Churning out the likes of J.W. Anderson, Christopher Shannon and Astrid Anderson, the MAN show has always been a hot ticket of LC:M. Today Rory, Liam and Nicomede blitzed our January blues with a darker shade of navy, a palette of black and white and some sunny patches in bright orange, that made us feel anything but blue. Exciting references and exquisite tailoring are what got these boys where they are today. From Central Saint Martins graduate Rory’s church going rioters, to Liam’s “Totally Safe Classics” on sandwich board/money-bag-clad market traders, to Nicomede’s well-dressed boys on the right side of the playful “sucker” insult, the ideas that flow through these young designers’ brilliant minds are something you’ll want to know about…
Rory Parnell Mooney
Congrats on your first show with MAN! How did you find it?
Have to wait for the Style.com pictures, but it looked good back here!
Were you up all night?
No not at all, we went to bed at like 2. It was my first season so I’m not organising production or anything like that, I’m literally just doing the collection. I wouldn’t say I had lots of time but I’ve been quite relaxed about it, very chilled.
What’s the idea behind it?
It’s kind of a run on from what I did on my Masters. I graduated in February and continued to look at the same things I was interested in while I was studying; ecclesiastical stuff, the way a boy at a riot ties a T-shirt around his face, looking at really good garment references. The church is full of stuff like that. And again, pictures of riots where boys have just got pieces of stuff and tie them on themselves. I worked that into an evolution of what I did on the MA, more spread out and obviously a much bigger collection.
Did you experience any riots first hand?
No, but it’s more about that attitude. It’s a weird one, but I was talking to someone about casting the other day and it’s sort of about a boy who gives a fuck, someone who’s really intense and really cares about something. A lot of the boys who walked are musicians, they’re all from the agency Tomorrow’s Another Day. They’re really into music, and there’s that kind of intensity in them, like boys at a riot, they give a fuck.
Did you have a hand in the casting then?
Yeah, me and John [Colver] cast it together. We were super relaxed. Some of them aren’t traditional models, some of them are a bit weird looking but there’s a really good mix! It’s a really strong agency.
Liam Hodges
Nice work on your second showing with MAN! How did it go?
Yeah, really good, I was happy with it! It changed a lot from when I started the collection, it evolved quite nicely and organically.
Did it follow on from your last boy scout collection?
Not really, it all started when I moved my studio to Walthamstow and got obsessed with the market there. I’d just go down there to buy veg and stuff for my smoothies. Something about it, and just talking to the people who worked there sort of sparked something.
How did that translate into your designs?
It’s the idea of a market stall, maybe the dude who’s the younger son, taking over the family stall and trying to update it and make it his own. That was the starting point – this suburban kid who’s trying to make his mark on his area. I like that as a narrative, as a story.
What were the videos playing on the screen in the background?
They were from various markets around London. We went to Deptford and Walthamstow, and spent a bit of time shooting scenes, and if we got chatting to people, seeing if we could record them. For research, we were just seeing if we could engage with it. We had the footage and the screen and thought we should do something with it, and it worked quite nicely.
What’s your favourite market?
At the moment it’s still Walthamstow, because it’s so long. I always find different stuff there, I’m not bored of it yet. There’s one guy who just sells cuddly toys, he’s my favourite.
Nicomede Talavera
Loved your collection this season, just as much as last… What was your starting point?
Thank you! The actual starting point was my MA collection, where I left off from Central Saint Martins, and with that one there were so many nostalgic memories I had that influenced the collection, like sportswear, octopus pants back in the day, early 2000s…
What are octopus pants?
You know the pants that dancers used to wear? It used to be a rave kind of thing, with all the straps and tailored fabrics and tailored finishing. But there were elements of all sorts of different things, from Kurt Cobain with the bug eye sunglasses, and other influences that you have to look inside the collection to suss out.
Did it say “sucker” on the front of the tops?!
Yeah it did! I actually heard a song by the O.T. Quartet called Hold That Sucker Down and it really emphasises when she sings “sucker,” and I thought, you know what, I used to use that word, why don’t we have it on tops and stuff?! So it’s just splashed on, just to add a playful element, to ease up the mood. I didn’t want it to be super slick and clean in that sense, I wanted it to have personality and character and good vibes to it.
Credits
Text Felicity Kinsella
Photography Ash Kingston