Written by Peter Brooker in Events on the 17th February 2016

Photography by Blazing Raisin

The walls of Olympia were throbbing with excitement recently for Pure London as buyers and retailers from around the globe sought out new brands, new collections and new inspirations for the AW16 season ahead. Pure London this year have introduced Menswear and it was my job to go down with Blazing Raisin and pick the runners and riders, press the flesh, literally feel the fibre of other people’s fabric. Winners of the Best Menswear Stand at Pure London, Shackleton, commented; “It feels like the show has allowed us to step into the industry, unlike other shows. Pure London has also allowed us to dress the stand so visitors can see what we are about and buyers have really engaged with the brand. It has been a really positive experience and we are seriously considering coming back for Spring/Summer 17." Here are some of the brands that stood out.

Eks'Kwizit 

Straight away the loud prints caught my eye. They not only paint up bespoke pics and limited edition prints, they also offer the service of printing your own artwork on their tees. The garments are handmade in Europe and they carefully select international artists based on originality and quality of their work.

AC Label 

The founders Alessandra and Clarissa (A & C) were interesting and they had a couple of t-shirts on display. Some featured words such as 'Masturdating' (going to the cinema on your own) - ironically something I do all the time, and 'Destinesia' (forgetting why you came here). As I was looking into the eyes of Clarissa, I had my own case of Destinesia. I should have been focusing on the brand, its journey and philosophy. Instead I was away dreaming of a future with Clarissa in the heart of Rome, convincing her to name our future son Willoughby. I would write my novel and get drunk all day whilst she would design t-shirts for me to lounge around the chateau in. I think it was Clarissa I was talking to.

Slims 

A British designed sports Lux brand with an authentic heritage 'college' aesthetic - it certainly had echoes of 80s USA boxing club jersey range. The sort of thing Rocky would wear whilst training for his Apollo fight in Rocky 2. Of course he fought Clubber Lang in the third and his wardrobe switched from the collegiate vibe to ladies crop tops. Slims actually go up to a size 2XL, how about that for irony.

Adamist 

This brand has been going for a couple of years, with a flagship store in Indonesia. This brand although not my favourite, really had a strong presence. When I thought back to all the brands of the day, Adamist was one that resonated. I asked the founders if they hated people called Adam, it got a polite laugh but I don't think they got the gag.

Satanic Mill 

A real stand out, if you're into your flamboyant shirts and like to make a statement. British and made in Macclesfield of all places. The shirts had interesting themes, one was a homage to the code of the human DNA, another algorithm of Galileo's theory of how he proved the world was round. He later proved it and got made to denounce his non geocentric findings by the Catholic Church. Religion 1 - Science 0.

We feature Eks'Kwizit, AC Label, Satanic Mill, Adamist and Slims in our guide to 5 Brands to Watch from Pure London 2016.