BRITISH M E N S W E A R a modern retelling Despite being a pairing that’s often over- shirt, tie and polished shoes - a look that shadowed, men and fashion have extensive on weekends in the country is replaced history when it comes to British culture. with a Barbour jacket and tweed cap. e three-piece suit was conceived by Today, Savile Row still maintains pride Charles II in 1666 London, while Beau of place in London with its bespoke tailor- Brummell, with his tailored tailcoats and ing but there’s also so much more that ac- pantaloons in the 19th century, is cited as curately represents men’s dress. Like with the original dandy and style icon. e womenswear, there are the different styles trench coat was popularised through that define approaches to design, be it Burberry from the beginning of the 20th century (the forerunner to that being out- smart, subversive, playful or sporty. erwear for expeditions to Antarctica), while ere’s also the changing notion of how everyday classics such as the Stan Smith to define gendered dress. As Jay McCauley trainers and Fred Perry polo take their Bowstead, author and lecturer at London names from English tennis players. College of Fashion, states in his 2018 book Subcultures too are an intrinsic part of Menswear Revolution: e Transformation of British style, whether it’s the Teddy Boys of Contemporary Men’s Fashion: “designers the 1950s (subverting the suit to become from the turn of the millennium to the the uniform of working class youth), or present day have used menswear to ad- 1980s’ goths (bonding in their Batcave, a vance a form of ‘reverse discourse’: chal- DIY club in Soho). ey span across lenging the values of orthodox masculinity musical genres, cities and classes but all have one primary motive: to disrupt by reclaiming and reframing qualities such conventions and be a bonded form of self- as fragility, sensitivity, and sensuality as expression. positive and desirable”. With all of this But like with a lot of things, the stereo- taken into consideration, here’s a guide to type tends to hark back to tradition: a tai- the what and who defining menswear in lored suit in sombre shades worn with a Britain today. 4 FOCUS The Magazine May/June 2019 www.focus-info.org “In the UK, statistics have shown that the menswear industry has been rising at twice the rate of womenswear since 2016 and is expected to grow more by 2021.” STREETWEAR in the so-called “ugly sneaker”. Gvasalia, TAILORING who was appointed head of Balenciaga in Streetwear is an international creation, Heritage and smartness are still attached 2015, has helped spread the craze for originating predominantly in 80s and 90s to London and British style with the city chunky trainers with the thickest of soles America as an underground style associ- maintaining its world-wide reputation and conventionally unflattering designs. ated with skaters, surfers, and hip-hop but for impeccably handcrafted suits. But its presence is now widespread. In the UK, ey’re the kind of generic shoes that have there’s also a fresher approach to tailor- statistics have shown that the menswear in- never been considered fashionable but be- ing, one that draws upon relaxed dress- dustry has been rising at twice the rate of cause they’re branded with names such ing as well as notions of sexuality and womenswear since 2016 and is expected to Balenciaga, Raf Simons and Kiko race. grow more by 2021. e shift is largely Kostadinov (a London-based designer Grace Wales Bonner has been trans- due to an increase in younger consumers who’s partnered with Asics) they became a forming her theoretical and fiction read- and the rise in streetwear-oriented prod- subject of hype, discussion and value. ing lists into visual essays since ucts, such as hoodies, baggy shorts, over- It’s all part of a fashionable “plainness” graduating from Central Saint Martins sized t-shirts and trainers, in the luxury that has naturally seeped into the creations in 2014, the neat slim suits, finely sector. While quintessential streetwear by British designers, or put a spotlight on crafted shirts and luxurious retro track- brands were born from West Coast designers who have long been creating in suits representing black male identity American DIY, there was a moment in the this way. Martine Rose, for example, a and sexuality. But this is clothing that is 1990s where brands such as Tommy Middlesex University graduate who also genderless in its reception, being as Hilfiger and Polo Ralph Lauren were re- launched her menswear brand in 2007, has beloved by women as by men. contextualised by the New York hip-hop garnered more attention over the past few In 2018, British designer Kim Jones scene. e New England preppy associa- years with her high-waisted trousers, sim- was appointed the creative director of tions also became iconographic of a work- ple tailored shirts and colour block out- Dior Homme (now Dior