Fashion Brief
The latest group of young designers to receive priceless support from Newgen men, the new talent initiative sponsored by Topman, have been announced. Ten brands are in the frame for the spring/summer 2015 shows, which will be shown at London Collections: Men in June.
While some names on the list – Agi Sam, Astrid Andersen, Common, Diego Vanassibara, Kit Neale, Lee Roach, Matthew Miller and Nasir Mazhar – are familiar members of the Newgen family (each label usually receives sponsorship for three seasons), there are two new names introduced: Alex Mullins and Craig Green.
Mullins’ oversized graphics and crisp outerwear looks intriguing, while Green already has the industry on side. The British designer is an alumnus of the Central Saint Martins MA and MAN, the menswear equivalent of Lulu Kennedy’s Fashion East, which often works as a first platform for designers just starting out. Over three seasons, Green has quickly developed a following for a point of view that combines show-stopping antics – his first collection saw models wearing head pieces made of splintered wood that obscured their vision – with design that manages to stay on the right side of wearable. His shredded jumpers from autumn/winter 2013 became a cult favourite, and spring’s tie-dye denim jackets are promising to do the same.
While there’s only been a few collections to compare, it looks like Green has that magic that we look for in fashion designers: the ability to create a brand identity – volume, street influences, sculptural shapes – while making each collection notably different. A quality that other London stars Christopher Kane and JW Anderson share, Green looks like a new name to be added to that list. His debut Newgen Men-sponsored show, then, is the next step in what has the potential to be a superstar career.
