The Valid Pursuit | Milan AW16 Menswear

Menswear, as we know, is in a stage of healthy emergence, and according to a Bain &Co study, it is still the fastest growing category in the luxury fashion sector. Looking at the wears for the next few seasons, it feels like creative directors and designers are holding all the keys to this continuing success of brands and therefore the industry as a whole. Design-led collections are what the industry and consumer wanted and it is precisely what we received. After seeing a relaxing of formal codes of dress, (the softening of suit structures, the acceptance of alternatives to traditional shirt/tie combos, sneakers as the current footwear king), men have an abundance of choice more than ever before. Furthermore, it's now befitting for men to take pride in their appearance (I'm often openly asked for style advice by friends and more than ever before - click here and I'll happily answer all your style woes) and as designers have so succinctly managed to marry the formal and informal codes of men's dress, men's luxury has not only taken on a new identity as to what it means to be well dressed, it has allowed for this level of growth that we all hope continues to rise. But most importantly, it has inspired men to want to dress better, and that we will always encourage.

Requiem for design

This AW16 season, designers presented collections that for the most part were wrapped in the eccentric glow of the seventies - a Bowie recording, the wistful soundtrack to the AW16 ambience that became primarily one of reflection. And this season the memories felt particularly tangible, throngs of contemplation reproduced through creative means, be it designers, musicians, a sumptuous texture, a shade of light or quite simply our own longing. Instantaneous subsistence is the current pace at which we live, whether we like it or not, but this season, what we saw on the runway served as a reminder, as a cue to slow down and reflect. A response to the ever-increasing pace of progression, be it though technology, or when greats of our time leave this life, your life, all of our lives. Our time is fleeting and this reflection is the prompt needed to appreciate the beautiful moments, the eccentricities from a decade past that have been re-interpreted today.