Men) after ing-class, black community from South doorsy jackets. leaving his role at Louis Vuitton where Bronx. Now, however, luxury brands are Streetwear is longstanding, due to its he had put emphasis on streetwear quali- specifically designing clothes with a comfort, simplicity and in some cases sub- ties like a collaboration with Supreme. streetwear aesthetic or engaging in collabo- cultural associations so therefore will con- His first few collections for Dior Men rations where street and mainstream luxury tinue to be part of everyday British style. were a blend of comfortable suiting and merge – Louis Vuitton and Supreme in On the catwalk, its current peak has sportswear silhouettes but he’s also vis- 2017 being an example. passed, with more formal garments and ited the Dior archive and has taken At the forefront of the past several years’ shoes likely to be present throughout fash- iconic elements of womenswear and in- streetwear surge has been Demna Gvasalia ion week in June. On the streets, however, corporated it into tailoring. Examples of of Vetements. Alongside products being a casual baggy clothing and community this are the 1950s’ oblique construction, social commentary on mundane aspects of brand affiliation will always be a part of in which coats are diagonally wrapped everyday life - think replica DHL delivery male dress. As to the everydayness that has with a tapered waist. ese are being re- staff tops, a hoodie with the definition of a come to exemplify the streetwear aesthetic, constructed in the form of blazers, along hoodie printed extensively on the back, it blurs a boundary between the “fashion- with the integration of traditional cou- and partnering with sports brands Umbro able” and “normal” meaning everybody ture techniques such as draping. and Reebok in a way that’s centred purely walking around Britain is, in some way, a A balance between casual and smart is on branding – there’s been the popularity stylish individual. very much the norm today but, for those www.focus-info.org FOCUS The Magazine 5 “After all, it’s the appearance of people that tends to be acknowledged first regardless of what’s being said.” with money and a desire for the exclusively between designer, photographer and POLITICS crafted, Savile Row is still considered the model. From then on, the role of a stylist e 1970s punk scene now has a firm place to go. For bespoke clothing rich in evolved into the profession that it is today. place in fashion and British history, depict- tradition, there’s Henry Poole (the first, For young fashion designers, the ing not only a way of dress but also social opened in 1846) and Gieves & Hawkes show/presentation environment is often concerns of the period. Graphics on tops (occupiers of No.1 Savile Row since 1912), approached as a platform for making state- depicting the Queen with a safety pin whose history dates back to 1771. Hardy ments and this is especially true for through her lips, and denim and leather Amies boasts a reputation for embodying London. Recently Charles Jeffrey has be- jackets customised with provocative hand- the model gentleman, as does Richard come the voice of a gender-fluid genera- written statements were an additional way James (opened in 1992). ere are addi- tion, his creations centred around skirts, of being politically involved that meant tional updates too, though. Gormley & flamboyant silhouettes questioning bodily people took note. After all, it’s the appear- Gamble is the first women’s only tailors on forms, distressed knitwear, his own official ance of people that tends to be acknowl- Saville Row, opened in 2015 by entrepre- tartan and illustrated prints. e energy at edged first regardless of what’s being said. neur and designer Phoebe Gormley (aged the core of this comes from a DIY mental- At London Men’s Fashion Week in June 21 when the company launched). Kathryn ity, British history and east London 2016, Brexit vocalisation was present with Sargent, which opened in 2016 and is a nightlife (Jeffrey launched a monthly club Christopher Raeburn working the letter- tailor dedicated to both women and men, night called ‘ ’ that ended up ings ‘ ’ into a collection where sweaters created a unisex Harris Tweed suit inclu- LOVERBOY IN helping fund his MA degree), all of which and t-shirts had a velcro front that could sive of all body types. are translated into theatrical fashion shows. be redesigned through the application of Art School, the collaborative duo of accompanying letter and space-exploration OUTSPOKENLY IMAGINATIVE Eden Loweth (graduate of menswear) and motif patches. Similarly, designers includ- London has long been a city alive with Tom Barratt (graduate of art criticism), de- ing Patrick Grant of E Tautz and Sibling’s hidden and liberating spaces where out- signs clothing informed by non-binary Sid Bryan and Cozette McCreery took casts and unconventional creatives could identities.