Christopher Shannon's Dreamy Denim at London Collections: Men SS17

June 13, 2016

Christopher Shannon's Dreamy Denim at London Collections: Men SS17

Shannon's Haters and Lovers Direct.com

Spring/Summer 2017 seen Liverpool-born Christopher Shannon make his return to the runway, after taking a break last season when he shown a stand alone presentation. "I relished having a break from the cycle of the catwalk, it's not stimulating to never have a change and look at the work a different way" he told Steve Salter during his interview with i-D. However successful his presentation might have been last season, his buzzing atmospheric shows were sorely missed, but I'm almost entirely sure everyone is glad to see him back where he belongs. What Christopher Shannon manages to do so well, is make normal everyday garb inventive, exciting and forward-thinking. Working class backgrounds and a sportswear aesthetic of course influences Shannon on some level, it's evident in his use of sweatshirts, t-shirts and tracksuits - it is what it is, but by no means is it meant as a derogatory term. What Shannon does is fashion.

Christopher Shannon's latest offering featured heavy on a material so highly recognised from his 2008 MA Graduate collection, studying under the late great Louise Wilson. That material, denim. After years of experimenting with technical fabrics, it was time he felt he had to go back to something more basic, missing this idea of "design at the minute" working in the same way as he did with Louise on the MA, pushing the boundaries of one idea and making it go further. And let's face it, the options with manipulating denim are endless, as Shannon has so clearly demonstrated.

He also stressed that the limited practicalities and the so many issues he had occurred working with technical fabrics that it got to a point in which he started to hate going into work. Ironic, considering how this collection's underlying message was the party is over, the reality is: it's Monday morning and we're all back in work. After him and his team were moving the studio storage, before stumbling across all of the denim he'd done in the past (some of it, his favourite ever pieces) and it feeling "new to focus on one fabrication and rework it in lots of ways" before stating "and denim has so many connotations, it's actually quite a kinky fabric to work with." A break-up backstory ridden with a whole array of emotions. Hungover and heartbroken.

It wouldn't be a true Christopher Shannon show without his wit and humour in the form of a logo, no matter how mature a collection. Sweatshirts and tees were emblazoned with the slogans "HatersDirect.com" and "LoverDirect.com" - both toying with the logo of British leisurewear retailers, Sports Direct. There was also a pretty authentic-looking replica of their shopping bag. That to was great. A cheeky, playful approach much alike to Demna Gvasalia's logo-appropatiation Vetements cult over in Paris - only Shannon's had meaning, a message, not just a slur. Just maybe, his "No Ideas Guaranteed" message was therefore used as an ability to laugh at himself, a joke full of irony as his collection was ram-packed with ideas, or it could even be read as to suggest his disapproval of so many other designers' approaches. Whatever it was, this new Shannon is beaming with confidence, another excellent collection and I for all can say we're glad you're back strutting your stuff down the runway. Welcome home.