Written by Menswear Style in Events on the 12th June 2017

Another great week where the menswear industry is the focus of the global fashion industry comes to an end. The success of LFWM is further establishing London as the home of menswear and regularly hosts designers, media, retailers, and business leaders from 45 countries. Since its inception, it has highlighted the breath of the British menswear market from emerging talent and streetwear to heritage brands and Savile Row tailoring. More than 200 brands have been a part of over 750 catwalk shows, presentations and events in venues across the capital in the last five years. London’s Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, Justine Simons, said: “From world-class designers and established brands, to emerging talent and independent boutiques, our great city can easily lay claim to being one of the big four fashion capitals of the world, alongside Paris, Milan and New York. Nowhere is this clearer than at London Fashion Week Men’s, which attracts the crème de la crème of international designer talent, media and business leaders, everywhere from Mexico to Manchester. The past week has showcased exactly why our fashion industry is a global trailblazer and one that contributes a staggering amount to our city’s economy every year. Full of innovation, imagination and style, the fifth anniversary of LFWM has once again presented London at its open, global and creative best.”

Band of Outsiders 

For SS18, key inspirations were workwear, maritime and the films of Jacques Tati. The collection brings together a complete wardrobe, playfully embracing this season’s themes, with rough cotton twills, iconic Breton stripes and Tati’s ‘droll’ attitude. Details include triple stitched seams and slanted patch pockets. Naval prints feature heavily, from ‘the wave’ to the ‘killer shark’ and the ‘smelly cat’. Modern tracksuits and bomber jackets accent Band’s flag and emblem. Colour schemes include pacific blue, sail-white and deck-tan cream with bold flashes of cabin-fever red, marigold yellow, buoy orange and seaweed green. The tailoring is nonchalant, with Band’s renowned cropped take on classic staples. Ship-life concept pieces, such as life-jackets and parkas, are redesigned for every day wear.

Kent & Curwen 

The collection inspired by 'teams' was presented by live models who huddled on a rostrum in front of guests, reminiscent of a sporting team photograph. “I love that every man will have been part of a team at some point in his life. When designing this collection, I was extremely interested in teams, the sense of belonging, being part of a set or gang. I like the way each member of a team breaks down their uniform, wearing the garments in their own individual way to express their personality." said Daniel Kearns. To a soundtrack of 90s indie music mixed with new East London band Happyness, models presented the heritage inspired sportswear collection on a catwalk fashioned like a vintage school sports hall.

Astrid Andersen 

Astrid Andersen continues her exploration of finding new common ground for tradition and heritage with the contemporary sports-luxury sphere. This remains a common thread throughout Astrid Andersen’s collections - translating the familiar into something new and interpreting unexpected references as fresh and relevant to a generation championing a new way of dressing. This season takes the archetypical Safari theme as referenced throughout the history of fashion in various guises and turns its natural curiosity into a personal quest to discover unfamiliar territory for the brand’s aesthetics.

Liam Hodges 

Much of Liam's SS18 collection carries the legend NOISE or a screaming bear motif throughout. The bear is Munch's Scream for a generation that just wants to be cute but the shit they have to deal with while moving onwards and upwards is breaking them down. The struggle is learning from this noise - from everything on our feed, how to originate not imitate? Don't, however, confuse the cuddly nature with weakness because these teddy bears have teeth. Liam's taking in of numerous references from grime, two-step, pirate radio, ultimate car modding, through to spoken word artists, zine culture, anarchist scouting and folklore - Liam's collections have always taken the same hyper-hybrid approach that incorporates sportswear and workwear silhouettes, with DIY culture, standing out amongst the spectrum of visual noise.

Oliver Spencer 

London, a beautifully proud, tough, and loving place, has provided the inspiration for Oliver Spencer’s SS18 Collection. An homage to this great city we live in, it reflects the diversity and versatility of its inhabitants and the ever-changing nature of this vibrant metropolis. The colour palette of warm pink, cool blue, deep umber and ecru are accentuated by stripes and checks that run through the whole collection. Fabrics are textured and intricate with an artisan feel whilst artist prints play a part for the first time. Lightweight oversized parka coats feature with a versatile ergonomic design, transforming from coat to rucksack for when the sun is shining. For SS18 Oliver Spencer is proud to announce an exclusive T-Shirt collaboration with Artist - David Austen. Combining art and fashion, the texts and illustration that David uses across the three exclusive pieces convey the evocative nature of his work.

John Smedley 

This season the brand introduces ‘Precision/Fluidity’, a collection filled with firsts and new design development, yet remaining true to the brands heritage. Everyday items have been carefully edited to their essential form and function, freed from distractions to focus on what is important. Shapes and materials are finely tuned for the perfect balance of aesthetic appeal and practical simplicity. The combination of high concept and low-maintenance gives this collection a sense of sustainability, communicating both the extended life-cycle of the object, and the considered style of the owner. Nuances of tailoring are precisely considered and lead to the introduction of new collar and shirt shapes in menswear and the pinnacle of the collection includes a suit, tailored for a sharp finish, and featuring their renowned extra fine merino wool and wild silk lining printed with the emblem of the season.

D.GNAK 

The South Korean menswear brand D.GNAK makes its debut at LFWM. For Creative Director Kang Dong Jun, the city presents an exciting new challenge, another urban horizon for a global label which has the crossing and meeting of cultures at its heart. For SS18, D.GNAK finds its primary inspiration in the idea of the predestined, perfectly expressed in a single Chinese word which in English translates to “inevitable interaction”, or the coming together of two powers (yin and yuan) to one unstoppable end. In Buddhism, it's believed everything in the world is created by the meeting of yin and yuan – when it comes to fashion design, such chains of cause and effect are vital to the conception of a collection.

We take a look at the forthcoming Spring/Summer 2018 Collections and review the London Fashion Week Men’s shows and presentations.