SC Edit — London Fashion Week Men’s AW18 Highlights
By Something CuratedWith the work of London’s triumphant young designers taking centre stage, Something Curated highlights the best from London Fashion Week Men’s Autumn/Winter 2018.
John Alexander Skelton
John Alexander Skelton staged his AW18 show at the St. Mark’s Church hall in Dalston in a presentation which felt like immersive theatre. Frayed knits and exposed seams framed carefully deconstructed tailoring. Skelton was influenced by British folk traditions, namely 19th-century folk theatre, where members of local communities would stage productions, and wassailing, a pagan ritual performed in apple orchards intended to ensure a good harvest.
Xander Zhou
This season, cargo trousers and tangzhuang jackets united to form unexpected pairings, with pieces drawing on ancient youxia warrior regalia styled alongside traditionally Western garments such as tailored suiting and ties. In later looks, alluding to historical dress, pieces were topped by short cloaks and contrast-coloured jackets that fasten across the body to form yin-yangs. A palette of Kelly green, highlighter yellow, sky blue and maroon featured in Chinese silk, checked wool, functional drill and heat-sensitive fabrics.
MAN: Stefan Cooke, Art School & Rottingdean Bazaar
Established in 2005 by Topman and Fashion East, MAN has launched and supported a series of labels including JW Anderson and Craig Green over the years. This season, a new group of creatives joined the line-up, including Rottingdean Bazaar, Stefan Cooke, and Art School. Stefan Cooke, a brand which set-up last year after Cooke and his partner Jake Burt graduated from Central Saint Martins, ingeniously utilised images of items sourced from eBay as the foundation of their collection.
Wales Bonner
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Informed by critical theory, composition, literature, and historical sources, Wales Bonner continues to explore a distinctive notion of luxury via a hybrid of European and African approaches. Bonner, the 2016 winner of the LVMH Prize, is now well established as one of the most significant names in London fashion. This season, based on a narrative involving an isolated sailor returning from the sea, nautical jackets, hooded waterproofs and hats made by Stephen Jones appeared on the runway.
John Lawrence Sullivan
Designer Arashi Yanagawa’s latest offering for John Lawrence Sullivan draws inspiration from psychopath films and gloom. Starting off his career as a professional boxer, Yanagawa’s past is reflected in many of the silhouettes. Influenced by Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and Lynch’s Twin Peaks, the dual-sided personalities of sinister characters manifest in stark material combinations, including denim, leather and exotic skins.
Charles Jeffrey
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Jeffrey, fresh off receiving the accolade of Emerging Menswear Designer at last month’s British Fashion Awards, created a show centred “on the myth of gay pride and confidence, with all its peacockery and aggressive flamboyance,” the show notes explained. Ostentatious silhouettes, including knitwear stuffed with padding and military-style jackets, were unabashedly brazen, and the event’s finale saw a model take to the runway supporting a giant sculpture on his head, assisted by two performers.
Craig Green
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London-born designer Craig Green established his namesake label in 2012, and has since carved a unique position amongst the city’s most innovative menswear designers. This season saw some particularly intriguing material blends, with the joining of knit with waterproofed fabrics. Amplified seams, reminiscent of Comme Des Garçons, were shown alongside sculptural pieces, appearing like sections of boats or rafts.
Daniel w. Fletcher
Quietly rebellious, classic pinstripe tailoring sat alongside red tracksuits this season. For AW18, Daniel w. Fletcher went back to the 80s, a decade when subcultures were rampant and defiant youth were the hope of the future. The set came courtesy of an artistic collaboration from Fenella Brereton and Abigail Fletcher, as well as a few paintings from the designer himself, creating an effective backdrop for the collection.
Alex Mullins
Alex Mullins’ AW18 collection was an ode to both the methodical and spontaneous, presenting an inventive assortment of psychedelic multi-coloured tailoring together with more recognisable classics. Pictures of shattered ceramic plates, depicting prior seasons’ muses, were digitally produced on silk and cotton poplin. Gaudier garments were toned down with cream shirts, grey shearling and beige corduroy.
Liam Hodges
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Liam Hodges saw a return to youthful indulgences this season, nodding to 1990s raves, graffiti and grunge, with reference to classic British kids’ show Get Your Own Back, and Mr Blobby.Walking on a chequered runway, models wore a mix of tailoring with slouched retro fits, and while Hodges’s signature graphics remained, new airbrushed prints of trippy flowers, leopard and smiley faces were added.
Feature image: Stefan Cooke / Photography by Estelle Hanania (via Fashion Lens)