James Long meshed a plethora of conflicting ideas to create a SS15 collection, which he has described as having a “sports Jesus aesthetic”

James Long’s SS14 collection – which features boxing shorts, sheer mesh and laid back stripes – tells the story of a retired ring fighter who has embraced the island life of Ibiza with ghetto influences thrown in for good measure.  So far, so eccentric.

The collection – which features boxing shorts, sheer mesh and laid back stripes – tells the story of a retired ring fighter who has embraced the island life of Ibiza with ghetto influences thrown in for good measure.  So far, so eccentric.

The collection mirrors the strong, directional menswear that James Long has become renowned for, with a minor departure from leatherwork which has dominated past shows.  A slightly softer aesthetic was instead created with multi-coloured bubble quilting, which invoked the island loving hippie lifestyle of James’ sartorial character and retro sportswear inspired jumpers, while models wore metallic lanyards around their necks, which could be mistaken for festival VIP access.

Denim was frayed and distressed with elasticated waistbands, whilst colourful and distorted James Long logos emblazoned grey boxing shorts.  Models wore sliders with block colour socks, whist their hair was left long in Hanson-esque centre partings perhaps as a homage to the Messiah.  The colour palette was understandably eclectic but primary colours reigned supreme, with a bold pillar-box red dominating.

Metallic fabrics perforated the collection, with a crushed silver jacket reflecting the lights of the catwalk and providing an unexpected standout moment.  The bomber jacket shape championed by Long in his AW14 collection made another strong appearance in a variety of guises.  A rich navy satin bomber competed with a hessian inspired multi-coloured version which perfectly fused the hippie meets athlete aesthetic.

While the brief seems to amalgamate a variety of clashing visions, Long manages to weave them together to create a cohesive collection with a clear theme which is readable in every look.

Long live sports Jesus!

Words: Josie Ayre 

Photography: Amy Beasley