The designer drawing on Tibet and the legacy of Buffalo

Tomorrow LC:M sees the launch of Tourne de Transmission’s nomad-inspired AW16 collection, based on a fictitious explorer who travels across continents investigating different cultures. It’s the result of a long-lasting fascination the label’s founder, Graeme Gaughan, has had with Tibet. According to the designer it’s a part of the world that he frequently revisits in his work, drawn by the region’s spiritual history and traditional dress. Gaughan, who worked on the SS16 collection with 80s Buffalo pioneer Barry Kamen before he passed away last October, found inspiration in the styling methods and vibrant textiles of the Tibetan folk clothing. TDT, like the style collective, celebrates the meeting of cultures and diversity, capturing the spirit of Buffalo in a contemporary re-imagining. Here Gaughan tell us about his own journey into fashion, what it was like to work with Kamen and delved further into AW16 inspiration with an exclusive look at his moodboard.

ON THE JOURNEY INTO FASHION

“Throughout my teenage years I was always into clothes and conscious of trends but growing up in a new town in the Midlands, the very idea of working in fashion didn’t really exist then, so you didn’t think to aim for it. Nowadays, it’s much more front of mind, with TV and the internet people are switched onto things earlier. My journey into fashion came through club culture and music, which is what I came to London to study. The cross over began when I started helping brands dress bands, but this took place over a long period of time. The label itself started as a creative outlet, a hobby if you like. I had wound up my last band and needed to find something to occupy the creative side of my brain.”

ON WORKING WITH BARRY KAMEN

“Over the last few years, Barry had become a regular visitor at SANE, the agency I co-own. He would just pop in for a cuppa and it was always a huge pleasure to see him and just talk about absolutely anything. This is the thing I will miss the most, our long chats. We also shared an interest in Eastern clothing cultures; Barry got what I was developing and understood the references – we really clicked on the subject. 

He was a child of mixed heritage and loved TDT’s cross-cultural mishmash of lengths, silhouettes and fabrics. He first shot the brand in an editorial for Spur Magazine with fellow Buffalo founding-member, Jamie Morgan, and for SS16 he worked on the styling of the collection and the show. His input was a huge influence; he took care of all the details, which was always his thing when it came to styling. I miss him every day. He was the most humble and warmest person, and the best guy to just go for a pint with. You were never stuck for conversation and his child-like enthusiasm for life and everything around him was intoxicating.”

AW16 MOODBOARD

“This is an image from Tibet Style by Yann Romain, the book is a bible to me. I love everything about it. It’s a work of genius. The amount of clothing signatures to the Tibetan people is so inspiring. It’s definitely helped me push boundaries in terms of colour, fabrication, patterns and prints.”

“Another shot from Tibet Style. Myself and Elgar Johnson, who will style the AW16 show, love how this images flips the idea of the balaclava from having negative connotations to a styling idea: the tiny detail of exposing the nose, the subtle peak and the glasses are pretty rad too.”

“This story was shot by Rintaro Ishige and styled by Masataka Hattori for The New Order magazine. This image really spoke to me, I love the melding of cultural styles – it’s just perfect in every way.”

“This image has sat on my mood board for around two years. We layered fabric over it to get a feel for the drape and texture. I can’t really draw in the traditional fashion sense, so this kind experimentation helps me visualise my ideas. Every season I go to take it off but I cant, I just love it, the movement and energy attracts me every time.”