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| London club style: designer Charles Jeffrey with his new collection in Paris. Portrait by Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine |
Art was the key inspiration in Paris this season for Autumn/Winter 2016 during men's fashion week. Emerging designers showing at the London Showrooms event, presented avant-garde and raw collections using collage, photo montage and Pop Art, report Jeanne-Marie Cilento and Elli Ioannou from the French capital.
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| The London Showrooms in Paris |
Charles Jeffrey, Alex Mullins and Rory Parnell-Mooney are star graduates of Central St Martins College of Arts and Design in London. All three designers' work is edgy combined with a fine attention to detail and tailoring.
The designers were taught in the Master's fashion program by the late Louise Wilson, whose former students included Alexander McQueen and Jonathan Saunders.
The designers' work at the London Showroom offers a great source of inspiration and fresh talent to Paris Fashion Week.
All three designers' work is edgy combined with a fine attention to detail and tailoring and they produce their collections in the United Kingdom, keeping the tradition of the atelier alive
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| Alex Mullins' artistic collection in London |
In London, it's all about promoting the brand, with live fashion shows that are more like art installations.
Paris is where the designers get a taste of reality regarding who their customers are and how the clothes will fit.
Also, if there is room for improvement to make their creations wearable and ultimately saleable.
The London Showrooms presentation offers a great source of inspiration and fresh British talent to Paris Fashion Week
In Paris, Charles Jeffrey's new collection was ordered first by a Japanese boutique and he also had a visit from Comme Des Garcons' Rei Kawakubo.
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| Charles Jeffrey in Paris with his collection |
The Scottish designer says Vivienne Westwood and Rei Kawakubo are his main heroines.
“My collection was actually born out of a club I ran to support my Masters and I was particularly influenced by friends and characters who came to the club,” says Jeffrey. "Not just what they looked like but how they behaved even down to their body language such as twitching hand gestures and mismatched coat buttons."
The influence of club and street culture is one of the recurring themes in London designers' work and this kind of innovation appears to be in their DNA
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| Charles Jeffrey AW16 show at London Fashion Week |
The designer has translated these into the details of his clothes.
The influence of club and street culture is one of the recurring themes in London designers' work and this kind of innovation appears to be in their DNA.
During his internship at Christian Dior, Jeffery could also see the high level of craftsmanship that is possible in haute couture and how this could be incorporated into his own collections.
“My collection was born out of a club I ran, and I was particularly influenced by the friends and characters there,” says Charles Jeffrey
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| Rory Parnell Mooney at London Showrooms |
Memories of Rory’s teenage self with lots of angst along with music from that time makes the collection quite personal.
The designer got his break by being one of three designers selected to show at London Men’s Fashion Week for Topshop's TopMan sponsored event Fashion East. (Charles Jeffrey was also part of the show).
“Music and art are my main inspirations, this season I’m obsessed with Brian Molko from Placebo, known for promoting androgynous female aesthetics in the 90s," he says."Topshop nurtures emerging designers via Fashion East and the late Louise Wilson remains a massive influence even now.”
“Music and art are my main inspirations, this season I’m obsessed with Brian Molko from Placebo and androgynous 90s female aesthetics," Rory Parnell-Mooney says
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Rory Parnell-Mooney's new collection in London |
Balenciaga's early work and Yohji Yamamoto are key influences for Parnell-Mooney too.
The designer is more focused on style rather than trends and the process of making the clothes.
“Craft is important, the way things are handmade makes a big difference,” Parnell-Mooney believes.
"Hand-made work is more interesting and creative and is one of the reasons why young London designers are desirable.”
“Denims are classically finished, and the arty, creative pieces have digitally printed photos onto calico, then I collage them back together,” comments Alex Mullins
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Alex Mullins strikes a pose with his work in Paris |
Alex Mullins completed his BA in fashion at Central St Martins, followed by an MA at the Royal College of Art and this is especially evident in his work.
Later, he also worked for brands including Alexander McQueen and Jeremy Scott before establishing his own label in 2014 with help from the British Fashion Council’s Newgen program.
His latest collection resembles wearable art: photomontage with collage but with the finish of an atelier. “Denims are classically finished, and the arty, creative pieces have digitally printed photos onto calico, then I collage them back together,” says Mullins.
Creating and producing the work in house ‘atelier’ style is part of the brand's ethos of custom-made design. Mullin's mother taught him how to cut his first jacket as a twelve-year-old, as she was a pattern maker and fashion lecturer herself.
“Coming from a creative family I was lucky to be able to discuss ideas and art references," Mullins says. "I didn’t realize this was unique growing up in a creative environment and having that support until I was at university.”
Androgyny and custom-made clothing are the directions which all three designers say are the future trends in men’s fashion
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| Alex Mullins AW16 collection featuring custom denim |
“Boredom is necessary to activate your imagination and encourages movement in yourself in a provocative way,” he says.
Androgyny and custom-made clothing is the direction that all three designers say are the future trends in men’s fashion and they all produce their collections locally in the UK, keeping the tradition of the atelier alive.