London Fashion Week Men’s (LFWM) spring/summer 2020 edition, which took
place from June 7 to 10, officially kicked off the new menswear buying
season and showcased more than 40 UK and international designers. While big
names including Burberry, Tom Ford and JW Anderson have dropped from the
schedule, Alexander McQueen returned with an intimate presentation, and
emerging talent Craig Green, Bethany Williams and Charles Jeffrey Loverboy
all presented strong, elevated collections.
London has always been at the heart of showcasing emerging talent, and
this season’s LFWM was dominated by rising stars, from cult fashion
streetwear brand A-Cold-Wall* by designer Samuel Ross to Woolmark Prize
winner, Edward Crutchley, and Nicholas Daley, which combined fashion with
music with his show at the lofty St. Mary-at-Hill church.
But while some big names may have been missing, the LFWM schedule still
attracted global buying teams, with FashionUnited spotting buyers from
Selfridges, Liberty London, Browns, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus,
Harrods and Machine-A.
There were also a number of key trends spotted on the menswear catwalk
for spring/summer 2020, from laid back tailored shirts, high-shine
finishes, sheer vibes, chunky sandals and the continued Nineties revival
with cargo trousers and acid brights.
Highlights from London Fashion Week Men’s spring/summer 2020
A-Cold-Wall* – A Material Study for Social Architecture
British designer Samuel Ross, who won The Fashion Award’s British
Emerging Menswear award last year was inspired by what he called “the
scaffolds of society” exploring the “storied relationship between material
and emotion”.
His ‘A Material Study for Social Architecture’ collection consisted of
the basic wardrobe of streetwear, the hoodie, track pants, and anoraks, but
as you would expect Ross elevated his designs to showcase a new refined,
modern sophisticated finish to his luxury streetwear separates.
The pieces in cement and clay hues, married perfectly against the
backdrop of the industrial Printworks venue in London’s East End, and were
“structured, architectural and reductive” added Ross in the show notes,
featuring panels, pocket and harness detailing to the oversized forms of
outerwear.
There is a maturity and evolution about his spring/summer 2020
collection, it captured the essence of the brand, while still be very
commercially viable and shows why Ross is one of the most hyped names on
the London fashion scene, who no doubt is destined to become a global name.
A-Cold-Wall* was also named the latest recipient of the BFC/GQ Designer
Menswear Fund, at a cocktail reception at members club Annabel’s to
close London Fashion Week Men’s. Ross impressed the judging panel, which
included Caroline Rush, chief executive officer of the British Fashion
Council, who described the designer as the “strongest candidate with the
most comprehensive business strategy and decisive plans”.
Ross was awarded 150,000 pounds as well as 12 months high-level
mentoring, with the aim of accelerating his business and growth as well as
global reputation.
Commenting on his win, Ross said over e-mail to FashionUnited: “I’m
maturing the tailoring aspect of the brand, so I’m really excited to be
able to further employ men’s wear engineers, and open up to British
production with wool and tailoring.
“Ideally, I’d love to start a relationship between A-Cold-Wall and
Savile Row and I’m keen to push into mono-store developments globally like
in Hong Kong, China and, of course, the UK.”
Images: courtesy of A-Cold-Wall* SS20
Edward Crutchley – Dressy
Edward Crutchley, who won two prizes for menswear and innovation at the 2019
edition of the International Woolmark Prize, explored “nostalgia
without being nostalgic” with his 80s and 90s inspired ‘Dressy’
spring/summer 2020 co-ed collection.
Held in the courtyard of Haberdashers’ Hall, a procession of power suits
in powder pink and blue with “sloppy oversized shoulders” and high waisted
trousers with rounded hips led the way, followed by hand-painted
illustrations of Carolina Parrots by the American ornithologist John James
Audubon, which were reworked in a “frisky homage” across tailoring while
Hawaiian shirts were seen splashed to the navel.
This was a sophisticated take on camp and old-school glamour with
opulent jacquard Laura Ashley-style florals influenced by the vivid flora
of eminent textile designer Anna Maria Garthwaite and eighties bows seen
across drape front skirts, wrap dresses and boxy oversized shirts, while
cigarette prints were showcased on silk ties, foulards and capes.
The collection also featured a number of collaborations including
custom Christian
Louboutin shoes with a smart patent loafer and a printed silk stiletto,
while the Sunday best headpieces in silk taffeta and technical silk lurex
jacquard were by Stephen Jones, adapted from a piece featured in his first
collection shown in 1980.
SS20 is about contrast and conversation, with Crutchley expressing: “For
me, it’s a story of shifting and conflicting volumes. Looking back, but
thinking ahead. Elements of modesty counterbalanced with extravagance and
sexiness.”
