We can always count on Martine Rose to put a smile on our faces. She does it every time she shows during London Fashion Week – whisking us off to Tottenham markets, Kentish Town cul-de-sacs, and most recently her own daughter’s primary school for the sort of fashion moments you never forget. Oh, and it just happens the clothes she makes are terrific. She is after all one of the best around. Can you tell we love Martine yet? The London-based designer isn’t one to stage a catwalk every season, so her absence from the no-longer existent LFW Men’s this June doesn’t feel too dissimilar. Yet Martine hasn’t gone full-on recluse during lockdown. This past weekend she re-launched her website, which alongside an archive of the designer’s work which dates back to 2007, features a brand-spanking-new shop.
The e-store is selling all the great additions from Promising Britain, the brand’s SS20 collection which was curated yet chaotic pastiche of 1980s British subculture style as a commentary on the country’s current political shitshow. In lockdown style, the clothes are modeled from home by five models who have walked in previous Martine Rose catwalks, coached in photography through Zoom meetings and given styling tips through WhatsApp. “It was the most obvious solution to an immediate problem,” says Rose. “We wanted to tell a story through the site and the self-isolation imagery turned out to be very honest and reflective of not just the brand but our current reality.”
There’s a bit of everything to fit both sorts of lockdown moods. There’s the dressier stuff – crinkled shirting, excellent trousers, and denim jackets with the more terrific shoulders – ideal for Zoom pub quizzes. But there’s also plenty of attire to uniform your days sat on the couch doing nothing at all. Nab yourself an oversized fleece, or a swollen hoodie even, and relax. Whatever work you have to do can wait till tomorrow.
The Martine Rose SS20 collection is available to purchase online now.
