Photos – Amy Gwatkin & Emma Svensson
Set Design – Sahara Widoff
Styling – Craig Green & Vincent Levy
I feel fortunate enough to say I was at the very first Craig Green show a few years ago, it was an obvious highlight of what was an otherwise rather uneventful LCM. Since that fateful day Craig Green has become something of a legend in the making. Not since the days of John Galliano and Alexander McQueen has the fashion press adored and championed any designer as much as they have Craig Green. The young designer’s ability to push the boundaries of menswear as well as put on a runway show that blurs the lines between fashion and performance art, clothes and sculpture.
Having said that the clothes themselves are too avant-garde for everyday wear and too expensive for most people to really buy into, such is the case with so many new designers struggling to make a name for themselves in the increasingly competitive and commercial world of fashion. A simple remedy for this is a collaboration with an established brand providing a mutually beneficial arrangement allowing consumers to buy designer goods at cheaper prices and more established brands to align themselves with emerging talent. But more often than not the end results are disappointing – watered down versions of designer clothes, badly made and offering no real semblance of the designers own brand goods. So you’ll forgive me for not initially being too excited about the Craig Green X Björn Borg collaboration. Of course, true to form, Craig Green defied all expectations and has literally made me eat my words.
The capsule collection, inspired by the human fascination with light and shadow, delivers a pure dose of the aesthetic Green has become synonymous with, albeit shot through with the kind of sporty wearability the Björn Borg label has become known for. Every piece is wearable but no single garment is without a touch of Green’s unique design. Each piece also delivers on a technical front, alongside the hooded ponchos are compression leggings for running and even sports underwear. The 20 piece collection comprised entirely of white and black pieces will launch in Selfridges and Opening Ceremony this October and includes both men’s and women’s pieces.
