london shape shift

Boy does a daily scholarly agenda cause major blogger withdrawal. I understand that blood-signing the four-year university plan bogs the whole "flexible schedule" shtick expressed by many other bloggers, but I've tried my best at adopting that particular lifestyle myself. So far, it's been a dud. Makes me long for the years that lie ahead. I've already begun to show the major symptoms of my problem: creaky fingers at the keyboard, foreign feelings on this here writing platform , and, of course, mourning the absence of my own little profile picture box on bloglovin. I find that the best cure to my illness (aside from daily plantain chip trips) is engaging in some old-fashioned designer research. You know perfectly well what that means- prep your engines for some babble talk...it was during a same-old expedition through the interwebs in the past few days of hiatus that I stumbled across yet another Londoner that's drawn my attention. I've expressed my feelings before on Kane, Van der Horst, and Katrantzou, but with British designers, there's always a brand new lot to discover. The good thing is that you're never disappointed.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seeing as the British market is much more prone to cultivating breakout young design stars than say, the American counterpart, it's no surprise that almost every craftsman whose name you speak bears the recognizable Central Saint Martins merit on their pedigree. Craig Green is no exception, having just finished his MA at CSM last month with a head-turner of a collection. Much more refreshing than the fact that Green, standing at only 25-years old, is yet another youthful addition to the star kids of Britain is his point of view as a pure menswear designer. You have heard me babble on and on about my belief that the world of menswear lacks a serious creative note and often falls back on typical silhouettes that have boringly lulled people for decades. I have to retract my statements slightly considering my discovery of Green, whose bold perception of of menswear offers an avant-garde aesthetic not often seen in our world. Case in point, the dramatic paper-mâché block luggage, oversized cotton tunics and trousers, and spellbinding tie dye digital prints dominating certain silhouettes in his most recent collection like glorious diseases. Yes, I just called diseases glorious because when men like Green present such novelty, it is nothing if not glorious.

Inspiring further awe, Green's encounter with fashion was mere happenstance, having enrolled at CSM in pursuit of a degree in art and then randomly falling into the lap of the fashion world as a student of the BA fashion course. Womenswear was the initial and natural experiment for the North London boy, but finding his own aesthetic far too "clunky" for the fluid feminine form, Green moved on to try his hand with menswear. Fate intervened, it seems, navigating the designer to his first breakthrough presentation to the world in form of his BA collection, inspired by religious dress and minimalist construction (view the collection here).

Fast-forward two years later and Green has finished out his MA education, leaving only the work below as a testament to the fruit of his arduous craftwork and labor:

(photo cred: craig green)

Nomads clad in industrial paper-mâchéd luggage carriers, as the designer himself explains, would be the succinct method of describing Green's MA collection. In a more metaphorical subtext, one would go as far as to point out the interaction between light and dark, utility and function, and structure and disproportion as the subliminal messages conveyed by the designer's silhouettes... but perhaps the most important idea proposed is the obvious truth that menswear is evolving right before our eyes. Green may be young, but he joins a key few pioneering the progression of menswear into new territories. It's no longer simply about marketability, commercial appeal, or pleasing the masses. The art form of fashion is not limited to the realm of women's haute couture- it can translate in a masculine context as well. I'm sure it won't be long before Green becomes a signature fixture at London Fashion Week, what with all the legendary credentials amassed under his belt. His actual work, on the other hand, makes it a sure bet.

-The Style Inquisitor-

twitter | facebook | bloglovin