Last month I attended the London Collections: Men A/W 13 Tour presented by Harvey Nichols in Manchester to view a preview of some of the brightest new names in British menswear. Travelling from London to tour Edinburgh, Leeds and Manchester, the event featured Autumn/Winter menswear collections by Casely-Hayford, James Long, Christopher Shannon, Katie Eary, Lou Dalton, Mr. Hare and Bernstock Speirs. With most of the designers in attendance, it was wonderful to chat to them about the inspiration behind their work and the growing momentum of the rapidly-evolving menswear industry.
The nature of many menswear labels associated with London Collections is somewhat ‘London-centric’, so it is fantastic to see a selection of exciting LC:M labels gaining recognition further afield; especially in the North of the country! Introducing a new audience to the strength of the design talent currently emerging from London, Harvey Nichols buying manager Darren Skey describes how the tour was a ‘chance for us to firstly create wider recognition of these brands and secondly test our regional markets to understand their thirst for them with the intention, if successful, of rolling out in the future’.
Set in the contemporary music, arts and cultural exhibition space of Manchester’s creative Northern Quarter 2022NQ, an endless supply of complimentary cocktails, inventive canapes and upbeat live music encapsulated the creative energy of the London catwalks. It was brilliant to talk to Harvey Nichols fashion director Paula Reed at the event, who commented ‘that energy is reflected in dynamic sales growth in all our [Harvey Nichols] stores’ and ‘in respect of menswear in particular, the interest in British designers is not limited simply to a niche of fashion mad customers in capital cities’.
I love a mix of classic and contemporary design, and although all of the collections are impressive, some snapshots below show a selection of the pieces that stood out to me from Mr Hare, Casely-Hayford and Katie Eary:
 |
| Mr Hare |
 |
| Mr Hare |
 |
| Mr Hare |
 |
| Casely-Hayford |
 |
Casely-Hayford
|
 |
| Casely-Hayford |
 |
| Katie Eary |
 |
| Katie Eary |
 |
| Katie Eary |
The London Collections: Men designs are available to buy online from harveynichols.com and at selected Harvey Nichols stores.
