Craig Green Archives | Wonderland

Backstage at LFWM: Craig Green

Wonderland Staff — Tue, 08 Jan 2019 11:32:37 +0000

Futuristic nomadic men in quality street bin-liner for AW19.

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Craig Green SS18

Wonderland Staff — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 09:28:43 +0000

The fire-emoji-worthy new campaign.

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LFWM: Craig Green AW18

Wonderland Staff — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 12:26:16 +0000

London’s gold standard continues to shine.

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LFWM: Craig Green SS18

Wonderland Staff — Thu, 15 Jun 2017 17:04:49 +0000

The designer explores silhouette, sculpture and simplicity.

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Craig Green AW16 Campaign

Wonderland Staff — Fri, 12 Aug 2016 15:27:41 +0000

London’s man-of-the-hour unveils his poetic AW16 campaign today.

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LCM: Craig Green SS17

Wonderland Staff — Sat, 11 Jun 2016 12:41:05 +0000

The man of the hour, Craig Green, journeyed through a wilderness all of his own for SS17.

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Craig Green wins 2016 BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund

Wonderland Staff — Thu, 19 May 2016 10:00:41 +0000

This year, the prestigious grant goes to the master of experimental utility.

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LCM: Craig Green AW16

Wonderland Staff — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 12:05:40 +0000

Restriction but with loose shapes, no-one other than Craig Green could pull off opposites so beautifully.

Tighten Up

It’s hard to put into words Craig Green’s expert combination of restriction and loose shapes. Pyjama stripes on matching silhouettes were cut up by elasticated waists and collars were high and tightened with belts. Even arms were belted as if with blood pressure cuffs above the elbow. Cut outs appeared, skin rising to the surface like an air bubble underwater but they were surrounded with the threat of countless button fastenings all around. See, it’s hard to put into words. You don’t really realise how clever Green is until you try.

Peekaboo

Done by anyone else, faces peeking out and nothing else would probably be humorous and ever so slightly bizarre. Instead of seeming claustrophobic, Green’s offerings in khaki and pale sandy tones felt protective. It was hardly all cuddles and comfort, with the pieces coming in what appeared to be waxed canvas but that’s Green’s genius, taking the harsh and turning it into armour.

Tied Up

Accessories came in the form of bags laced with fabric strips as wide as your fingers, flowing to the floor. Impractical but gloriously dramatic. This was matched on Green’s other leather pieces, the first he’s ever made but you’d never guess. Squishy, buttery brown, moss greens and harsh patent black, Green delved into leathers head first.

Photographer: Chris Yates

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Walk The Line

Wonderland Staff — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 09:40:07 +0000

We trace the 10-year history of one of London menswear’s most nurturing and on-point initiatives; Lulu Kennedy’s MAN.

From the 10th Birthday Issue of Wonderland.

Martine Rose

Lulu Kennedy is a force to be reckoned with. The founder of both the Fashion East and MAN initiatives, Kennedy has been championing emerging British designers for over 15 years, carving a path that prides independence within the fashion landscape. Bringing the underground to the forefront of the industry and celebrating the youths shaping the future, Fashion East has seen Kennedy pioneer the likes of Marques’Almeida, Martine Rose, Gareth Pugh, Roksanda Ilincic and Louise Gray. This year Fashion East’s younger male counterpart MAN turns 10 and Kim Jones,
J W Anderson, Astrid Andersen, Christopher Shannon, Benjamin Kirchhoff and New Power Studio amongst others, can all count themselves part of Kennedy’s fast-expanding MAN gang.

Born in Newcastle and raised in Devon, Kennedy spent her youth working at art galleries and organising raves (a few years were spent living in Naples doing just that), before landing a job at the Old Truman Brewery straight out of college in 1996. “I basically ran wild as a kid and as a teenager, so I was never going to be much use at a ‘normal’ job,” quips Kennedy. “Being surrounded by creative people kind of puts you in an alternative mindset too. My heroes were usually people in my family or close friends rather than distant celebrities, which gave me the feeling that anything is possible.” Kennedy is right. Tasked with turning the then derelict 11-acre warehouse into a creative hub for east London’s designers, artists, photographers and all-round visionaries, rather than spending her time overseeing extensive restorations, Kennedy was loaning runway space to emerging designers and renting out cheap studio space to friends in similar industries. “I suppose in a way you could say my ‘career’ – I feel funny saying that word – started at the Bricklayers Arms, when I met Hazel and Pablo of House of Jazz,” recalls Kennedy. “They were the first designers I’d ever known, and became a massive inspiration to me.” It was shortly after that that Kennedy turned her show-space favours into the Fashion East platform, and luckily the owner of The Truman Brewery hopped on board to bankroll it.“I jumped in headfirst – quite unaware of the politics of the industry – with a desire to help look after designers, and the rest kind of looked after itself,” says Kennedy. “I’m very lucky I’ve ended up in fashion. I love what I do.”

Having already paved the way with Fashion East, which was becoming a mainstay on the London womenswear circuit, it was at a CSM MA show that Kennedy had a revelation. “The menswear students were so strong,” she recalls. “I was like, ‘Why aren’t we doing anything with these designers?’ They’re all going off to get jobs, which is great on one hand, but also a shame.” Realising that the talented designers in question needed a support system in order to reach their full potential, Kennedy approached Topman with a plan. “We were on the same page and they jumped at the idea when I went to talk to them,” says Kennedy. “We just clicked right away.”

