John Cooper Clarke, the original punk poet, loomed large at the Topman Design show on Monday. He wrote a bespoke poem for the high street brand’s collection for autumn 2014. A copy of it in the poet’s scrawl was laid on the seats, and Clarke sat front row alongside regulars rapper Tinie Tempah, model David Gandy and JLS singer Aston Merrygold. The collection was shown on the first day of London Collections: Men, the capital’s menswear showcase, now in its third season.
Detailing “the return of the pac-a-mac” and peacoats as well as “apparel but not as you know it’” the verse’s prophecy came to pass on the catwalk. A rocker-influenced silhouette practically trademarked by Clarke with legs the width of a hair’s breadth, shrunken tailoring and shock of black hair was there from the first look: a duffel coat, neat trousers and bovver boots all in black.
Outerwear was dominant. Said pac-a-mac came downpour-ready in smoky translucent PVC, while duffel coats, cropped jackets and oversized three-quarter length designs also featured. Arguably the brand on London Collections’ schedule to clothe the most actual customers, these designs are an idea of what men might be wearing this time next year. Count Clarke in, for sure. He said after the show that Topman was the only brand for him.
The mood was distinctly British. A colour palette of black, grey and khaki, with flashes of sky blue and tomato soup red, suited the overcast skies of winter in the UK. The north was particularly in focus. Along with Salford-born Clarke, the soundtrack featured Echo The Bunnymen and the finale poured rain on models. After the show, creative director Gordon Richardson swerved questions that Clarke is a literal style reference, saying the collection was inspired by “Northern boys working in the shipyards when blokes were blokes. It’s fashion but real clothes.”
Richardson is certainly a realist when it comes to to his customer a young man who likes fashion but not enough to be ribbed by his mates. Nick Grimshaw, the new ambassador for London Collections, is perhaps a model they aspire to. Front row at the Topman Design show, wearing a classic tweed coat and bold orange chunky scarf, he summed up the straightforward thinking. “I like to come to shows with clothes I want to wear,” he said. “I like to wear Topman.”
The oversized shapes here, which also included wide-legged trousers, were something new and should be noted. The skinny look is now so integral to Topman that Richardson is now consciously moving away from it, one step at a time. “Menswear moves slowly,” he said. “But customers are taking up the new look. By the time these pieces are in store, the shift will be happening.”
Elsewhere on the first day of London Collections, the oversized shape had other champions. Both Lou Dalton and Astrid Andersen presented active-inspired collections with trackpant silhouettes preferred. At MAN, the young designer showcase overseen by Topman and new talent initiative Fashion East, wide-legged trousers were popular. Both Alan Taylor and Craig Green showed them. Green’s take worn ultra-wide and vibrantly printed with matching tunic tops felt particularly new. While the look of menswear for autumn is still hazy at this point, a shape may be coming into focus. Clarke’s position as style icon for a season, meanwhile, is a pretty safe bet.
