Ravensbourne Graduate Kit Neale Recognised by NEWGEN

One of Ravensbournes very own graduates, Kit Neale has gone on to receive funding from the BFC's NewGen initiative! NEWGEN was first founded in 1993 as an initiative to support up and coming designers and have been picking up on some of Britains hottest talents for years. Kit Neale is just one of the three designers who have been selected to be supported by NEWGEN at London Collections: Men this coming January, the others are Common and Deigo Vanassibara.

Menswear has never had as much a push as womens so its exciting to see the British Fashion Council giving budding menswear designers a helping hand. Kit Neale focuses on graphic printed menswear with a cool vibe, heres some of his pieces check out his website for more info and make sure to keep your eyes open for him at LC:M!

Dates For The Diary: London Collections Men

Just an update of dates for your diary, London Collections: Men is back for another season. The event will run from the 6th to the 8th of January 2014, so keep it free! Thats all the info I've got at the minute but keep checking back for details of schedule etc!

LCM Highlights

London Collections: Men has become as big a part of British fashion as our bi-annual fashion weeks. Who says fashions just for girls? The third instalment of the popular event had a lot to offer and lots of surprises too, from Idris Elba took to the decks at Oliver Spencer, Dougray Scott tried his hand at modelling for the Savile Row presentation and David Gandy pretty much everywhere (not much of a surprise hey but I'm not complaining). Heres some of my highlights.
Burberry Prorsum
Burberry jumped ship from Milan to show in London for the first time, which makes sense when Burberry is known for heritage and is the quintessential British brand. Their first show didn't disappoint, with a front row filled with Burberry regulars such as Tinie Tempah and David Gandy (of course) the show begun showcasing an incredibly youthful, chic and wearable collection with a beautiful bright colour palette inspired by painter David Hockney.
View the full collection here

Katie Eary
Katie Eary sent each of her guys down the catwalk holding a skateboards in bright prints creating what might be next seasons must have accessory. Perhaps one of the standout collections from the event and certainly Eary's best collection to date, saw female and male models sashayed down the catwalk in clashing pinks and reds in leopard and flamingo print. Paired down with a pair of neon Nikes, the collection screamed cool and was perfect for its front row audience of the likes of Tinie Tempah and Reggie Yates.
View the full collection here

JW Anderson
Once again JW Anderson chose to turn menswear on its head. Last year we had frilly hemmed shorts and bandeau playsuits, this time around Anderson presented a bizarre collection of unisex pieces including an array of printed halter necks and little black dresses(tunics?) over trousers and man clutches. Clearly taking the lead in fusing feminine silhouettes menswear Anderson doesn't seem to be backing down any time soon.
View the full collection here

Christopher Kane
Christopher Kane looked to the future for his collections, featuring trophy sweatshirts adorned with 3D scanned images. What with advances in 3D printing looking to turn the industry on its head this collection was hugely relevant and contemporary. Graphic prints paired with straight leg trousers made this collection extremely wearable, keep you eye out I think we may see a lot of these prints soon!
View the full collection here


A few looks that raised a few eyebrows or simply took my interest starting with Craig Green, who created probably some of the most avant-garde looks from the event which can only be decried as sculptures, faceless and huge Green made a strong statement, so different from many of the wearable collections showcased at the event! Second, Astrid Andersen followed suit of JW Anderson with a collection of somewhat girly garments, white lace and long tunic/dresses however it could not of been interpreted differently thanks to the ridiculously built models sent down the catwalk. Each with perfectly oiled abs and biceps and with a macho sportswear feel Andersen offered a whole new take on the unisex dressing trend. Lastly, I always take a look at Christopher Raeburn's latest offerings, the ethical designer comes back every year with a collections of endlessly wearable sports-influenced garments you can imagine on the shelves at Topman right now. With prints of camo and a tie dye its an easily accessible brand which i feel sits comfortably in this commercial industry, which is very different to its sister industry!

LONDON COLLECTIONS: MEN SS14

The NEWGEN winners for SS 2014
It's that time of year again. Every year fashionistas flock to Somerset House for fashion week but come June it the boys turn. The bi-annual event features menswear designs from some of Britain's top designers, it emphasises the creative and commercial importance of emerging British talent as well as those already well established. The event showcases the true breadth of British fashion talent from emerging eye catching designs from innovative brands to sharp Savile Row tailoring. The showcase is relatively new, this season being its third but it has had great success in the past.
There will be 48 shows from Saturday 15th to Tuesday 18th at various venues around London. There will be shows from huge names such as Alexander McQueen, Burberry, Jimmy Choo, Rag and Bone, Dolce and Gabbana among smaller names such as Christopher Raeburn, Agi and Sam and Lee Roach. 
British Fashion Council have annoucned seven of the brightest emerging menswear talents, with the help of support initiative NEWGEN MEN sponsored by Topman, some of those selected have won the opportunity to showcase their work for the very first time these include Agi and Sam, Astrid Anderson and Nasir Mazhar. Those selected returning for their second year are Lee Roach, Matthew Miller and Shaun Samson, so keep an eye out for these names they're your ones to watch this season. Martine Rose has won the presentation sponsorship. 
I'm looking forward to seeing the work of these new designers but also of Christopher Raeburn who's ethical sporty fashion has made an appearance at the event since its inception, Burberry Prorsum who always keeps up with a very British heritage feel and also JW Anderson who caused quite a stir last season with some of his questionable designs. Make sure to follow Vogue, Elle etc on instagram as they always keep up to date with these things!
Matthew Miler AW 2013