This Student project was completed after 11 weeks at CSM on my
Art Direction for Fashion short course onsite at Granary road. The brief was to research current trends.
The target - The city of London where dress down Friday is common practice.
Clothes are uniforms at work, a suit reflects job title and status in certain professions, bankers/insurance Brokers/Lawyers. Peaky Blinders series based in Birmingham in the 1930s revealed the gangland culture status of dapper dressing and slick suits with waistcoats.
In the creative industry - casual workwear is the normal attire.
Men are by nature conservative and tend to be tribal in their choices.
Looking good gives self esteem and clothes are an easy way to blend into work culture.
We dress for others, subconsciously selecting colours that reflect our mood.
Men like to hide behind a uniform of conformity- they look to other alpha males for ideas.
I would not like to describe them as sheep - however they are influenced by their friendship groups, style led by their partners/wife/girlfriend who will guide if asked, some may try and mold them into a image they prefer !
Having a style matrix and wardrobe formula for the week would be the perfect comfort zone for men.
Research - John went to the City of London to gather style intelligence.
He tried Tuesday first - He found it was hard to approach the city workers, dressed in suits, their body language was closed, however on the Friday where they were in casual dress down wear - the body language was more open and he was able to ask them questions and get photographs of their style. Friday is the start of the weekend and therefore attitudes adapt to the atmosphere of leisure anticipation.
Johns Art Direction project is future strategic, pre empting changing work and lifestyle trends.
Whatever gender orientation we identify ourselves with, the clothes we choose to wear define us.
Style duality and gender blending collections from fashion influencers reflect the zeitgeist of the moment. Art directors in fashion need to get the jungle drums beating, showcase new trends and inspire consumers to think outside the box. John Alexander has done this.
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