A LAYERED (AND PLEATED) APPROACH TO MENSWEAR AT LCF BA FASHION, DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY SHOW
Set against the backdrop of London’s skyline 10 stories above ground, students with the most innovative menswear minds, from one of the world's most prestigious fashion institutions, took the stage to present their final BA collections, and they did not disappoint.
Among the 40 students showcasing at London College of Fashion, one theme shone through, and the era of minimalism is officially over.
Ruffles, tulle and bouffant silhouettes reigned supreme. Overwhelmingly, the overarching sartorial details used to achieve these uncompromising looks emerged as layering and pleating. Each designer had individual interpretations of these choices; Shengjie Ling's leather outerwear seemed to unstitch itself and peel off the model, revealing pieces of cotton suiting beneath, while Senjue Hou employed a repeated use of cluster and box pleating to create hyper-structured medieval garb. Han He's pastel carousel of gathered jersey adds flair to the modern man on-the-go.
So naturally, post-show, Asthetik Magazine went backstage to probe further into what these emerging talents see as inspiration for their collections, and where the menswear industry may be headed.
“My collection was inspired by my own background of a mixed cultural hybrid; I'm half British, half Thai. I wanted the clothes to reflect the relationship I have with myself, so I started off with a base layer of British workwear styles, and utilised Thai cultural dress elements to bring the look together.”
“I chose to study Fashion, Design and Technology [rather than purely Design] because I knew I wanted to know more about the functionality of the garments I was making. It allows you to learn more about all of the aspects of fashion, not just the creative side. My final project was inspired by a Japanese cult film named Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989). The plot follows a Japanese salaryman who becomes part man and part machine, and is haunted by visions of a metal machinery future.”
“What inspires me to make clothes is the bedroom. Men—or human beings really—spend a lot of time in their bedrooms, maybe half of the time we're awake. That's where the hidden parts of people's lives are, the parts we don't see, so I wanted to portray that. I think that's what's exciting about menswear; there's still so much left to show, so much that we don't see. The industry has a lot of room to grow, so I'm excited to be a part of it.”
— Aka
Sitting up close and personal to the garments as they paraded down the runway and having spoken with the minds behind them, it’s safe to say the future of menswear is anything but boring.
