Demin Jacket

Stitch, London Menswear Trade Show 30 June & 01 July 2010

Stitch held the only dedicated menswear trade show in the UK, bringing together an eclectic mix of designers (new and established) under one roof. This year Stitch divided the show in to 4 key categories:

DENIM – Jeans brands and those in tune with the spirit of denim.

Here we see Full Circle offering an extensive ready to wear collection. Trousers include the drop crotch look with bulky side pockets and faded denims. Shirts include the classic denim, checks ranging from the bold and large buffalo  in red or blue to the more tonal tartan in muted blues and greys.

EDGE – Innovative brands that deliver classic or contemporary style

Original founders of All Saints, Kait Bolongaro and Stuart Trevor moved on to create Bolongaro Trevor, a vintage inspired label. Their new  collection includes leather jackets treated with aniline dye to create soft supple leather - One with fine corduroy side panels and a zip embellished front to create texture. Other jackets in poplin are a twist on the union jack design in the traditional red, white and blue or a more modern red, pale denim and dark blue demin.  Splashes of acid yellows, deep pink and greens brighten up the main collection of shirts and dark gothic t-shirts with afterlife and death inspired prints. Knitwear is super fine cotton – one black style decorated with safety pins around the neckline.

ENERGY – Authentic brands inspired by sport, music and performance.

In 2007, brothers Scott and Troy Thompson's passion for rock and roll sparked the idea of creating a tee –shirt clothing brand inspired by music. They have 3 collections : The Immortals, In Chains and The 27 Club. All their t-shirts are heavily embellished with prints and crystals front and back in distressed pre shrunk cotton. Colours are faded and washed out blacks, dark browns, dark blues, whites, purple and red.

Their newest line  "the 27 club" was launched on Scott's 27th birthday and is a memorial to all the legendary musicians who died at the age of 27 – the more famous being Janis Joplin, Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and  Kurt Cobain.  All tees are embellished with the number 27.

The "In Chains" collection was inspired by their own jewellery line with large Swarovski crystals making rosary designs on the front with printed religious images on the back.

The "Immortals" was made to relive the days when rock stars lived like nothing could kill them, showing compositions including images of skulls and skeletons

The brothers have also put thought in the construction of the t-shirt – shortening the length slightly to show off the belt and jeans pockets, tightening the garment at the chest and arms to prevent the baggy look and using finer and softer cotton.

For you rock & roll softies, they even make long sleeved thermal tees.

And if you still don't have enough bling, try out their motorcycle inspired jewellery line of rosaries, pendants, belts and buckles.

A portion of every shirt they sell goes to music inspired charities.

VISION – A showcase of emerging international talent in menswear.

Graduating from Central St. Martins in 2001, Satyen Kumar worked for 4 seasons on the mainline collection at Versace in Milan before deciding to go it alone in 2006. The foundation of his brand aesthetic is the modern hybrid for eccentric English playboys with a combination of tailored casual wear fused with tuxedo style dressing. The trousers are slim and tailored with a casual twist created by  a double row of elasticised jogging style hems, whilst jackets are panelled at the front with contrasting fabric. Some of the designs have an almost jockey like style with red satin, purple and petrol blue jogging style tailored pants, white shirt with red and blue geometric sections and a two toned petrol blue shirt. This designer is not afraid of colour with his flashy patterned suit in oranges/yellows/reds and blues matched with a pale green diaphanous long sleeved t-shirt. Definitely living up to the eccentric English playboy name.

Satyenkumar helps to boost national economy and ensure quality and attention to detail by only ever manufacturing garments in the UK, and sources 90% of materials from British suppliers.

 

SPECIALISTS

Specialising in knitwear, Am Golhar gained her expertise of high quality yarns such as alpaca and cashmere from Central St. Martins.  Knitwear is not only restricted to the tops but knitted jogging pants as well. A few leather pieces – jogging pants and jackets complement the collection.

E One Six London

Specialising in luxury shirts , new label E One Six London's first collection was inspired by the lifestyle of modern man on the move – designed to take him from the office to the bar to home. Smart enough to sharpen up a suit yet relaxed enough to look great with jeans and chinos.

Colours are crisp whites and soft blues and pinks. Designs include plain fronts with striped backs. The fabric and shirt are produced in a single European factory thus reducing carbon footprint and ensuring quality consistency. At least 35 separate parts go in to constructing one shirt, taking a skilled worker 80 minutes to make a shirt from start to finish.

CELEBRITY DESIGNERS

Liam Gallagher's own label Pretty Green was on show and his collection reflects his own sense of style. Every design is subject to his final approval.

The label includes 2 collections, the more tailored black label and the more casual green label.

For the black label :Shirts are either granddad style or narrow button down collars, the signature pattern is paisley with the words "pretty" and "green" incorporated in to the design, colours include greens and purples. The jackets are lined with a monochrome paisley pattern. T-shirts have tone on tone pretty green logos

The Green label is more colourful with contrasting logos on t-shirts.

The signature colour for the logo is black and green; sometimes the green appears in minute detailing if another colour is used such as in the stitching or a tiny decorative button on one cuff.

More subtle logos can be seen on a few of the coats' buttons.

 

Men, for help in clothes shopping check out www.frumpytofunky.com or email contact@frumpytofunky.com

 

 

About the Author

frumpy to funky was established by Karen Grace, an affiliate member of the Federation of Image Consultants. Karen has studied Personal Styling at the London College of Fashion and received her professional training in one of the London's leading Image Consultancy training centre. More details can be seen on http://www.frumpytofunky.com

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