London Fashion Week Men’s S/S 2019 Editor’s Picks

Daniel W Fletcher: Presenting his first runway show in his university town of London, Daniel W Fletcher reinterpreted the wearisome business man for S/S 2019. Motley hemlines remained a constant thread throughout, appearing on button-up jackets, feminine halter-neck vests and trousers. Pants were imagined in dark leathers, whilst base jersey layers were layered on top of blazers and shirts. In collaboration with New York-based artist Caitlin Keogh, whose sharp graphic style comments on themes of femininity and objectification, Fletcher reimagined pastel hued silk shirts, printed with Grecian busts, bounded with ropes and chains, a twisted take on business formal, and a stellar show debut.

PER GÖTESSON: the burgeoning Swedish designer took inspiration from his childhood for his debut solo show; a denim jacket featured a tablecloth-like strip on its back embroidered by Götesson’s mother and grandmother, jeans were frayed and loose, and jersey sweatshirts appeared inside out with exposed seams. There were elements of hybrid design so popular to the current men’s fashion scene, with cross-body bags folded into sleeveless jackets. Garments were accessorised with pieces made from shards of ceramic, and marked the designer’s continued collaboration with jewellery Husam el Odeh. 

Phoebe English: ‘showing the collections together twice a year allows us to have a longer lead time to develop ideas, work with fabric mills and travel deeper into the research of each collection,’ said the designer of her decision to unify the presentation of men’s and women’s lines for S/S 2019. English’s approach to womenswear is more abstract and narrative focused, and her menswear more simply centred around the clothes her male friends want to wear. The two lines unified into a beautiful offering in oranges, black and blues, and included jacquard bomber jackets, shirts buttoned with prestuds, and dresses draped in silk, or featuring transparent layers and circular panels.

A-COLD-WALL*: the anticipation around LVMH finalist and Virgil Abloh protégée Samuel Ross’ latest show was palpable. As guests entered A-COLD-WALL’s show space, they were handed protective goggles, ear plugs and a dust mask; an immersive experience awaited. Ross aimed to explore man’s uneasy relationship with the stark and enclosing aesthetic of Brutalist architecture, creating a dramatic performance which involved rubble-covered models carrying wooden structures, and a nude man covered in red liquid breaking forth from a polystyrene box, and writhing in detritus. Theatrics aside, the collection emphasised the British designer’s prowess in streetwear, with innovative nylons finished with wire cord, zips and padding taking centre stage. The brand’s curving leather clutches will soon be as coveted as those protective eye masks and ear buds.

Berthold: after skipping a catwalk show last season, designer Raimund Berthold presented a performance-focused and outdoorsy S/S 2019 offering, inspired by desert scenes at dusk. Working in a colour palette of sand, bubblegum pink and black, Berthold presented parkas and cagoules in papery leather and lightweight plastic, layered with sleeveless hoodies and pocket detail trousers. It was protective and military-focused, with looks accessorised with caps, balaclavas and camping knapsacks.

Alex Mullins: designer Alex Mullins first showed at London Fashion Week Men’s for S/S 2017, and since his debut the designer hasn’t shied away from innovative prints and finishes. For S/S 2019, he presented a collection divided into nine triptychs (a smart move should one theme not catch a buyer or customer’s eye). This resulted in tailoring layered with 90s rave cut-out neon vests, double-breasted suiting constructed from squiggly splices of fabric, paint-splatter prints and Oriental fish motif jacquards. Accessories were also standout, seen in bum bags resembling soft circular drums or shoppers constructed from chainmail. 

Edward Crutchley: The designer put a focus on collaboration and partnership for his S/S 2019 offering, the first of which, was with French artist Lucien Marat, who shares Crutchley’s love of mythology and the exploration of the strange. Crutchley created a series of bright and fantastical prints, replicated on silk archival robes, shirts with short billowed sleeves and strappy tops. Shapes were stripped back to emphasise the movement of fabric around the body, noted in sleeveless samurai vests and straight-cut sacque dresses. A partnership with Japanese textile producer Chiso saw kyo-yuzen — the ancient Japanese act of painting she directly onto cloth — printed onto oversized button shirts. A welcome series of micro-fibre nylon drawstring pants and oversized rain jackets were coated in traditional Japanese black lacquer, made in collaboration with renowned textile fabric manufacturer Toyota Gelanots.

Nicholas Daley: ‘We started the Reggae Klub through a love of the music and a wish to provide a happy place for people from all over the world – especially the Caribbean and Africa – to come together,’ say the designer’s parents Jeffery & Maureen, who ran one of the first reggae nights in Scotland from 1978-1982. For his third NEWGEN season, Daley looked to the community of reggae culture, in a vibrant and effusive collection which featured t-shirts printed with SLYGO – his father’s DJ alias – bright jacquard trousers and jackets, fishnet vests and colourful knitted beanies.

Iceberg: since his appointment as creative director of the Italian heritage label in August 2016, London-based designer James Long has imbued the brand’s signature cartoon prints and logocentric intarsia knits with a vibrancy and eclecticism characteristic of the city. Long leapt one step further for S/S 2019, holding his latest men’s and women’s show on the London Fashion Week Men’s schedule. The resulting collection – a blend of poppy retro prints, sporty silhouettes that nodded to the upcoming World Cup, and logo-detail tailoring, featured Peanuts and Joe Cool intarsia knits, souped-up printed denim and football strips. All topped off with Iceberg logo accessories in highlighter hues, clear Perspex boots, and a lightweight cagoule draped around the elbows.

Christopher Ræburn: sustainability has been a thread running throughout London Fashion Week Men’s, a focus seen predominantly in Oliver Spencer and and Matthew Miller’s collections. Christopher Raeburn has always held environmentalist aesthetics at the forefront, and is renowned for his repurposing of surplus army materials. For S/S 2019 the designer presented a collection packed with outdoorsy streetwear essentials, like transparent raincoats, padded cagoules and tracksuits. His collection also marked a collaboration with Timberland, and featured upcyled patchwork tracksuits and Timberland logo bum bags strapped across the body.

Qasimi: founder and creative director of the London-based label Khalid Qasimi explores the concept of the travelling nomad in his collections. For S/S 2019, the designer looked to the shores of North Africa for inspiration, with a relaxed and rugged collection of sportswear and tailoring, including reflective utility gilets, cagoules and denim and leather. ‘Every season we talk about this idea of the modern day traveller. I’ve always veered to pulling influences from my history,’ said the UAE-born designer backstage. ‘The check prints are based on archeological markers and the washed ikat print was inspired by leftover mattresses you often find on street corners in North Africa. I found something quite romantic about that idea.’

Lou Dalton: There was a sense of farmyard frolic behind the designer’s S/S 2019 collection, one presenting amidst crumbling bales of hay. Dalton Drew upon the traditions of British craft and the narratives of her Shropshire roots, imbuing her collection with sense of nostalgia and adventure. Cloud print jackets, bayadere striped shirts and straight-cut madras shorts were all paired with calf length socks and Hi Tech boots. Signature pieces included classic diamond and stripe knitted jumpers and structured harrington jackets, all in earthy yet eye-catching tones. High fashion options for hazy hikes come summer.