Always the one to hijack the fashion crowd’s route from their circuit of W1, Martine Rose is the people’s designer. Her shows are never about “fashion”, they speak about community, aspiration and a love of life. For Spring/ Summer 2019, Martine took a detour from her usual locations like Tottenham (where she grew up) and Seven Sisters and brought us a little closer to town- albeit still North London, this time we were in the borough of Camden. In the middle of Kentish Town she closed a residential square and threw what felt like a big street party which also happened to include models walking in stellar clothes. Why Camden? “There’s a lot of tragic things happening here, and I wanted to bring something good,” she explains. Doors to Victorian houses were open and neighbourhood kids freely ran between the seats where editors sat – this sense of inclusion and community is what makes Martine Rose a unique designer, not only in London, but in the whole of the fashion industry. But don’t think it’s all about the location and the atmosphere. Oh, no. It’s about the clothes as well. Leather, PVC, jersey, faux fur, denim… Endless fabrications that were washed over and over again to create a worn out feel and just slightly oversized traditional Martine Rose silhouettes, all made sure the collection looked like it came from a real menswear wardrobe. “It’s all a flash!” Martine exclaimed through a massive smile. And what a shiny flash this was.
Photographs by Jason Lloyd-Evans
