600 Individuals All The Same

Dress Well. Look Smart. Be Effortless. Avoid Attention. Ignore Labels. Set Your Own Trends. Be Proud. Give Compliments. Accept With Gratitude. Exude Confidence. Stand Tall. We live around unwritten rules of dress, set by ourselves for ourselves, determined by experience, company and lifestyle. They are mental checklists we consider when outfitting ourselves. Clothing is a way of expressing ourselves, it is a way of fitting in when required and standing out when desired. Going to school, Uniform was all I knew. A swarm of black jackets filtering out the gates as the bells rang; in a flurry, shirts untucked, buttons undone tie removed. And yet still uniform. I saw my dad every morning, grey suit, pressed shirt shiny shoes; by evening, jacket omitted, shoes relaxed, shirt retired. Whether for rebellion or comfort, subversion of archetypal uniforms affords boys and men individualism whilst retaining uniformity. I have looked at archetypal menswear garments, from my school uniform to vintage football strips, to inform this collection; from silhouette and details to material processes and choices. I am using a restrained colour palette, a nod to the notion of uniformity whilst using texture to imply certain nuances. This collection aims to present garments, a wardrobe of staples, for the sartorial man who is unafraid of making unconventional choices in his dressing, whilst adhering to the principle of a modern men’s wardrobe.