Thursday, February 07, 2008

"Modern Menswear" and New York City




Last week I interviewed Hywel Davies for an item on his book Modern Menswear, which has now appeared on men.style.com. The book profiles 36 established and early-career menswear designers that he found all over the world, although, in true fashion world reality, his book budget barely got him from his London base through the Chunnel to Paris.

I asked him about New York. As the menswear spotlight shifts bi-annually from Milan to Paris to us, what and where are we, in his eyes? I know that like many other primitive tribes, we consider our home as the navel of the world, but his book introduction suggested otherwise. Milan and Paris are regarded as the key capitals in menswear fashion design….Milan promotes huge luxury brands that sell globally….Paris is a podium for innovation.” OK, and New York? “New York offers important support to designers with a commercial sensibility as their driving force….However it is Antwerp in Belgium and London that are paramount in informing the new contemporaries in menswear.”

Yes, I know we are market-minded, but isn’t it still a bit depressing? (This dispassionate reality-check can be seen, among other places in Suzy Menkes' review of Thom Browne, which she finished by noting, that it’s “difficult - especially in conventional New York - to be both a visionary and an exhibitionist”) Davies tried to mollify me by noting that in the two years since he began his research, New York is looking up. "People do look to America in terms of selling power, clothes that understand the market place…but it’s having a resurgence, of being cool….younger, edgier, creative….it’s challenging the designers that are in Paris which is great."

I’ll try to feel better. He himself should be feeling fine, as Paul Smith is throwing him a party today in his Floral Street London flagship store. For the book itself, pre-order here.

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