---Who is the Topman Design man?
A guy who has an interest in fashion and in looking good.
What’s your three key items for Autumn/Winter 2014? Next season is all about simple, timeless pieces that have had a fashion
“overhaul”. Key pieces would be a bomber in leather or wool, or a combination of the two.
What was the inspiration for AW14 collection? The setting and mood came from the idea of
tough northern boys who would’ve worked in the old shipyards.
Inspiration came from looking at fisherman’s knits, fishing nets, rusted keels and timeless clothing from duffles to pea coats, interpreted in a modern way with bonded rubber and PVC.
Topman Design is so different from the mainline collections. Is that a conscious decision? Do you design the core range with one guy in mind? Topman Design, as well as being for the more fashion forward of our customers, is also the seeding ground for future mainline collections, with ideas featured in the show appearing later in the season across certain products.
Why do you think LC:M is becoming bigger and better each season? Menswear was always a neglected part of fashion in the UK, and had never had a platform such as LC:M to parade its wares. Now that it’s firmly established as the event to attend for international buyers to witness the most diverse and exciting designs in the world, it will naturally expand, as more and more global menswear designers and brands jostle for inclusion.
If you could only have one piece from the new collection what would it be? Always the hardest question as, naturally, I liked a lot of the collection, but I’m going to say the cropped duffle. Q
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Finn Donnelly, model When it comes to London Collections: Men, we’ll be honest – it’s the sight of those models on the catwalk, with their razor sharp cheekbones and six pack abs, that makes the rushing from one show to the other so worthwhile.
Finn Donnelly from AMCK Models is a prime example of this, walking for the likes of Richard James and Savile Row this season. We caught up with Finn to chat modelling, style and sparkly white hot pants…
---How were you scouted to be a model? It was actually my brother Sam who started me off in the modelling world. I was 18 and had decided to take a gap year to try and see the world. It was a lovely idea, but in reality I was just at home in Bournemouth, going out every night. Sam suggested coming to London and doing a test shoot – shortly after, Elite signed and I moved to London full time.
Had you considered
modelling before? Not really. I come from a performing family – my two oldest brothers are actors and my brother Harvey is an acrobat in Cirque du Soleil.
They’re all amazingly talented and have always known what they wanted to do, whereas I was just happy chilling and being the tallest of the four of us. And then one day, being 6’2 suddenly gave me a career!
What was the biggest appeal to modelling? If I’m truly honest, it was the idea of the lack of hard work. I’d spent too long on building sites earning next to nothing as a young landscaper, breaking my back all summer. The idea of not doing much for a living thrilled me – until I got into modelling and realised it’s not easy at all.
Sometimes I actually miss the building sites!
What’s been your career highlight so far? One of my first jobs was the spring Jack Wills campaign and, to date, it’s one of the best jobs I’ve ever done. I was flown out to Cape Town and it was essentially three days of running around on a beach in South Africa half-naked with two other guys and three girls – not bad if you ask me.
What’s been your worst job? I wouldn’t say I’ve had a bad job, but I was on a contract in Japan where things got a bit weird. One day I caught my reflection in a mirror and I was wearing sparkly white hot pants that left nothing to the imagination and there were these girls on set giggling hysterically. I started questioning what I was doing, but the more I thought about it, I started to think,
“you know what, everyone has their hustle, this is mine and it’s earning me some serious yen!”
How has your style changed since you became a model?
I’m definitely more fashion conscious. I don’t really think my personal style has changed that much, but I’m more aware of what’s in and what’s not. I’m happiest in jeans and a t-shirt, comfy with a slight rocker edge.
I do enjoy dressing up though and for certain occasions, only a three-piece suit will do. Q
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Joseph Turvey, designer In just a couple of years, London College of Fashion alumnus and Fashion East protégé Joseph Turvey has gone from being the proverbial “one to watch” to the designer that everyone is watching. Season after season, Turvey has delivered a must-have collection, creating a signature style of masculine cuts and silhouettes in beautiful fabrics, perfect colours and daring prints. Like everyone else in the fashion industry, we waited with bated breath to see his latest collection – and true to form, Turvey did not disappoint.
---What was the inspiration behind your Autumn/Winter 2014 collection? There wasn’t really a main inspiration for this season. It was more about looking back at what my team and I had achieved so far, then redeveloping existing techniques and fabrics.
We explored my prints in different fabrications and embroideries to create new textures and depths.
I looked at my favourite William Morris print for this collection’s colour palette, so it includes lots of French blues, pale violet, camel and flashes of kingfisher blue.
What’s your AW14 style tip? I think
you should always have a bomber jacket – a new one every season.
I’ve never not done a bomber jacket. I love them.
Who’s the man that you design for?
I think it’s someone who appreciates British design and tailoring, but doesn’t necessarily want to stick to the traditional British aesthetic.
He wants to wear something a bit special and understands that there’s a story behind the garment, which comes from the hand-drawn illustrations and different techniques that we try to explore every season.
Especially in today’s economic climate, when not everyone has a disposable income, he wants to know he’s buying into a garment that has a real luxury to it.
What do you love about menswear in London? There’s just such design diversity. You can go through every show in the LC:M schedule and they’re all completely different, which makes it so exciting.
What other projects have you got coming up this year? We worked with New Era for a cap collaboration for AW14. We also have a River Island collaboration coming out at the end of February, which we’re launching with a Q&A session at the Marble Arch store. It’s a 16-piece collection that I’m thrilled to have sold in such an iconic high street brand. We’ve got a few more projects that are coming up in 2015 but I can’t discuss those just yet… Q
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london collections: men
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LOU DALTON SHOW
Hair styled by Naoki Komiya
---To sit alongside the bleached out denim and washed out cords, the models were following through with a 90s vibe when it came to their hair. Sleek styles with off-centre partings and messy ends were the order of the day for longer haired models, pulled forward and textured, almost like a bouffant. Messy at the bottom, sleek at the top.
---
Step by step
[01] Spritz Fudge Urban Sea Salt on dry hair to create a dusty look.
[02] Run through Fudge Urban 3In1 Miracle Moisture Stuff to make the hair look a little dirtier and greasier.
[03] Finish by spraying lightly with the Fudge Urban Iced Raspberry &
Vanilla Hair Spray. Q
KENT & CURWEN SHOW Hair styled by Stephen Low from Neville for Fudge
---The Kent & Curwen show took inspiration from British Naval dress uniform, representing a military look through quintessentially English preppy hairstyles.
---
Step by step
[01] Mist hair with Push It Up Blow Dry Spray to provide a natural hold and direction to the hair.
[02] Create side parting and comb behind the ears.
[03] Blow-dry using a round brush to direct the hair to the sides and back of the head.
[03] )LQLVKE\UXQQLQJÀQJHUV
through hair to give it a modern feel and apply a small amount of Fudge Skyscraper. Q
KTZ SHOW
Hair styled by ROKU for Fudge
---The monochromatic show from KTZ features metallic shades with an urban vibe and liberally spruced with embellishments. The hair is slick and no-nonsense.
---
Step by step
[01] Brush hair back with Fudge Hair Gum and a wide tooth comb to create VOHHNOLQHVDQGDZHWÀQLVK
[02] Follow with Hair Cement for extreme hold.
[03] Place a hair net over the whole head and set the hair using a hair dryer to push down the hair so it is DVÁDWDVSRVVLEOH
[04] Finish with Head Shine Q
All FudgeUrban products available at Superdrug or Superdrug.com, Fudge.
com or call 020 7845 6333
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