Last Friday, London Fashion Week Men’s commenced its 11th season, producing favorable menswear looks for Autumn 2018. The British celebration of men’s fashion lasted from Friday, January 5th to Monday, January 8th, bringing together a host of talented designers. However, this year turned out a lot of newcomers and proceeded a little untraditionally.
There were a lot fewer shows at LFW Men’s this week, mostly due to the new trend of designers showing their menswear and womenswear collections at the same time. Instead, a normally runway heavy schedule was filled with presentations, events, dinners, and attractions. Also, the lack of larger design houses made room for new and younger designers to show off and show out.
It was an absolute display of creativity, coupled with tried and true British fashion trends. Notable designers like Oliver Spencer and Ben Sherman participated along with fashion retailers ASOS, Topman, River Island.
One of the biggest partnerships that were present was ASOS and the British Fashion Council. The two unveiled a complete winter collection for any wardrobe. Focusing on key pieces that also subscribe to the brand’s ability to design without attaching itself to trends or going backward.
Though there were a lot of creative and different designs, it was fairly noticeable that velvet and corduroy were key design materials in a lot of the collections. This trend was used by Oliver Spencer, Lou Dalton, and John Lawrence Sullivan. Most of the colors were earth tones or neutrals.
For the third time, British Hip-Hop artist Tinie Tempah presented a collection for his relatively new brand, What We Wear. The rapper has been able to make his brand’s tracksuits its signature piece. He’s made fashionable versions of uniforms worn by public service workers and manual laborers.
In all, the explosion of new inspiration and first-chances was extremely refreshing. The celebration of menswear will move on to Paris and Milan. We can’t wait to see what these cities have up their sleeves.
