For the last four seasons my London Fashion Week has begun with an elongated visit to the ever fruitful, Touba Distrubution curated, Showroom Next Door. Each season, it exemplifies everything that I find exciting about menswear design in London; namely it's diversity and constant sense of sartorial evolution and revolution. It should be little wonder why I'm drawn back season after season. For SS12, they took up residence in Paris during men's fashion week and I could not resist exploring the new season with them. Fode, Yuko and Trevor strive to showcase a diverse collection of international designers but above all seek to provide a platform for both established and exciting new British talents. The SS12 lineup reflects this (with now familiar favourites) including Casely-Hayford, Mr Hare, H By Harris, Bunney and Hannah Martin were joined by Armando Cabral, Chauncey and Giuliano Fujiwara. These are undoubtedly exciting times for menswear and I'm so pleased that there are platforms like the Showroom Next Door that help to showcase the obvious and abundant talent that call this capital of ours at home and abroad.
Now, with covetable rails full of personal favourites, I've often described the space as my dream walk in wardrobe. In Paris, they turned up the lust dial and set the showroom space up as my dream apartment. A selection of real seasonal gems were hung, sprawled and placed throughout four rooms. That homely feeling was only intensified by artwork from Gallery Lazaridis adorning the walls. I would happily move in tomorrow. Over the coming months, I'll no doubt return to each collection in more detail but for now let me take your hand and walk you through the grand designs...
Now, with covetable rails full of personal favourites, I've often described the space as my dream walk in wardrobe. In Paris, they turned up the lust dial and set the showroom space up as my dream apartment. A selection of real seasonal gems were hung, sprawled and placed throughout four rooms. That homely feeling was only intensified by artwork from Gallery Lazaridis adorning the walls. I would happily move in tomorrow. Over the coming months, I'll no doubt return to each collection in more detail but for now let me take your hand and walk you through the grand designs...
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H By Harris
You should all be familiar with the H by Harris label should by now. Launched in AW09 to great success, designed and manufactured in the UK, it is the brainchild of creative Harris Elliott and heralds the new school in desirable contemporary accessories. Here, Harris experiments further with fabrications and develops a soft, ribbed armour...
The fabric developments for the new season are stunning.
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Bunney
For the last few seasons, Andrew Bunney has been quietly navigating an elegant and refined men's jewellery offering that has left me experimenting. The Bunney offering has evolved from a single item - a large size silver pyramid stud in to something of a magpie's haven. In addition to our our favourite items, the fruits of his search to create bracelets can be enjoyed for the latest season...
Each season Bunney introduces a couple of new items that leave me wanting to experiment.
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Casely-Hayford
With each season, Casely-Hayford begin with their shared desire to capture, play and experiment with the duality of English Sartorialism and British Anarchy. It is an ever intriguing house that encourages change whilst being grounded in tradition. For its AW11 collection collection, the father and son design duo brought together the essence of each of its past five seasons to mark something of a new beginning. For SS12 they continue to move forward and progress their vision of the Casely-Hayford man through a culmination of key elements showcased in previous seasons.
This Casely-Hayford collection really deserves a post of its own and will have one shortly. For SS12, the duo increase their Made in England offering, working with English craftsmen on a range of shirts.
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Hannah Martin
Hannah Martin's The Man Who Knows Everything is a visual dedication to the Comte de St Germain, a man beyond time, beyond scientific limits. Here, Martin strikes an enticing balance between the highly modern and unspeakably ancient. The collection, delirious and drenched in blinding lights, reflects the intensity of Hannah’s latest exploration of narrative masculinity. Here, she presents a range of hyper-real, shamanistic jewels that seem to tell the unspoken tales of the Russian Tsars, secrets from within the courts of Louis the XV...
The Man Who Knows Everything's jewels.
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Chauncey
Creative, minimalist but exclusive, Chauncey prides itself on European craftsmanship. After hearing so many positive things about the label, from bloggers and buyers alike, the AW11 Showroom provided the first opportunity to marvel at in person. I was neither disappointed then nor now. Aside from the rich colour palette there is no eccentricity, just quality and modern design. Extreme precision and the highest quality yarns and manufacturers. An "elegant gentleman traveler" look with a slice of Belgian surrealism. These are knits that your skin longs to touch...
Always feel myself drawn to Chauncey's polka dot knits.
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Armando Cabral
Armando Cabral is a luxury footwear brand that first caught my eye in SS10. The combination of Armando Cabral's innate style and Rucky Zambrano's eye for design and attention to detail has created an elegant addition to the men's footwear market. In quality, the collection offers a full range of classic essentials, hybrid-casual and sport contemporary silhouettes. In only twhree short seasons, there is a sense that Armando Cabral is close to creating a fully rounded collection.
A few new additions to the Armando Cabral offering.
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Gallery Lazarides
Gallery Lazarides is dedicated to emerging international artists who defy categorisation, often existing outside of conventional artistic career structures. Affordable originals, prints, collectibles and books from the Lazarides stable are created via the gallery’s Outsiders division were scattered throughout the apartment. The artwork helped make the space an ever more inviting home.
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Mr Hare
Mr. Hare is a men's shoe company of the modern age. Founded in 2008 due to one man’s selfish pursuit of great shoes we have since been treated to shoes that leave your feet full of longing and dreams. Mr. Hare shoes are handcrafted in Tuscany by Italian geniuses on Mr. Hare’s exclusive British lasts. The materials are only the finest and the high quality has always been given. From collection to collection, there is a definite sense Hare refining his creations as he goes. His brief is to offer shoes for any and every conceivable occasion. Come sun, rain, wind, snow, hurricane, all day, all weather with just a little Mr. Hare flair. With SS12, he takes yet another considered step forward...
Old favourites are joined by a few new additions, most notably these driving shoes which are each signed by their maker, Sergio.
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Giuliano Fujiwara
Since being inaugurated as the designer of Giuliano Fujiwara in 2005, Masataka Matsumura has inherited the label's tradition and desire to innovate as well as cherishing the desire of the brand’s founder, Yoshiaki Fujiwara. The SS12 collection is a fusion of classic and modern, each piece is packed full of detail...
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