Lee Roach
If two of the shows we’ve seen on day 1 of London Collections: Men couldn’t be any more different from another, it would have to be Hentsch Man and Lee Roach. While the first demonstrated a remarkable degree of wit and fun, the latter explored the world form a cold and more industrial viewpoint.
Young design talent Lee Roach who only graduated from London’s renowned Central Saint Martin’s in 2010 put together a collection of striking simplicity: what we saw was either the complete absence of light or the total presence of it. Mostly dressed in black and white, the noticeably skinny group of models walked the runway in Victoria House with confidence but without fun. The whole event seemed very serious which was reflected in the clothes. Geometric prints brought forth associations to the fields of mathematics and science; they embodied a journey into the world of modern beliefs and concepts. A world in which man has made nature something to possess and rule over. While this all might sounds a bit negative, we actually really liked the show. It was refreshing seeing a young talent not going for flashy, attention-seeking looks or trying to compete with traditional British fashion and instead find their niche in what seems to be a more basic approach to the male body. Few camouflage-like prints completed the collection and showed an internal progression.
Spring Summer 2014 Collection
