Amelia’s Magazine | Christopher Raeburn: London Collections: Men S/S 2014 Catwalk Review

Christopher Raeburn S/S 2014 by Lilly Allen

There’s no stopping Christopher Raeburn. In 2010, he was the first designer to be awarded the now lauded NEWGEN sponsorship; in 2011 he was named ‘Emerging Designer‘ at the British Fashion Awards. His unique ‘remade’ aesthetic has propelled him to fashion fame and his collections become stronger and stronger with each outing.

All photography by Matt Bramford

S/S 2014 was no exception. Presented in the basement of Victoria House, the bashed white tiles and right-angle catwalk fitted Christopher’s season like no other I saw during the collections.

This season’s inspiration began with the World War II faction the Long Range Desert Group; a reconnaissance organisation operating in the harsh conditions of the Libyan and Egyptian deserts. Yet again, the Raeburn Empire translates a military movement into a modern and functional collection.

The show opened with a pocketed parka and totally unique bomber featuring a heady digital print. I’ve since read on the press release that this is in fact satellite imagery of the desert; the former also featured the print on shorts, the latter was teamed with sand jersey joggers. Both looks set an early precedent that was to continue throughout this mind-blowing homage to textures and details.

Later came Raeburn‘s inimitable REMADE jackets, this time around in camouflage sheets and sand-coloured military parachutes, further extending his dedication to fabrics old and new. Raeburn‘s expertise lies in functional outerwear, and army green jackets with camo details and padded bombers with grey sleeves had me sliding off my seat.

It wasn’t all sand and archetypical desert colours, though. Oh no. Muted pinks used for jackets and shorts reflected the colour of LRDG Land Rovers; bright blue jackets were a welcome juxtaposition and a playful lizard print, this season’s mascot, reminded us that with Raeburn‘s functionality also comes fun.

Enormous rucksacks were presented in collaboration with Porter bags in a range of shapes, lending themselves to long distance explorations. These came in a variety of aesthetic fabrics; some were an extension of the garment they were clinging on to while others complimented such: take sand lizard-print rucksack matched with a jersey/mesh combo sweater.

There was so much more to this collection: tailored blazers reworked the satellite print, mesh tops were layered over tees, a belted trench provided a highlight and the finale; a translucent cape worn over the rucksack, provided press material while still managing to be coherent.

Christopher Raeburn S/S 2014 by Lilly Allen