Between them, Fashion East and MAN have helped launch the careers of many of the industry’s most feted design talents – from Louis Vuitton’s Kim Jones to Craig Green and Simone Rocha who were all celebrated at the Fashion Awards earlier this week. Today, the designer support schemes have revealed who their latest protégés are; who they’ll be working with for the AW17 show season.
Fashion East have selected James Buck and Luke Brooks’, who’s strange and distinctly surrealist art project-slash-brand Rottingdean Bazaar captured the attention of the press last season. They have also chosen two newcomers: Eden Loweth and Tom Barratt whose label Art School poses as a celebration of “queer style” – something that’s informed by the non-binary people that make up their friendship group.
As for MAN, they’ll be continuing to support Charles Jeffrey, the designer who has been credited with bringing the club back to the London catwalks – with a little help from his East London club kid friends. They’ll also be working with Chinese designer Feng Chen Wang who, for her last collection, crafted off-kilter silhouettes out of hi-tech fabrics, and Swedish talent Per Götesson whose brand combines a functional approach to fashion and a certain “fucked-up” romance.
“Last season’s MAN show lived up to all expectations but I fully expect this season’s to out do it,” says Gordon Richardson, creative director of Topman. “We are intrigued to see what Feng Chen Wang brings to the catwalk this season after such as impressive debut. Per Götesson also returns for a second time but this time around he is showing a full catwalk collection. Watch this space.”
