Ben SharpAll the best fashion boasts great balance. And the greatest brands are successful in their purveyance of design which strikes a balance between clever references and interesting novelty. For these reasons at the very least, Smith-Wykes is an exciting emerging label to which we should all be paying the utmost attention.
The self-proclaimed Smith-Wykes philosophy is a celebration of character, of which the spring/summer ’14 collection certainly has plenty. Inspired by 1960s Japan, pieces have a resolutely retro feel – the prints, the soft clashes of colour – but without falling victim to gimmickry or pretention. They also harness an interplay between classic forms and a contemporary sharpness. As ever, there is also a consistent pragmatism that runs throughout, resulting in an ease that appears inherent to each garment. Fabrics are relaxed and cuts uncomplicated – an effort to reintroduce leisure suiting and a complement to the quietude further present in the gentle but by no means boring colour palette.
“We are rooted in the belief that men’s clothing should work to complement, rather than overshadow, the individual.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
Watch a behind-the-scenes video of the lookbook shoot here: