As London Fashion Week Men’s draws to a close, catch up on the Another Man team’s highlights, as captured by photographers Alin Kovacs and Matt Moran
Stefan Cooke
Merging fantasy and reality, Stefan Cooke and Jake Burt delivered the standout show of the season, one which was clever, elegant and full of interesting propositions for menswear. For the designers, it marked a newfound reliance on instinct: “It’s about going with your gut, rather than trying to please everyone,” Cooke told Jack Moss in a preview of the stellar collection at their east London studio.
Stefan Cooke Autumn/Winter 2020Photography Alin Kovacs
Stefan Cooke Autumn/Winter 2020Photography Alin Kovacs
Wales Bonner
Also elegant was Grace Wales Bonner’s collection, which this season took inspiration from Lovers Rock; the British Afro-Caribbean music scene that emerged out of underground London house parties during the 70s. “Lovers Rock was created by second generation Jamaicans in this country, their own kind of sweet mix of reggae and soul,” the designer said. “It’s a reflection of my family on my father’s side. My grandad came from Jamaica in the 1950s. My dad used to work on Lewisham Road, and I found these documentary photographs by John Goto of teenagers at Lewisham Youth Club in the 70s.”
Wales Bonner Autumn/Winter 2020Photography by Alin Kovacs
Martine Rose
Staging her show at her daughter’s primary school in Kentish Town, Martine Rose – one of menswear’s most prolific designers – delivered a signature, subculture-flecked mix of tailoring and streetwear; this time with a strong note of western wear. “The inspirations are always the same,” she said post-show. “It’s always about outsiders.”
Martine Rose Autumn/Winter 2020Photography by Alin Kovacs
Martine Rose Autumn/Winter 2020Photography by Alin Kovacs
Charles Jeffrey
Meanwhile Charles Jeffrey chose to mine his Scottish heritage for a collection that was inspired by a recent trip to the Orkney Islands. “I witnessed this pagan ceremony which has been going on for over 200 years,” he said. “It’s a pageant that’s all about loving nature, amongst the rural families that live there.” The costumes he saw there inspired an exuberant collection of tailoring, dresses, coats and Loverboy sweaters, which came in a riot of colour, texture and tartan.
Charles Jeffrey Autumn/Winter 2020Photography by Matt Moran
Bianca Saunders
Bianca Saunders also looked to her heritage – the designer has Caribbean roots – for a collection that was inspired by VHS recordings of dancehall parties. “This is about my background, about my heritage, about being Black Caribbean,” she said of her collection, which was built around the idea of movement and saw models dance around the show space. “I used distortion, things that curved, and always a play with gender, and how we see masculine clothes.”
Edward Crutchley’s collection was a cocktail of inspirations, including but not limited to: traditional Filipiniana dresses, antique Javanese batik, Nudie Cohn’s western suits, 90s Versace, mid-18th century English chintz and the work of American painter Erik Jones. Masterfully, these references came together cohesively in what was a stellar collection from the Yorkshire-born designer.
