All fashion eyes have been sharply focused on London Fashion Week men’s this week – a bi-annual event that showcases some of the best British brands to an international audience of bloggers, buyers and fashion press. As London thankfully basked in a rare ray of sunshine, we took to the catwalks to get to grips with what guys will be wearing when next summer rolls around. Here are our top 5 picks for trends that are sure to make an impact on your wardrobe choices next season.
The Luxe Lad
‘Lad culture’ is getting a visual re-birth for ss18 as designers choose to fixate their looks on the archetypal football hooligan who wears hoodies, track pants and trainers. Astrid Andersen focused on the laddish nineties obsession with track pant and trainer combinations (popular with roughed up Brit-pop bands like Oasis), while Liam Hodges mixed up hoodies and bomber jackets in intimidating forms to bring home a sense of reckless rebellion. The trend is a mere continuation of what Gosha Rubchinskiy has been doing of late with his collaborations with infamous nineties sportswear labels from Fila to Diadora. But don’t expect a scruffy street finish – brands are challenging the working-class origins of the trend with a newfound focus on deluxe materials and directional adornments.
Loose Ends
Designers have also focused on free-flowing fabrics for next summer by crafting looks that defy conventional silhouettes. Craig Green tied things up with ropes, straps and bows which hanged loosely from tops, trousers and t-shirts, while Cottweiler ripped up the rule book by opting for jeans and jackets with ragged and frayed details. Meanwhile, Bobby Abley continued to make a statement with carnivalesque- looks featuring loose-hanging rainbow tassles, like peacocks at a Rio Carnival. It’s time to forget a smooth and neat look, as texture and drama takes over.
Tearing things up
Other labels opted to take things even further by deconstructing and destroying fabrics instead. Xander Zhou decided to flash the flesh by creating shirts with missing chest panels, as KTZ crafted jumpers and vests featuring giant rips and holes in them. The end result is a trend that shakes things up by focusing on destruction and distress. It’s time to think outside your basic 'ripped-jeans' box a little.
Punk Protest
Punk is hardly a trend that needs an introduction, but with recent political events, it seems only fitting that the trend is making its own arresting come-back. As the globe is thrown into a weird new world order, so is the world of fashion, with designers like Matthew Miller, Liam Hodges and Miharayasuhiro making direct references to a punk revolt through leather biker jackets, wild haircuts, gothic make-up and attention-grabbing slogans – a perfect backdrop for a summer of discontent.
Glastonbury goes global
Summer, however, would simply not be summer without a little bit of music festival fun. Enter Glastonbury with its headline music acts and its hedonistic festival fashion styles. The water-proof parka is obviously an event essential, but think outside the box by opting for more exotic designs from the likes of Astrid Andersen and Christopher Raeburn – both designers have revamped this English wardrobe classic using oriental cuts, tropical colours and lustrous tribal prints.