Modernism: to some it’s putting a fresh gloss on timeless creative principles, to others it’s forging entire new paths in arts and culture. For British fashion brand Ben Sherman, which has been at the vanguard of men’s fashion for almost half a century, modernism means re-shaping the mod look that once epitomised its sartorial stance to stay ahead in today’s world.

For spring/summer 2012, Ben Sherman has plundered the past to fashion the future. Referencing both the location where the company first started and the Far Eastern preference for style and innovation, the “Brighton to Tokyo” Plectrum collection supplies a modernist twist to Ben Sherman’s classic wardrobe favourites.

The creative modernists we’ve selected to showcase the collection share two things in common. Firstly, they look sharp. Secondly, from the young Japanese fashion designer to the Londoner intent on upholding the craft of the umbrella, each are artistically and aesthetically expressing themselves in new and diverse ways.

As Anthony Spinello proclaims, it’s the height of folly to predict what the next decade will bring. On this evidence though, there’s cause for optimism; modern British culture and design revolves around people confidently but unassumingly entering the artistic arena, dynamically creating and collaborating in the hope that their talent will be appreciated and that others like what they see.

Text by Tom Teodorczuk