LFW: Fashion East and NEWGEN MEN

Hosted in the lovely Terrace Rooms at Somerset Housee, the Fashion East and NEWMGEN MEN installation offered a platform to the brightest menswear talent at LFW.

Agi & Sam

The design duo went for colour and fun this season. Models had their faces painted in bright, distorted clown like guises, whilst the collection took inspiration from mainstream hip-hop in the ’90s. The looks focused on bomber jackets, casual tuxes, cropped trouser and t-shirts, in clashing prints and colours. Tongue in cheek references such as an image of Will Smith were emblazoned across t-shirts, giving the collection a playful edge.

 Baartmans & Siegel

Matthew Miller

Focusing on ‘humanism versus naturalism,’ 

Miller presented a collection of sharp, classic looks, using a pallate of bright block colours set against muted tones and highly functional shapes. The detailing took influence from mountaineering gear, utilising carabiners as buckles, and climbing rope as belts on garments or handles on tote style backpacks. Miller continued the idea through to the print work with bright orange roping on leggings and t-shirts or patterning on knitwear. A stand-out collection.

Fianal Garments

Tailoring Techniques

COLLECTIBLES

One of my favorite pictures of my collection. Just find the silhoutte in the window behind a little spooky. Taken 15/09/50

I found these photographs in a little antique shop among the lanes in Brighton. These are just some of my favorite at 25p a photograph i got a bit carried away, and before i knew it i had racked up £19 worth!

Anyway i am going to keep adding to the collection, as inspiration for my final collections. Feeling extremely nostalgic..i have heard a shop in Rochester has a good selection too, will be off to find more! 

Ozwald Boateng {A MANS STORY COLLECTION}

A Man's Story Ozwald Boateng [New Collection 10/11]

A Man's Story is a full length documentary film coving the last twelve years of Boateng's life, Capturing the journey and evolution of Ozwald Boateng as a man as well as a designer.

A Man's story is Oswald Boateng’s most striking and definitive collection to date, Unedifying the depth of tradition  with enticing  modernism to present  the profound evolution of a man through style. Appreciation for the experience of the individual and the enhancement of the within is the foundation of the collection.

Illustrious arrays of British clothes are apparent with a signature of color. An incredible sense of depth runs throughout the fabric range. Included is the finest super 150s wool with silk blends, cool wool and mohair mixes, 100% lightweight cashmere and fine gauge mercerized wool and cotton ranges in a variety of deep textures and finishes. Technical, waterproof and breathable  nylons along with wax cottons will be shown, with luxurious leathers also evident.

The rich color palette is a sophisticated  spectrum with notable uses of greens, blues and signature purples.

Refined attention to detail. Most prominent are set in and high notch lapels, with a variety of trouser cuts to give alternative styling. Distinctive chinsel collar upon Boatengs extensive shirt range. 

The collection features styles that are true to Saville Row etiquette yet can be worn casually.

Bold linings in twill and tweed textures are offered in a commanding turquoise, and enchanting  green and powerful two toned purple-blue.  

Questions- [Oswald Boeteng the Brief]

Liam Maher, 46 Designer at Denham, Amsterdam


To what extent do you consider the fabric when choosing a garment?


To a great extent of course. It is crucial. The design is a song but the fabric is the band. The wrong band is going to seriously handicap the song. That can be heartbreaking. Hell, it can even be irresponsible in a way. But the right band bringing the right song to life, that`s magic. I am particularly inspired when i can orchestrate movements where unexpected fabrics begin to stack up on and compliment each other, Fabrics which have utility-based origins but are now often thought more simply as traditional, being used against contemporary utility fabrics- together in an outfit can be real cool.


What is the reason behind you chosen silhouette?


My father was an officer in the Royal Navy who participated in the Normandy invasion on D-Day. He was also distinguished professor and senior administrator in an Ivy League University. My uncle was a comic book artist who drew the X-Men series for a decade. My great grandfather was a rural tailor in Ireland, You'd find my taste in silhouette somewhere between the frank symmetry of a military stance, the gentle slouch of the absent minded academic and the muscularity and slight hint of pending aggression of a comic book character. But you would also have to accept that i was a rural Irish tailor stitching these otherwise unrelated elements together. In other words my tastes are genetically predictable.


What does 25 years mean to you?


Getting old enough to appreciate the difference between a mere, ''score'' of twenty years and the significant achievement of crossing the jubilee line. Something about a quarter of a century implies serious achievement and consistency at the same time a representing an experience we can applicate in our own lifetime. Long enough to give birth to a new tradition, still recent enough to feel absolutely contemporary and relevant.


Patrik Binkowski, 34 DJ, Stockholm


To what extent do you consider the fabric when choosing a garment?


A good garment has to be compelling in three ways in order for me to buy it. (four if you count in a reasonable price). First of all the  texture and color is what catches my eye. Next step is touch, it has to feel right. What composition is it? Weaving Structure? Nothing tells me more about the quality of a fabric than rubbing it between your fingers, slightly pushing a finger into the cloth, stretching it.....Hell, sometimes i even smell it!


What is the reason behind your chosen silhouette?


I prefer a quite British tailored fit, simply because it is the best for my body type. Still for a relaxed weekend look i don't mind wearing  something truly classic, like higher and wider pants or a ''regular fitted shirt''. A good thing about a nice tailored blazer for instance, is what is does for you posture. Same goes for shoes; its hard to walk sloppy in a pair of well polished brogues. Being a tall guy i was taught from an early age to keep my chin up and back straight, and its just so much easier when you take in the back of a suit jacket than wearing a baggy hoody.


What does 25 years mean to you?


The age where i realized who i was and what i was going to do with my life. The age i defined myself through my style and my career. The acquisition of confidence and purpose. It was the beginning of my life as an adult you could say.


Sam Putera, 22, Graphic Designer, London


What extent do you consider the fabric when choosing a garment?


When i buy a piece of clothing that style and fit is more important than the fabric. I tend to consider the quality of the fabric last after i have considered the construction of the garment. I prefer durable fabrics which will stand the test of time and multiple use. Although when i am browsing for a new item of clothing i tend to feel the material first before picking it up. assessing the quality of the product but it is not the determining factor of purchase. I prefer softer fabric for tee shirts and shirts so that it doesn't rub and make my nipples bleed.


What is the reason behind your chosen silhouette?


A slim fit bottoms and loose tops. Style and comfort- its a compromise of what looks good and what feels good. More so on the' looks good' though.


What does 25 years mean to you?


Er..... I dont know.... a quarter of a century? 

'' SPIRIT COMES FROM THE HANDS. CLOTHES CAN BE VERY DIFFERENT VERY EASILY. IF YOU COPY THERE IS NOTHING. WHEN I SEE GREAT DESIGNER'S CLOTHES, SOMETIMES I CAN SEE THAT DESIGNERS FACE, HANDS OR BODY IN THEM. THATS VERY EXCITING. BUT WITH COPIED THINGS I CANNOT FEEL ANYTHING- IT'S JUST FASHION.''

Yohji Yamamoto