With the threat of Brexit still hanging over the country, Men’s London Fashion Week seemed to react to the nation’s political climate in a variety of ways. Art is often a mirror of the world around us, whether that mirror is true or cracked is up to the artist. These three designers showed note-worthy Spring/Summer collections at the London Men’s Fashion Week, and we wanted to share just a few highlights with you.
Craig Green
The young Craig Green has become the designer to watch at each London Men’s Fashion Week. His Spring Summer 2018 designs featured bold colors, tribal prints, and decidedly avant-garde structural elements that all seemed to be a way for the viewers to escape from reality for a while. The designer claims to have kept the theme of “Paradise” in mind as he created this recent collection. Many of the looks showcased intricate patchwork designs and quilted fabrics, both of which are unusual for a Spring/Summer show. As for those face-shielding constructions, Green himself described them as “walking altarpieces.”
People have the same idea of paradise, a beach, a kind of heaven feeling. But I never thought about it like that. I guess when you go on holiday you’re trying to make your body better. It is torturous to get to that point of feeling like you’re in utopia. (Craig Green)
Charles Jeffrey Loverboy
Not to be outdone by Green’s avant-garde runway show, the Charles Jeffrey Loverboy show was uniquely, well, unique. Models wore everything from baby doll dresses to Elizabethan doublets, all festooned in bold, primary colors and imaginative shapes. The models walked the runway dodging dancers draped in pink fabric and carrying painted cardboard cut-outs in fantastical shapes. The colorful, manically cheerful collection stood in stark contrast to the current tense political climate in Britain, perhaps intentionally.
The past is a country anyone can visit! We decided to take that as our motto! (Charles Jeffrey)
Stella McCartney
While Stella McCartney’s SS18 fashion offerings were starkly different from the avant-garde shows from Green and Loverboy. Her collection featured tailored pieces that harken back to traditional English menswear. Even the show itself took place in a centuries-old pub in Central London. There was little of the collection that did not feel genuinely British, but you can see it all for yourself here. Instead of a traditional runway show, McCartney opted to unveil her collection with a short film starring Cillian Murphy and scored by her dad, Paul McCartney.
I enjoy all the new platforms, the playfulness. I have never taken no for an answer. I feel like we can do anything. (Stella McCartney to Business of Fashion)
Whether these designers were reacting to British politics or not, their runway shows provided a welcome escape into the world of art and beauty, if only for a time. So which of these looks is your favorite?
Love this and want more? Be sure to check out our highlights from New York Fashion Week!
