James Long photographed by Georgia Kuhn
All menswear looks the same, right? Or at least, that’s the common criticism of men’s fashion. It’s a fair claim, since those prescriptive codes of menswear – trousers, shirt, jacket – still prove hard to break down, in comparison to the lavish fluctuations of the world of womenswear. James Long, however, is the menswear designer who is dedicated to doing something different. The winner of the first ever NEWGEN award, and now one of the hottest tickets at the recently-created London Collections: Men, Long’s talents for creating effervescently cool clothes while remaining desirable and most of all, wearable, have propelled him to the top of the international menswear pack.
Speaking to Long in his Hackney studio, where the inspirations for his next collection and his recently-launched accessories collection line the walls, he talks us through the process of creating his timeless designs. “It is definitely about the ideas and concept to me, but I think at the end of the day, when they get to the shop floor, it doesn’t mean that much anymore. The question is, does that all read in the garment? In a way, that design process is for a very small amount of people that are really looking at the brand and what the clothes are all about.” Although he’s made a few forays into womenswear, Long’s dedication to creating enduring fashion is one of the reasons he prefers to focus on the boys: “In menswear, the collection seems to carry on as a long-term project. In womenswear, it’s all about chasing the new essence of new fashion. Menswear has more continuity.” Despite his love for timeless style, Long’s collections could hardly be called traditional. For example, his thrifty, stripey and colourful Spring/Summer 2015 collection was modelled on the runway by long-haired youths, and designed with a Thai boxer in mind. It’s a neat trick, and Long pulls it off, combining the height of innovation with longlasting desirability.
James Long’s studio photographed by Georgia Kuhn
But why is London, with its youthful fashion mentality, becoming the place to watch for cutting edge menswear? “I think the colleges are really important – without the nurture there, you’re not going to have the talent. London is really known for menswear when no one else in the world really is.” Long’s alma mater, the Royal College of Art, is particularly important in this transformation – he notes that every year, there is one ‘breakout star’ in the RCA menswear cohort, an accolade that has been unofficially awarded in the past to Katie Eary, Astrid Andersen and, of course, Long himself. There is a sense of a thriving community among London menswear designers; after all, they are each invested in developing the creative scene in the British capital. “There’s a lot of support for each other – it’s one of the best things about it!” Only one question remains: Why is it taking so long for fashion to catch on to the changing needs of the 21st century menswear customer? According to Long, it’s all about desire: “It needs the generation to want it.”
Interview by Josie Thaddeus-Johns
Taken from Sleek Magazine 44: What Women Want
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