At the time, Kennedy was inspired by the work of Kim Jones and Christoffer Lundman. Back then, Jones was sending silver-haired boys down an industrial metal runway wearing oversized trousers, strung in at the waist, teamed with deconstructed sweatshirts said to be inspired by “Russian Prisoners”, with what Tim Blanks referred to as “the energy of an 80s Body Map show”. Meanwhile, Lundman’s boys were clad in powder-blue denim co-ords and rich velvet garms with platform brogues. “They’re the main reason I got so into menswear, they’re really very excellent designers,” says Kennedy. “I also loved what Raf Simons and [Martin] Margiela were doing, but that was about all I knew or followed.” Openly admitting that her knowledge of menswear was “basically zero”, it was by attending college shows, speaking to lecturers or friends and generally scouring the London fashion scene, that Kennedy was able to scout out her cream of the crop – those with “intelligence, creativity, spirit, energy, humour”.

With the help of Topman, the debut MAN show held at the Atlantis Gallery next to The Truman Brewery in September 2005 featured Jones (who screened a fashion film by Will Davidson), Lundman and Topman Design (who showed under the umbrella for the first five seasons). “Everyone we wanted was there, it was buzzing, the reviews were good. I seem to remember it being quite boozy…” laughs Kennedy. “I had such an amazing sense of happiness that it went down so well.” The list of designers Kennedy has nurtured currently ranks at over 40. They’re more interested in pioneering their own label, she says, than getting a job. “My biggest fear [if it wasn’t for MAN] would have been being forced down a more commercial route in order to survive,” explains Astrid Andersen, one of Kennedy’s crop. “The opportunity to grow slowly allows you to truly build a brand, that’s otherwise very difficult and costly.”

Looking back on the decade, we really have seen it all. Remember the time New Power Studio sent models down the runway on a mobility scooter, wearing full-size bass drums as headwear and
a real life child – Roman – in favour of a backpack? “I think that was my highlight, just for sheer exposure,” says NPS’s Thom Murphy. “We had half a page in The Sun, and illustration of us
in Private Eye, and all the other usual cool mags. It was a special moment – totally terrifying as it could have all gone wrong, but we made it.” Meanwhile, we’ve witnessed Cassette Playa’s Carri Munden dance down the aisle hand-in-hand with Sonic the Hedgehog (kitted out in custom CP); Astrid Andersen lead a gang of gold-lipped-guys down the catwalk in velveteen tracksuits; and Agyness Deyn steal the show draped in Henry Holland’s studded leathers. The venues have spanned from the Old Truman Brewery and Holborn’s Old Sorting Office, to Topshop’s disused Eurostar station and everywhere between. Then when it comes to the after-parties, suitably wild affairs have seen Kennedy herself play barmaid and designers switch to DJs at Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club (whilst the real DJ was spotted serving himself generous helpings behind the bar). Elsewhere, as Kennedy blogged on her namesake site back in 2009, Katie Hillier whipped her heels off “leading the troops into full on dancefloor combat” at east London’s Bistrotheque.

The most recent showcase – June’s MAN Turns 10 anniversary event – saw Royal College of Art graduate Liam Hodges and Central Saint Martins-educated designer Rory Parnell-Mooney present their SS16 collections at Topman Design’s space during London Collections: Men. Having only been on the fashion week circuit as a standalone event – separate to women’s fashion week – since June 2012, it’s safe to say fashion’s fairy godmother Kennedy was the catalyst. Now she’s leading the way not just in London, but on a global stage, with New York hosting their first stand-alone men’s fashion week this summer. Kennedy is quick to shrug it off when I ask, “Did you ever expect to have such an influence?” “Nope,” she says. “I just feel my way through things; it felt right to start menswear, so that’s what I did, without overthinking it.” For Kennedy, acting on instinct has sure payed off. “It seems like the whole world is into supporting emerging talent all of a sudden.” She’s right, and why wouldn’t it be? The future is shaped from the bottom up. The rest of the world just isn’t able to kill it at Kennedy’s pace, that’s all.

“I don’t know where I would be without MAN… I wouldn’t trade my experience for the world.” Shaun Samson

J W ANDERSON

AGI & SAM

“We were part of something that felt so big. Very surreal.” Astrid Andersen

Christopher Shannon

Liam Hodges

Craig Green

“Lulu was full of energy, advice, encouragement and fun. She was a trailblazer – fixing, sorting, organising and laughing, always.” James Long

Photographer: Jesse Jenkins

Fashion: Madeleine Østlie

Words: Brooke McCord

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LCM: Craig Green SS16

Wonderland Staff — Tue, 16 Jun 2015 09:24:55 +0000

A master of unconventional beauty, Craig Green combined karate style and Mean Girls inspo in sunshine yellow and emerald green.

Beauty in the extraordinary

Reinvented boiler suits, modern day sumo wear, layered masterpieces or textural sculptures – however you refer to Craig Green’s designs, it’s clear he’s a master of unconventional beauty. Green’s vision of perfection is bold and unique – a “neo-romantic scene bounding with chemical energy.”

Structural scenes

Green’s wooden sculptures were present again this season in the shape of oversized angular screens covered in red, white and black fabric, masking the face of the bare-torsoed model carrying them. As the fabric was stretched by each frame, the outline of the face of each carrier became vaguely visible, giving an almost ghostly appearance, the exaggerated form a stark contrast to the more stripped back garments in the collection.

It’s all in the details

Whilst karate style belts cinched in the waistlines of the floppy fringed models – thanks to Fudge Professional – Green’s quilted uniform was served in vibrant colours that spanned from Pikatchu yellow to emerald green. Meanwhile lengthy crinkled scarves and filo pastry parcel type fabrications peeped through Mean Girls style breast cut-outs on knitwear, from which there hung loose strands of woken thread. Regina George, eat your heart out.

Photography: Sophie Mayanne

Hair: Fudge Professional

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