The majority of London’s menswear brands might still be at their infancy, but they are cultivating dedicated, niche followings and building relationships with footwear giants that most often result in sell-out collaborations.
Fall ’19 saw the continuation of many successful collaborations on the London men’s catwalks, particularly in the sneaker department. Cottweiler’s loafer-sneaker hybrids created with Reebok, Liam Hodge’s re-interpretation of classic Ellesse styles or Charles Jeffrey wacky Roker boots, were some of the standouts.
Here are the best collaborations from the three-day showcase, from Jan. 5 to 7, to note.
Cottweiler x Reebok
Cottweiler continued its ongoing tie-in with Reebok but took a less conventional approach by taking a small step away from sneakers and creating a new loafer-sneaker hybrid shoe that melded the chunky rubber soles of sneakers and the body of a loafer.
The shoes reflected Cottweiler’s renewed, more formal approach to sportswear, inspired by the codes of more refined sports like tennis, cricket or golf.
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A-Cold-Wall x Nike
Nike has stood behind A-Cold-Wall’s street wear maven Samuel Ross, a media darling who just won the emerging designer award at the Fashion Awards in London, from the get-go. For their newest collaboration, Ross picked Nike’s Zoom Vomero sneakers and reworked them in burnt red and mauve shades, using a mix of materials from leather to technical Japanese nylon. He also added more sleek, modernist sneakers to the mix that featured leather panels appliquéd on the sides. They came in an array of monochromatic shades or prints featuring paint splattered that complemented the colorful, textural collection he presented on the runway.
Liam Hodges x Ellesse
Liam Hodges is always known for adding a hefty dose of humor to his collections. For fall he drew inspiration from the 1995 film “Hackers” and filled his new range with sci-fi references from T-shirts that read “The Martians Are Coming” to psychedelic tie-dye looks. He grounded the loud, colorful looks with chunky hi-tops, created in partnership with Ellesse. They featured black and white contrasting leather panels, thick rubber soles and strands of salt crystals, reflecting the sportswear brands vintage skiwear.
Kiko Kostadinov x Asics
Kiko Kostadinov has built a dedicated following among young, street wear aficionados and produced many a sell-out sneaker, as part of his ongoing collaboration with Japanese footwear giant Asics.
The latest iteration of the tie-in included a pair of scuba diving-like shoes featuring a material that resembled amphibian scales and added to the eerie atmosphere in the collection, where models’ faces where covered with black wigs and jewels, bringing the terrifying Japanese film “The Ring” to mind.
Charles Jeffrey Loverboy x Roker
Charles Jeffrey is all about his Loverboy community, which includes the British shoemakers Roker, best known for its bespoke pieces.
For fall, Jeffrey took the fantasy level up a notch, recreating the utopia of Peter Pan’s Lost Boys in a collection filled with colorful tailoring, exaggerated draping and gender-bending looks. He translated the same feeling in the footwear he created alongside Roker: There were chunky platform loafers and high-heeled, square-toe boots in bold shades of red or green, featuring spikes or claws at the toe.
Click through for the top fall ’19 shoes from London Fashion Week Men’s.
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