Diesel SICAK sweater with camouflage print – £140.
Available from www.store.diesel.com
Irregular Choice ‘Big Dadda’ metallic gold leather hiking boot with faux fur and a leather fringe – £160.
Available from www.irregularchoice.com
Bowers & Wilkins P3 foldable headphones – £170.
Available from www.mrporter.com
Navy peace heart print t-shirt by Christopher Shannon – £70.
Available from www.liberty.co.uk
{ intangible } The two new unisex scents by À La Disposition - £95.
Available from www.aladispositionstore.com
Dolce & Gabbana have just announced it will be joining the schedule for the London Collections: Men line-up, following in the footsteps of newcomers Rag & Bone, Jimmy Choo and Burberry Prorsum.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dolce & Gabbana to London Collections: Men, and we are delighted that they are opening this season with such a high-profile event,” said Dylan Jones, LC:M chair. “London welcomes Domenico and Stefano and hope they decide to have an event here every season.”
While still presenting their full collection in Milan, the design duo will present their summer 2014 tailoring collection on 15 June – in celebration of the opening of their latest boutique on New Bond Street – the brand’s fourth London store.
“London has always been one of the cities we love the most. It’s not by chance that we have decided to open this particular store here,” said Dolce and Gabbana. “British sense of style is part of their DNA, it’s been part of their culture for ages. Just like in Italy. When Dylan invited us to come, we couldn’t say no!”
This year’s LC: M schedule will run from 15 to 18 June.
Words: Joshwa Saint James
Zen white mesh shirt. Aqua by Aqua – £65.
Available from www.aquabyaqua.com
The Kooples blue canvas trainers – £195.
Available from www.thekooples.co.uk
Seletti “The Box” speaker – £325.
Available from www.yoox.com
Hailing from Denmark, Astrid Andersen moved to London at the age of nineteen. Taking a year off studying, Andersen worked in a bar where she absorbed the culture and tastes on London. Astrid graduated from The Royal College of Art in 2010 and went on the win the Brioni Creativity and Innovation Award and the River Island MA Student Bursary Award designing three looks for the high street retailer. Her graduate collection received huge acclaim from the industry and jump-started the Astrid Andersen own label which has been growing ever since as a result of fantastic press coverage riding high on the current trend for luxurious street style design.
In 2011 Astrid Andersen held her first independent show in Copenhagen, receiving enthusiastic appraisal and continuing to attract international press. She was also represented in London as a part of the widely acclaimed Fashion East installation in Somerset House. Andersen has continued to show in London as part of London Collections: Men, adding “it is now providing a unique platform for my brand that truly makes my business present in a very international context which is also reflected in our customer.”
Andersen describes her signature as “a look that is masculine, using street attitude and hip-hop references whilst playing on more feminine materials and colours.” This style was resonating through her most recent collection (AW13). Powerfully sportswear silhouettes were a huge contrast of the provocative colour and proportion. “I always wanted to work around that really tough-looking guy, but then explore a really vulnerable and sensitive side. I thought that was actually a bit tragic, and a bit sad – finding some kind of melancholy,” explained Andersen.
Andersen is now based in both London and Copenhagen, using the better of two worlds by working and manufacturing from her studio in Copenhagen, whilst having the collections represented in UK to ensure the creative philosophy behind the designs. With support coming from across the industry and the international markets taking notice, Astrid Andersen remains an emerging talent with exceptional prospects and has become the go to name for luxury street and sportswear.
Words: Joshwa Saint James
