Dunhill’s Mark Weston wanted to create a SS21 collection that was a celebration of the craft of making. Call it the sourdough effect, but Weston rightly reasons that one of the upsides of the Covid era is a renewed appreciation of hand-making and things that take time.
He was inspired by Richard Roger’s approach to architecture, where the inner workings of a building are exposed, becoming part of the functional beauty of the design. “It was literally taking tailoring apart and looking at all the different fabrics and elements within it, ripping the guts out and re-contextualising it,” he said at a socially distanced walkthrough ahead of the digital reveal of the collection.
Weston looked upon Dunhill’s artisans – spread between his studio, the bespoke arm and the leather workshop in Walthamstow – as “our internal community. Let’s showcase what we do. Lets design into that, as a process.” Those famous Dunhill jackets were deconstructed to reveal their craft. The traditional white basting stitching on a black jacket collar became graphic decoration, and Weston gave linen Holland (a humble lining fabric usually used to reinforce pocket flaps) a starring role on pegged trousers that tapered at the ankle.
As well as elevating humble fabrics, Weston also translated Couture cuts and fabrics to menswear – using duchess satin for tailoring and creating a balloon back bomber jacket. He kept the palette limited to black, cream and beige in order to show the workmanship. “Utility and elegance,” was how he summed it up.
Photography courtesy of Dunhill.
