The people, parties and politics: here are the ten stories you need to know from London Fashion Week Men’s S/S18
- TextTed Stansfield
POLITICS were on everybody’s mind at London Fashion Week Men’s. Day 1 coincided with the results of the General Election: Charles Jeffrey made a case for escapism (through partying), while Martine Rose channelled Jeremy Corbyn and his ill-fitting suits, and Vivienne Westwood hailed the Labour leader as our political messiah.
FIRST TIMES were in order for Craig Green who staged his inaugural standalone show and Kiko Kostadinov who held his premiere runway presentation. Green delivered a stellar collection about “paradise, structure and tension” – with Frédéric Sanchez using the Cannibal Holocaust soundtrack as finale music for a paradise-gone-wrong feel – while Kostadinov served up an American Psycho-like tailoring-sportswear hybrid.
NEW DESIGNERS have been installed at dunhill and Belstaff. dunhill’s Mark Weston (formerly of Burberry) brought the British heritage brand into 2017 with “contemporary revisions of classic pieces”, while Belstaff’s Delphine Ninous presented her first collection (that she worked on from start to finish) which took inspiration from the Paris-Dakar rally which runs from France to Senegal.
NOTABLE BY THEIR ABSENCE were J.W.Anderson who is showing at Pitti Uomo this year and Burberry who are continuing to show their men’s and women’s collections together at London Fashion Week.
COLLABORATIONS were in the air with news of a Gosha Rubchinskiy x Burberry collection coming in from Saint Petersburg and, back in London, the unveiling of Liam Hodges x Fila and Cottweiler x Reebok lines. High fashion for the Hypebeast generation.
ANOTHER MAN COVER STARS were spotted out and about: Ezra Miller (Issue 17) sat front row at Vivienne Westwood, while Cillian Murphy (Issue 21) features in a new short film from Stella McCartney.
CHILDREN’S TELEVISION CHARACTERS also made an appearance in the form of Dipsy who took to the runway at Bobby Abley’s Teletubby-inspired show and closed it arm-in-arm with the designer. Similarly, a man-sized teddy bear (with terrifying human teeth) closed Liam Hodges. Are brand mascots set to become the new norm?
MAGIC MOMENTS from the weekend of shows included the emoji-like dancer in the red dress at Art School (soundtracked by Song to the Siren by This Mortal Coil) and, well, Craig Green’s entire show.
DANCE featured heavily in this season’s shows: models paraded at Charles Jeffrey, vogued at Art School, stomped at Wales Bonner and performed gymnastic moves at Vivienne Westwood. Aspiring models take note (and maybe a couple of lessons at Pineapple Studios?).
THE END OF THE WEEK was marked in suitable fashion by Choreomania, an event held at Hoi Polloi, which saw the Theo Adams Dance Company entertain guests with a theatrical performance dressed in Ed Marler.
