The King of London sportswear has far from abdicated; Christopher Shannon still rules the world of clever, functional and athletic fashion. If anything, his AW10 collection was a testament to what every one already knows: the future is all about hi tech fabrics, practical details and an eye for street wear.

We saw nylon shirt jackets, cargo shorts (always an odd one at winter shows) and loads of trackie bottoms. Shannon also expanded in denim wear and showed white jeans with contrast pockets and denim jackets. Proper running shoes shared the stage with hiking boots. Beautiful blue and grey colour combinations dominated, but what also caught our attention was the intricate paisley pattern on tops and bottoms, pierced by a subtle CS logo. As expected we saw a loose and comfortable silhouette. Why change a winning team? Christopher Shannon is still London’s best link between sportswear and luxury menswear. Nuff said.
 
Dazed Digital: Was there a red thread running through the collection?
Christopher Shannon: I always start with individual pieces, rather than themes.
 
DD: And what were those key pieces for the AW10 show?
Christopher Shannon: It began with the patchwork denim. I wanted to do a jean I had not seen around. The print was also one of the starting points.
 
DD: How did the print come about?
Christopher Shannon: It’s an old paisley print I found. I wanted to use it for last Spring Summer show, but it didn’t work so I used it now instead. I like working with classic prints in general – we just updated it and pixelated it!
 
DD: And there was a CS logo in there as well!
Christopher Shannon: Yeah, I like a bit of logo mania - as long as it’s not done in a garish way.
 
DD: There were a few contrast pieces as well – mesh mixed with warm winter fabrics!
Christopher Shannon: I like using fabrics on the outside that are usually on the inside, like mesh. It makes it more interesting. I don’t want to spell it out for people, I want them to read into it whatever they want to!
 
DD: Do you have a favourite piece from the collection?
Christopher Shannon: I love the anorak shirts with hoods!

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