Craig Green Brings His Neverland Fantasy To London Fashion Week Men’s
The Autumn/Winter 2018 instalment of London Fashion Week Men’s came and went in an exuberant, quirky and wholly unique flash. This comes as no surprise as the menswear offering by emerging designers continues to thrive across the UK capital from people like Rottingdean Bazaar to Wales Bonner.
The first show on the schedule for the final day and the most anticipated was that of Craig Green, the designer twice awarded the accolade of British Menswear Designer of the Year, who launched his namesake brand in 2012 and has subsequently amassed a staunch set of loyal star supporters from Rihanna to Drake and recently even designed costumes for Ridley Scott’s Hollywood blockbuster Alien: Covenant. Green throughout the last few years has attracted throngs of hype throughout the creative world via his originality and inventiveness. Integrating shapes, forms and out-of-the-box details into his work.
Nestled on the front row between the industry’s top critics and the wider fashion community was none other than fashion’s eccentric grand-dame Michele Lamy. All gathered expectantly in a blacked out south London warehouse, awaiting the latest creations from the notoriously adventurous and non-conformist designer. As the first models took to the catwalk, we saw a uniform of neutral shirting, anoraks and multi-pocket cargo pants, simple enough to be a commercial hit but with that added stamp of Green’s unique utilitarian flair to make stand out pieces.
Soon the designs morphed into a display of Craig’s wildest childhood fantasies, mixing militaristic uniforms with a sense of imagination that only a child could dream up; the wooden structures carried in front of the models that first debuted at Green’s SS18 show were back as well as the patchwork full-length hooded parkas that Green says were inspired by the idea of ‘human tents’ and ‘medieval Celtic flags’. Hard lines, or ‘gig seams’ along the outer edges of shirts, coats and trousers were contrastingly softened by crochet, cut-outs or a pop of colour, allowing us to reimagine the constraints of uniform that menswear has for so long been associated with.
Though his underlying context and visual interpretations may not automatically be clear, what is certain is that Craig Green is rapidly becoming a standalone act progressing menswear into unchartered territory, creating his own Neverland while maintaining a solid offering of staple pieces. The fantasy world that he allows you to enter breathes new life into the men’s fashion arena and forces you to think beyond traditional concepts of dressing. As the cult of Craig Green continues to ascend, we ask who wouldn’t want to enter his world?
