Fashion East’s MAN is the support scheme for emerging menswear designers, which has helped launched the careers of Kim Jones, J.W.Anderson, Craig Green and Wales Bonner among others. MAN is part of what makes London Collections: Men so exciting – it allows fresh out of uni designers show alongside industry giants like Burberry.
Today, the scheme has revealed which designers will be taking part in its group show at LC:M in June – one of whom is still at uni. Dazed 100 designer Charles Jeffrey will be returning to its catwalk for the second time, joined by two newcomers: Chinese-born RCA grad Feng Chen Wang and Swedish-born almost RCA-grad Per Götesson, who is still studying for his MA in menswear and will be graduating in June shortly before the show.
“The last MAN show was a total game-changer for me...,” says Jeffrey, commenting on the announcement. “Naturally I can’t wait for Round Two. We have something pretty special planned. It’s made all the more epic by the fact that I’m in such good company; Per and Fengcheng are mega-talents.”
Since launching his label in 2015, the Scottish designer, who runs a club night called LOVERBOY at Vogue Fabrics in Dalston, has been credited with bringing a sense of London’s nightlife back to the catwalk. “Dressing up is extremely important,” he said of his approach, speaking in a recent Dazed interview. “I hope it challenges the traditional path that designers have to take, and their roles as arbiters of fashion.”
“I am properly delighted about June’s MAN – our really exciting new names will join Charles Jeffrey who’s back from his brilliantly buzzy debut with us last season!” says Fashion East’s founder and director Lulu Kennedy. “We’re also adding an element of presentation into the runway event, which I’m really into!”
