London Collections: Men Preview AW15
Words: Holly
What was once a mere day tacked onto the end of London Fashion Week (then extended to Men’s Fashion Weekend) is now a full blown menswear only event, the first of which was officially in June 2012 after it’s re-naming to what we now know to be London Collections: Men.
Now in its third year, Boris Johnson said of the event, “London Collections: Men is a fabulous showcase of menswear designers, who are not only contributing to our economy, but adding to our city’s global reputation for innovation and creativity. In bringing together fashion, music and art these latest shows are also driving home the role that this hugely important creative sector has at the heart of London’s vibrant cultural life.” LC:M and all it involves is designed to display the vast expanse of British fashion talent, from the tailors of Savile Row to the most influential fashion brands in the world and new and exciting emerging talent.
As the world of men’s fashion plunges into a flurry of tailored suits, street style and fashion shows come Friday at midday, you’d be forgiven for not having a clue that anything was even going on at all in the city. If you’re not an industry insider, model or dare we say it, celebrity, aside from increased traffic and the odd obscurely dressed men on your morning commute you’re likely to let the next four days drift over your head without a worry, but with an estimated forecast of a 27% rise in the men’s fashion industry from 2013 to 2018 to reach £16.4 billion it’s probably worth knowing what’s going on! If you do want to know more, then read on for our round-up of what to expect and what to look out for…
CATWALKS FOR THE FIRST TIME, Progressing from presentations to full-blown catwalk shows for the first time are Dunhill, Hardy Amies, Maharishi and Pringle of Scotland.
RETURNING AFTER A BREAK, After choosing to sit out the last few events, everyone is thrilled to see the return of a few familiar faces, namely Belstaff, CP Company, Manolo Blahnik, Savile Row, St James’s & Woolmark and Thomas Pink.
NEW ADDITIONS TO THE SCHEDULE, The exciting news of many new entries to the schedule show the rate at which LC:M is growing as a whole. New additions include Alex Mattsson, Aquascutum Men’s, Barbour, Coach, Kilgour, MR PORTER presents Kingsman, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C., Several, Soulland, Todd Lynn and Universal Works.
THE EVENTS, As if the early starts and running around London all day to make the next show isn’t exhausting enough, then it’s the events that really get people going. Each night an average of 6 events take place, from private dinners to cocktail parties and full on packed-out parties with celebrity DJ’s and copious amounts of cocktails – after 4 nights of this, expect an industry wide headache come Tuesday morning.
LOOK OUT FOR, Front row favourites include David Gandy, Tinie Tempah (who has taken over from Nick Grimshaw as an ambassador), Oliver Cheshire, Dermot O’Leary and even the occasional sighting of Harry Styles.
THE STATS AND FIGURES, – There are 3 official venues used for London Collections: Men including The Hospital Club, The Old Sorting Office and Victoria House, – Press and buyers from 28 different countries worldwide will attend this January, – 32 catwalk shows and 37 presentations will take place, – 66kg of Lavazza coffee beans are ground and served, 6,100 bottles of Warsteiner lager are drunk and 5,000 bottles of Fiji water are consumed!
For more information, click here.
Become a Gentleman’s Journal Member?
Like the Gentleman’s Journal? Why not join the Clubhouse, a special kind of private club where members receive offers and experiences from hand-picked, premium brands. You will also receive invites to exclusive events, the quarterly print magazine delivered directly to your door and your own membership card.
