We gawp at the Fashion East talent assembled for spring/summer 2014, including Kit Neale, Joseph Turvey, Liam Hodges, Marques’ Almeida and Tom Ryling.
British fashion would be a far duller place without its fairy godmother, Lulu Kennedy. Under her tenure, Fashion East has grown into the undisputed place to spot emerging talent – and this year proved no different. In particular, Kit Neale (above) and Joseph Turvey build on their reputations following their AW13 presentations while RCA grad Liam Hodges (only three weeks fresh from graduation) makes a splashy debut.
KIT NEALE SPRING/SUMMER 2014
Neale’s planted his installations everywhere from garden allotments to greasy spoon cafes – but this season, he went for a more minimal approach: models perched on white blocks that spelled out ‘KIT NEALE’. Make no mistake about it, though, Neale’s still one of the most colourful young designers on the Fashion East roster (the collection’s called ‘Whammy!’ for a reason): his Peckham Riviera print, as seen on trousers and jackets, is a delightful take on children’s traffic rugs, while his more abstract patterns are no less lively and bamboozling. And let us know where the queue starts for that Perfectly Fried Chicken jumper, okay?
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JOSEPH TURVEY SPRING/SUMMER 2014
Turvey returns for his second Fashion East presentation, this time drawing inspiration from NASCAR driver Ethel Mobley and her family of speed fanatics (racing pioneer Tim Flock being one of them). The need for speed is writ large in big, scream-if-you-wanna-go-faster strips of block colour, but occasionally shows in the most charmingly unexpected details. Look out for Tim Flock’s pet monkey, Jocko Flocko, making an illustrated appearance on the side of a quilted gilet. With tailored joggers, quilted jackets and a subtle use of mesh cut-outs and floral print, it’s a sophisticated, soft take on Turvey’s signature sportswear.
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LIAM HODGES SPRING/SUMMER 2014
Morris dancers are perhaps the least cool of any British subculture ever, and recent RCA graduate Liam Hodges still manages to make them look sexy and dangerous. The models in his ‘Morris Nomads’ collection, shod in Nike slip-ons, looked like Amish boys gone wrong – all black, white and squat party chic. Featuring leather waistcoats distressed to resemble black denim and the now-ubiquitous basketball short, it’s a tough, masculine capsule collection that’s not afraid of graphic and bold silhouettes. When asked if he could imagine “boys” wearing this, one model replied, “Actually, we’re more like lads.” Sounds about right to us. We’ll be keeping an eye on Hodges.
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MARQUES’ ALMEIDA SPRING/SUMMER 2014
Boy, Marta Marques and Paulo Almeida have come a long way since NEWGEN. Yesterday, they debuted their first-ever men’s collection, created in collaboration with Opening Ceremony. Denim in the deepest blues and indigos was the order of the day, with raw hems and a loose, grunge-y silhouette. But the standout piece was unquestionably the hide biker jacket with contrast sleeves, which was ever-so-slightly iridescent under light: expect this one to fly off the OC shelves.
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TOM RYLING SPRING/SUMMER 2014
Next to Liam Hodges’ scruffy band of brothers, Tom Ryling’s models looked more like a boy band: all scrubbed faces, cheekbones and clean lines. Inspired by childhood holidays on the English seaside, Ryling provided an interesting, considered take on classic pieces: painted denim re-purposed from his adolescent archive, attractive jumpers in a burlap texture.
MORE LONDON COLLECTIONS: MEN COVERAGE
Topman Design colelction review
Backstage at Astrid Andersen
Backstage at MAN: Bobby Abley, Alan Taylor and Craig Green
Backstage at Lee Roach
Backstage at Richard Nicoll
Lou Dalton collection review
Backstage at Agi & Sam
JW Anderson collection review
Backstage at Katie Eary
Backstage at Sibling
Words: Zing Tsjeng (Follow Zing on Twitter @misszing)
Images: Hatnim Lee