Craig Green constructs giant fabric veils for Spring Summer 2016 fashion collection
Sheets of fabric draped over rectangular wooden frames shrouded models during London designer Craig Green's Spring Summer 2016 menswear show.
Presented at Victoria House during London Collections: Men last Friday, Green's collection included four structures that were carried using vertical posts on either side – veiling the models' fronts from head to shin.
Thin horizontal slits at eye level allowed the wearers to look where they were walking, while a circle of fabric cut out from the centre of the sheets exposed sections of their bare torsos.
Green – who often uses woodwork as part of his collections – draped the material over the timber posts and added straps to tie the struts to the models' arms.
These statement designs included one white, one black and two red versions, and were interspersed among the more conventional garments during the show.
Largely monochrome outfits were paraded in a sequence, starting with white and black then moving through orange, navy, green and yellow.
"Here joy is found in the familiar, as carefully developed signatures are freely re-imagined with an almost naive exuberance," said Green's show notes.
"Central to this approach is a continued play between real and imagined utility."
Knitted jumpers featured two holes in the chest with lengths of fabric from the shirts underneath threaded through to hang down past the knees.
White long-sleeved T-shirts were knotted over the nipples, adding to the androgynous theme of the show, which also included female models.
The wide sleeves of wrap jackets, tied with strap-like belts, and loose trouser legs were reminiscent of Karategi uniforms worn during martial arts training.
Extra layers and straps were added to some outfits, tied in various configurations or simply left to trail.
"Whilst some garments are stripped back to their barest components, others are invested with an exaggerated level of detail intended as cultish and seemingly symbolic," said the notes.
Green graduated from London's Central Saint Martins art college in 2012 and has since created collections under his own label that feature sculptural elements, usually built from wood.
For example, the designer created masks from splintered planks of wood to accompany his Autumn Winter 2013 collection.
London Collections: Men Spring Summer 2016 runs from 12 to 16 June 2015.
Project credits:
Craig Green team: Helen Price, David Curtis-Ring, Vincent Levy, Angelos Tsourapas
Casting Director: Eddy Martin for File and Parade, assisted by Karin Allvin
Makeup: Rebecca Butterworth and the MAC PRO team
Hair: John Vial for FUDGE