconnection between the historical trend of skin showing and fashion. Like Jeffrey, Green introduces highly conceptualised pieces into his collection, such as boat structures and rafters, which ultimately do not represent everyday reality, but transport us to their creative world.

 

Sportswear was inevitably encoded in the majority of the collections, which was appropriate for the current trends, yet the scarcity of commitment to a vision left some designers lacking authenticity. Bobby Abley however was not one of these designers. Naturally comical, Abley presented a collection infused with illustrations reminiscent of 90s cartoons, which perfectly captured his unique wit. Colourful patterns and textures gave reinvention to conventional statement pieces, such as dress trousers, sweaters and shirts. His originality exudes confidence, engaging with the contemporary man with vitality and humour.

 

In general, the collections of London Fashion Week Men’s were reflective of the youth culture in contemporary London. Blurring the lines between fashion and nightlife, evocative colour combinations and clashing texture utilisation further encourage the British man to undergo a process of self identification through shape, material and colour. Departing from classic styles of bland adulthood, 2018 promises that the fashion of Britain’s youth will be vivacious, sharing their point of view with conviction and colour.

(Charles Jeffrey Loverboy, below)

 

(Bobby Abley)

(Craig Green)