Menswear shows used to feel more like an afterthought at fashion weeks – a special day tacked on the end of days of womenswear shows. That was until 2012 when the British Fashion Council launched London Collections Men, four days just for the boys.
This Friday 12th, the seventh season, we're set to see Spring/Summer 2016. Since June of 2012, the number of designers that will be unveiling their collections at LCM has grown 67% (there are nearly 80 brands presenting their wares) and the number of attendees, press, and buyers has also grown almost two-fold. With the growth comes the sponsors. There are 9,000 Lavazza coffee cups created by designer Kit Neale due to provide a much needed coffee hit. Fudge Professional’s haircare will dish out about 10 kilograms of hair wax, 500 bottles of hair colour, and 27 cans of hairspray. And Mercedes Benz will be ferrying show go-ers about. No longer an event to downplay, take a look at the designers not to miss.
Craig Green
Who: Craig Green is part of the recent wave of London designers from Central Saint Martins to gain massive exposure recently. Debuting his first collection in 2013, Green quickly found his own voice: clothes rooted in “boyhood fantasy, the pursuit of adventure, and a certain DIY masculinity,” says the designer. Since then Green has worked with established designers and brands like Henrik Vibskov, Bally, and Adidas as well as accessory companies like New Era, for which he won an award from in 2010 for his innovative designs on the traditional baseball cap.
Why: Having moved a room full of editors to tears with his SS15 collection, winning the 2014 British Fashion Award for Emerging Menswear Designer and becoming a finalist in the most recent LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers awards, Green's clothes show a strength and creativity that marks him out. His is the hottest ticket of the week.
Grace Wales Bonner
Who: Grace Wales Bonner is the child of a Jamaican father and an English mother, and this duality is where Bonner’s designs stem from. Graduating from Central Saint Martins just last year at 24 years old, the still budding designer has only two collections under her belt and won the 2014 L’Oreal Professionnel Talent Award.
Why: Coming straight out of CSM, Bonner has already been the subject of the Victoria & Albert Museum's Fashion In Motion programme to showcase her work. Her design aesthetic is self described as Coco Chanel meets the American Blaxploitation films of the 1970s and accentuates the importance of her heritage in her designs. Bonner's work offered a breath of fresh air last season. Let's see if she can follow such a strong start.
Charles Jeffrey
Who: The Scottish-born Charles Jeffrey is just one of the many incredibly talented young designers to come out of CSM. Jeffrey, who was known primarily in East London for throwing outlandish parties under the name ‘Loverboy’ (party visitors say the only way to explain the night is by attending it) is extending himself into the fashion world with his first collection being shown at LCM SS16 under the banner of Fashion East.
Why: Jeffrey in 2013 was dubbed one of the top 6 graduates of CSM by Business of Fashion. Charles’ designs show a fondness for colour and are largely inspired by the club kids who attend his night. Expect to see and hear his name more often.
Lee Roach
Who: Lee Roach, also a graduate of Central Saint Martins, has a background on Saville Row and with Meadham Kirchoff. Roach’s aesthetic is a product of traditional menswear craft mixed with minimalism.
Why: Roach says of his clothes: “it’s about the essentials, there’s no disguising anything and you’re relying on the cut and how pure it is.” and this sentiment is truthfully reciprocated in his designs. Where opulence and here celebrity endorsements seem to generate the most buzz, Roach lets his focus on supreme tailoring do the talking. Well-polished garments with an energy make up the star that is Lee Roach.
Matthew Miller
Who: Royal College of Art graduate Matthew Miller’s approach to design is interesting. Miller's collections are politically charged. He's outspoken and maintains a philosophy that fashion is rather a product, and that the only worth it holds is when the consumer wears it.
Why: Miller’s design aesthetic is a direct reflection of his beliefs. His work centres on utilitarianism and rebellion. After unveiling his graduate collection at the Royal College, Vogue selected Miller as a designer to watch. Since 2010, Miller has worked with Oliver Sweeney, Ben Sherman, Feit, Mr. Porter, and several others. Last season was beautifully executed and his show is certainly one not to miss.
Text by Ali Suliman