September 18, 2023 |
Friends and family showed up to Skepta’s debut runway show for his brand, Mains. Naomi Campbell, Stormzy, Louis Theroux, Maisie Williams, Matthew Williams (creative director of Givenchy), Bakar, Clint Cortez and blood relatives sat in the front row, cheering loudly, with a New York City kind of energy as models commenced their walk. In effortlessly wearable ensembles, made up of casual suiting, a slew of sportswear inspired garb and early hip hop-esc ensembles, the range certainly made for a sell-out.
The set was arranged like a tennis court-cum-catwalk, arranged with astro turf, a miniature net and even a scoreboard. It sat in stark contrast to the opulent venue where the outing took place. But, inside the Banking Hall in the City of London – a vast, grade II art deco structure designed in the 1930s – Skepta straight up served – pun intended.
To a classic soundtrack featuring the Beatles’ ‘Come Together’, Phil Collins’ ‘In The Air Tonight’ and Eyna’s ‘Orinoco Flow’, a lot of the looks were, unsurprisingly, tennis-inspired, such as a mesh t-shirt or a pleated skirt. There were basketball jerseys and shorts, as well as motorsport boiler suits crafted in contrast leather. ASAP Nast stepped out in an indigo denim twinset that was rather reminiscent of Tupac’s notorious leather vest he wore on the cover of NY Times Magazine in 1996.
There were poofy painter’s hats and sunglasses evocative of vintage Cazals too – though Skepta’s rendition of the sunnies, created in collaboration with Emmanuelle Khanh, were wide-framed and resin – bringing a touch of 80s original hip hop inspiration to the offering. By that same token, a Beats collaboration cropped up in the headphones a number of the models wore.
Skepta ran out for his final bow holding the hand of his adorable, toddler daughter, River, who giggled the whole time. Then, the creative director called out his lead designers – Mikey Pierce and Johnson Orchid – to join him in a final, democratic bow.
Photography courtesy of Mains.
