Kent & Curwen AW2017/18 Collection

 Speaking across generations, it is the soul of Kent & Curwen that defines the house as inherently British. Begun as a conversation between Creative Director Daniel Kearns and business partner David Beckham, this is a collection that allows real men, no matter their background, to show character and style. 'It is that sense of modern life blended with a shared history that defines Kent & Curwen today' says Kearns.

Appropriation and interpretation are crucial to the collection. Like today’s self-made man discovering a treasure trove of memorabilia, the past shapes the present, and the present interprets the past. Outerwear is central. The signature great coat is in the heavy, original olive wool fabric worn by officers in WW1 whilst archival college stripes line collars and plackets of fitted tweed topcoats.

Utilitarian, army and country jackets styled from aged cottons are reworked in masculine proportions paired with deep pleated peg trousers in aged crushed cotton / linen for structure and texture. A pleasingly heavy cotton twill is shaped into old white tunic shirts, with or without detachable collars. Heavyweight checks and tartans are washed and distressed for a weathered appearance.

The silhouette of the frock coat and blazer is deconstructed and topstitched to create a more casual tailoring solution, dressed up with a military peg pant or with jeans and a nicked-edge T for a more casual appearance. The house's long history of knitwear innovation continues with nicked merino fine gauge pieces, aged and patched fair isle jumpers, hand-knit cables with laddering and oversized cricket sweaters in creamy white emblazoned with bands of colour on the hem, cuff and neckline.

Reworked vintage patches taken from the archive bring a sense of nostalgia for sporting clubs and memorabilia on a collegiate blazer, zip-up knit or a varsity jacket with aged leather sleeves. Colours for the season are rich and washed senape, khaki, collegiate burgundy, petrol and Royal blue inspiration taken from the brand's archive of club and university ties.

Respecting the brand's sporting pedigree, the Three Lions and the English Rose, both longheld symbols of the brand, are to be found proudly placed on aged rugby shirts and tonally across the collection in signature detailing. A capsule collection of baker-boy caps brings together two historic houses – Kent & Curwen and Lock & Co. The collaboration reworks traditional styles in fabrics from the collection to provide the finishing touches to a complete silhouette.