Ahead of his presentation at London Fashion Week, designer Christian Blanken gives us some clues into his inspirations for Autumn/Winter 2010.
When one thinks of fashion as complex or multi-faceted, it's often easy to be seduced by the theatrics of the big names – Galliano or Lagerfeld or Westwood. But as the likes of Jil Sander have shown over the years, and Alber Elbaz is currently doing at Lanvin, making clothes that look simple can be just as much of an art, and sometimes even more so.
Dutch-born but now UK-based designer Christian Blanken is one of several designers bringing this pared-down (and increasingly relevant) aesthetic to London Fashion Week this February. Blanken – who professes to being an admirer of Elbaz, well who isn't? – describes the look of his label as “linear and streamlined; not sweet!” And certainly, his is a clean, minimal aesthetic. The menswear – particularly in AW09 – demonstrated a hard, lean take on masculinity. Sharp lines combined with military details to create an image of a man who wasn't afraid to stick up for himself.
Things moved on for SS10 with a lighter, sportier look predominating. Lines were still clean, but there were also some deceptively complex womenswear pieces. This was the kind of collection that looked simple at first, but gradually revealed layers of structure and contrast. Christian originally started out doing fine art, but switched to fashion because “fashion has more social relevance – as it's directly linked to how people perceive and present themselves”. This focus on society and identity is one of the key elements of Christian Blanken.
So what's in store for AW10? Well all manner of influences seem to be about to collide. “There's a warrior princess,” Christian says, “voyeurism, a crossover of high art and low life, lots of tribal, Japanese woodblock prints, savage hand-painted t-shirt dresses, burnished gold...” But that's not all. “I'm doing an installation this season,” he continues, “with Michael Boadi who recently created the Boadicea the Victorious fragrance series. He used to do very editorial hair, so I think there will be very strong looks!!”
Like many of the designers we've spoken to, Christian is excited and inspired by London: “London has been massively important to global fashion for many decades now, it is what made me study fashion here [Christian completed his MA at Central St Martins] and it is what made me return after a decade in New York. London has the best street fashion, the best high street, the best music, counter culture and mix of creative minds.”
And London Fashion Week reflects the character of the city: “London is the Petri dish that germinates the bulk of ideas the industry lives off, and London Fashion Week reflects that in a more experimental, care-free and youthful attitude towards fashion. It's the most directional week.”
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