London Collections Preview – six east London menswear designers ones to watch for SS14

Astrid Anderson AW13

The once elite reputation of menswear – all Savile Row tailoring and fashion editors – has been overthrown by a generation of young designers seeking inspiration from popular culture. This has made for two defining camps – that of the re-imagined sportswear aesthetic and the innovative tailoring crowd. London collections: MEN, now in its second year, will celebrate the very best in British menswear this month, with designers from east London taking centre stage.

Cottweiler

Cottweiler’s aesthetic insinuates what might happen if a skally went to fashion school. It is the brainchild of fashion and sportswear designers Ben Cottrell and Matthew Dainty who rework classic sportswear cuts into sharp menswear pieces by using innovative fabrics and by engaging with a theme to create fluidity.

Shaun Samson

Making a name for himself with his street smart signature looks, including drop-shouldered sweatshirts and Mexican fabrics, Samson, based in Bethnal Green, will host a full house during the Men’s collections. His aesthetic is influenced by the latino gangs of LA – and reinterprets the notion of streetwear with a definite transatlantic veneer.

Astrid Anderson

Astrid Anderson has come to the forefront of British menswear in recent seasons, showing with MAN – the Fashion-East/Topshop collaboration – for the last three seasons. The designer has nurtured an aesthetic that playfully blends hip hop swagger and luxe fabrics, in a way which is youthful and relevant to the London fashion scene

Lee Roach

Moving towards a more tailored silhouette, Lee Roach demonstrates an informed and refined approach to contemporary menswear. His attention to detail is exquisite, using buckle fastening on suit jackets blending a punk/ irreverent edge to his monochromatic palette. He is reminiscent of a young Raf Simons and most definitely is one to watch.

JW Anderson

This Dalston-based designer sent ripples through the fashion world last season when he sent male models down the catwalk in what can best be described as cropped culottes and Roman inspired dresses. After a year which saw him collaborate with Topshop and gain multi-international stockists, Anderson is tight-lipped about this season’s collection, but no doubt it will shock and impress in equal quantities.

James Long

Quietly becoming a staple of LCM, Long is reliably exciting and inventive with his use of technical fabrics and silhouettes. Often using luxurious materials in a subversive way, expect exquisite tailoring with a fetishistic edge from this east London-based designer, balancing sheer fabrics with leathers and wools in a surprising and unorthodox way. (‘Stocked at Hackney’s LN-CC store’)

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