The show opened with a Menswear collaboration with bespoke Italian label Brioni. Now in it’s fifth year, the tailoring project set first year students the task of designing a comtemporary men’s blazer.
The Running Order for the Menswear Designers was as follows (showing two garments each in our slideshow); Alex Mullins, Alexander James, Alexander Lamb, Benedicte Holmboe, Hirokai Kanai, Ichiro Suzuki, Peter Bailey, Rebecca Neary, Tom Crisp and Zac Marshall.
The catwalk show featured 28 collections by students from 14 countries, specialising in Menswear, Womenswear, Knitwear and Millinery. The static display at the entrance to the show featured work by 6 students from Footwear and Accessories and in the upper gallery were the results of the second industry project to design a collection of sustainable garments for high street brand Esprit.
Menswear continues to gain critical acclaim, with recent graduates putting British men’s fashion and style firmly on the map. James Long, Katie Eary, Matthew Miller, Christopher Raeburn and Lou Dalton have all established their own labels in London in recent years. This year’s Menswear graduates continue to push the boundaries mixing up traditional fabrics and shapes with modern cutting techniques including painting onto found textiles such as leather from an old sofa, constructing internal harnessing within garments so the wearer feels connected to the shape, vibrant colours and over-the-top patterns. Inspiration comes from the 1950s coutures, Beau Brummel meets optical art, Victorian horror, and native Americans mixed with 1950s Baltimore.