Images: courtesy of Edward Crutchley SS20
Craig Green
Craig Green, three-time winner of the British
Designer of the Year Menswear accolade at The Fashion Awards, continues to
be a big draw for LFWM with press and buyers queuing in the rain on Monday
morning to see his latest collection inspired by self study in mirrors at
the incredible underground The Vaults venue, which was lined with a
mirrored catwalk to create the illusion that the models were floating.
There was a vibrancy to his SS20 collection, filled with colour from
powder pink to vibrant yellow and orange tones, and he continued to feature
his signature two piece workwear suits this time lightly-padded which he
described as “quilted skin”, and there was a series of leather trousers,
overalls, and long coats, with a utilitarian feel, and pinstripe suits that
were reminiscent of pyjamas.
While “lantern men” wore fluorescent, laser-cut two-pieces and global
cultural influences from Mexico, Turkey and the Middle East inspired the
satin jackets and loose trousers with embroidery that had a skeleton-like
quality to them.
Green also showcased his debut collaboration with sportswear giant
Adidas on a new look Kamanda range of trainers featuring iridescent,
slightly translucent overlays detailing as well as scale-like patterns on
the moulded soles.
Stefan Cooke – Drama Major
For their first standalone show since Fashion East, designer Stefan
Cooke and his partner Jake Burt were inspired by the Off-Broadway theatre
scene in New York, where they spent earlier this year, and the idea of
getting into costume, Americana and characterisation, as well as “finding
common ground between the downtime dressing of drama students and the
haphazard nature of the wardrobe department”.
The NewGen recipients showcased theatre flourishes in new wearable ways,
with corsetry detailing becoming the focus of a shirt and jacket, “holding
down the lapels in a health and safety kind of way” added the brand in its
show notes, while photographs of original costume pieces have been blown up
and printed on jersey, the brands signature trompe l’oeil playing with the
idea of impact.
Since the brands’ launch in 2017, the importance of highlighting craft
techniques has been integral, and for spring/summer 2020 they move into
couture terrain with the use of tulle as a reference to conservation lace,
while the knitwear continues the sliced and spliced story of last season
with diamond formations.
Describing the collection, Stefan Cooke, who is a finalist for the LVMH
Prize Award 2019, states: “There is a feeling of waiting in the wings –
half in and half out of costume, dressed in part also for comfort.”
Images: courtesy of Stefan Cooke SS20
Qasimi SS20
Designer Khalid Qasimi showcased a strong display of military-inspired
pieces, minimalist styling, and sun-bleached tones for his spring/summer
2020 coffee-lined catwalk show under the railway arches of Shoreditch.
“Against a backdrop of ongoing political tensions in the Middle East –
the collection is built around the idea of an urban nomad and a utopian
future, imbued with a sense of lightness and positivity,” expressed the
designer label in its show notes.
The sun-bleached colour palette inspired by the designer’s childhood in
the United Arab Emirates was mainly whites, blacks, greys and nude hues,
with the occasional pale yellow, pink and green tones adding a modern,
summery hue to the mainly menswear streetwear collection.
Military influences are felt throughout in the fabrics, military canvas,
heavy twills and ripstop, with the riveted garments, designed to mimic the
nuts and bolts of armoured vehicles perfectly juxtaposed against the mesh,
quilting and minimal tailoring.
Images: courtesy of Qasimi SS20
E.Tautz – Les Fleurs
If there were three words to describe E.Tautz’s spring/summer 2020
collection it would be – juicy, fruity and floral, states the brand on the
show notes.
“The sort of things Barry would wear to sing about the things he loves,”
added the brand. “Things that look like the wallpaper and the upholstered
sofas in the photos that Tish Murtha took.”
The summery collection features a strong and vibrant colour palette from
the darker tones of cherry red and rust to dusky rose, kiwi, sky blue and
what seemed like all the shades of orange, which worked beautifully on the
loose fitted jersey and linen tailoring from short sleeve shirts to boxy
shorts and single-breasted jackets.
The wallpaper, upholstered influence was seen across floral prints
featured on cotton button-downs and cargo shorts, while oversized
’80s-style sweatshirts and drawstring bags gave a nod to the nostalgic
aesthetic of designer Patrick Grant that marries tailoring with sporting
and military undertones.
The brand, which is known for promoting British manufacturing and
design, also stated that 70 percent of the spring/summer 2020 collection is
made in its own factory, Cookson and Clegg in Blackburn, Lancashire.
Images: courtesy of E.Tautz SS20
Main Image: courtesy of Qasimi SS20
