CONTENTS
PERIPHERAL THE SUNDAY CLUB CONTOUR CRUX DIFFUSION
In a world in which social media is becoming increasingly overpowering it is almost impossible to distinguish what is fact and what is fiction. AW 16/17 menswear collection ‘Peripheral’ explores the ambiguous and perfect society we live in today and those rebelling by trying to be different instead of following the heard. Targeted towards the high end sector in Dover Street Market, the collection uses conceptual art to portray the idea of distortion – things which may not seem as they appear. Optical illusions recreate images much like how people take a selfie and create the lives they wish to lead using collage artists such as Hannah Hoch as inspiration. Both shape and colour derives from the digital era background using glitches and boxy pixelation as a ground for silhouette and oversized fit. Heavy layering reflects the growing concern of naivety within the technology age and how much people expose of themselves as well as body privacy. Taking inspiration from WGSN trend Offbeat, style and silhouettes revert back to times where technology sat in the background circa 1980s and 90s when creativity and individuality was at a high. Sports luxe and street wear elements collate to create a fresh and contemporary line up showing two ages with nostalgic textures and hues contrasting against the cyber brights of today.
FUCK THE FOLLOWING
‘The Sunday Club’ is an eclectic and vibrant womenswear collection focusing on the elements of colour and print. To accommodate the relaxed and freethinking attitudes that come with the season, the line up is all about fun and playfulness whilst pinpointing serious underlying concepts. Targeted towards a younger mid level market, the collection uses controversial content to spark intrigue yet twists in a playful manner. Focusing on the idea of religion, using religious kitsch and vintage memorabilia as inspiration, colour and texture portrays the energetic Summer story in a soft manner. Christianity acts as a source of personal childlike experiences of growing up in a church-going family, as humorous subject featuring Jesus posing as an agony aunt infuses the tongue in cheek narrative. Infused with a casual sports aesthetic, silhouettes are loose and flowing mirroring the attire of many religious characters whilst mimicking the breezy attitude towards the subject. Garment details such as smocking and bows ultra feminise the collection adding to the overall floaty shapes. Traditional Sunday dress inspires overall garment lines with over the top texture and contrasting pops of colour modernising the old fashioned and traditional ideas. Inspired by the work of artists such as Jeff Koons and Andy Warhol, only bright hues were considered for the palette. Combining hand drawn linear illustrations with digital print, colours are utilised in a sophisticated yet light hearted style to create a contemporary and unique selection of outfits.
‘Contour’ is for the free minded and moving soul. A menswear collaboration for Adidas challenging the norms of male sportswear with practicality and comfort, the collection maps the interaction between athlete and active. Predominantly inspired by the art of ballet, it is aimed towards the dancer, busy and always on the move, the form fitting stretch layers suit ease of movement and act as a camouflage to be layered up when active and transitioning between sports or leisure. Using world-renowned ballet star Mikhail Baryshkinov as a muse to the line, traditional ballet silhouettes are enhanced and brought back to the forefront contrasting tight elasticity against drape and flow. Contour focuses on celebrating the male form with materials forming a second skin. Panels and seams wrap around the body with cut out sections and binding used to emphasise the line and physique when in action. Using S/S 17 WGSN trend Pause as inspiration, which looks at skin as a material of performance, this is further enhanced by minimalist colour. Whilst also coinciding with traditional ballet shades, colours are picked from flesh and inspired by the actions undertaken during optimum performance. Fine mesh and jerseys appear weightless offering support to muscles without constraint.
This collaboration with High street retailer H&M is an A/W 17 Diffusion line up from the collection ‘Crux.’ Inheriting many of the same inspirations as the original collection such as the backdrop of Glasgow, the more youthful line up has been relaxed and reenergised for the new market. Market level constraints impacted each decision in the design process. Sensing that the high street level was not entirely ready for a complete gender neutral collection, the designs were made more couple friendly however still adopting similar silhouettes and details such as pleating. As the garments still maintain the boxy, loose lines as the original line up, the option is there to mix and match for the more innovative and fluid buyer. In a bid to incorporate photography into the collection, hand drawn illustrations of images around the city were layered and printed in vibrant colours to brighten the collection. Maintaining the same charcoal and dark neutral backdrop to the palette, more interesting textures were added to the equation such as pinstripes and denim to add depth. Prints were featured as motifs to make the garments more commercial and desirable to a larger customer range. By re-contextualising Crux, the more literal aspects of inspiration were used, this time including the lyrical narrative from Simon and Garfunkels ‘Sound of Silence,’ which features as slogans in the collection. The garments remain on trend, yet are more energised and wearable for the younger market it is catering towards. Fabric choices and textiles are made more affordable whilst preserving the unique exclusivity by being able to interchange the designs to create new outfits.
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