Bally x Central Saint Martins collaboration by Craig Green

After their stunning women's collection collaboration presented in 2010, Bally revealed the exclusive men's collection designed in collaboration with the Central Saint Martins MA Fashion course, at a special presentation on February 23, 2011 at Claridge’s Hotel during the Men’s Day of London Fashion Week.

Bally's Creative Directors Graeme Fidler and Michael Herz who have been leading the project hands-on and working closely with the MA students from the prestigous college, selected the designs of Londoner Craig Green to form the capsule collection. Green's youthful and daring input in association with the craftsmanship of Bally presented four  -to our -surprise- fashion forward urban styles for everyday wear that tampered spendidly with structure and fabrics in contrasting colours, even using cork soles.

The collection was innovative and modern  in design and illustrated how wonderfully heritage and expertise in design can nurture a new talent. Bally has led the creation of a concise capsule collection that will be available in selected Bally stores and exclusive partners as well as on the newly redesigned Bally website (www.bally.com) in June 2011.

By Andreas Menelaou Features Assistant

Pleased to Meet another British talent.

'Boxheads' the creation which caught the eye of Katie Grand by James Barnett

'Tower' costume 3 by James Barnett

'Tower' Costume 2 by James Barnett

'Tower' costume 1 by James Barnett

Strapped by James Barnett

Seventh Man are pleased to introduce you to James Barnett, a Central St Martin's graduate who caught the critical eye of- former CSM student - Katie Grand well before graduating and has since recieved praise from some of the most influential press in the industry.

Having recently been awarded a first class honours degree for Perfomance Design and Practise (BA Hons) we decided it was time to better understand this forward thinking creative. Obviously you come from a performing background, how has this manipulated your personal style if at all? JB: The work I like to make treads that fine line which exists between performance and fashion. I've just graduated in 'Performance: Design and Practise' at CSM, which required me to perform quite a bit of my realised work. This means that I have learnt to exploit the physicality of my own body in the costumes I create. I work with my height, my awkward posture and my ridiculously long limbs - and literally ANYTHING which can exaggerate these different elements : poles, sink plungers, boxes, rubbish bins ...

That fantastical hat - your exhibition piece - what was the idealism behind that? Were there any specifics you were trying to convey?

This design was initially for a dance piece entitled 'Tower'. I'm quite obsessed by skyscrapers and BIG buildings. They have this ominous presence and yet are reassuringly passive; a constant point of focus existing in amongst the humdrum of everyday life.
With my costume for 'Tower', I hoped to convey the overwhelming presence these super structures have when they are bearing down on me. The costume consumes me, forcing me to stand rigidly, I become this unfaltering 10 foot edifice.

I like to think whilst wearing the costume I am transmitting to all the other skyscrapers around me.

Your work has been a hit in the highest of fashion circles. Was this an intentional target or pleasantly shocking turn of events?

Both! I find it impossible to define what sort of designer I am, and just hope the work I produce has a resonance somewhere. My degree has taught me to appraoch costuming in a very experimental way, so it ends up being fairly unusual which lends itself well for styling fashion shoots, amongst other things. I just hope people are drawn to my bold, simple, style.

What are your main inspirations when it comes to design? Are there any certain genres that captivate you or characters/plays... your exhibition piece looked very sci-fi and extremely high fashion, have you been inspired by designers as you have developed in your own style?

I'm a closet geek, and love a lot of 60s science fiction films and the cultish ethos of the Bauhaus. I've taken inspiration from performance artists like Rebecca Horn and Leigh Bowery. I'm really excited by what Gaga is doing at the moment - she is blurring lines between performance and fashion more than anyone has done in the last decade, but crucially, she is doing it infront of a mass audience.


If you could use your art to change the world, what would you change?


I think it's time we started dressing how people imagined we would dress in the future. It's already 2010, and I don't see anyone casually wearing silver spandex on the street. Isn't it time we started dressing like characters from 'Logan's Run'?


Visit James at http://makemeaoffer.blogspot.com/

Interviewed By Lucy Swan.

The youngest menswear at LFW

London is probably the most avant garde fashion capital, therefore many from the next A/W 10/11 men collections are composed by eclectic, modern and fanciful garments.

The Mensday at London Fashion Week was full of very interesting proposals where we could once again reaffirm why London is the ideal market for young designers to launch their brands.

When talking about modernism and trendiness at LFW, a name springs up my mind very quickly: Katie Eary. She gave a meaning to the word 'show' with her animal lookalike prints, accessories and very colourful clothes.

White is not the preferred colour for this season either, but Central Saint Martins was dare enough to show some really cool white looks. Young designers are always meant to be the most risky ones.

TopMan Design upgraded the brand deciding to carry out their first independent catwalk. As it was expected, they did not disappoint anyone. The colour palette was dominated by green army, oxford red and black. The military inspiration look was reinforced with boots and other details such as necklaces and hats.