A CHILD OF THE JAGO | SPRING / SUMMER 2013 MENS COLLECTION

Gaining its namesake from Arthur Morrison’s novel, A Child Of The Jago was launched in 2007 and is the brainchild of longstanding friends Joseph Corre and Simon ‘Barnzley’ Armitage. After years of making clothes using end of the line luxury wools, cashmeres and cottons they opened their own store on Great Eastern Street, London.

Morrison’s 1896 story describes life in a Victorian, disease-ridden and violent district of the East end of London. While this may be far from the reality of today’s ultra-trendy corner of the capital, his narrative clearly had an influence on Corre and Armitage’s ideas, style and inspiration for A Child Of The Jago Spring Summer 2013.

Taking on a theme of what seemed like a mash-up between Napoleon and 19th Century rockers, A Child Of The Jago Spring Summer 2013 kicked off with a dark poker-dot denim jean jacket and trousers combo. Two-piece grey suits soon replaced the denim and were accompanied by washed beige and loose-fitting suit jackets teed off with linen trousers or shorts.

Clearly taking inspiration from the streets, outfits were topped off with pest-riddled prints; fly patterned afghan scarves and rat-infested ties were finished off with a classic take on the workman tan leather boots.

As much as this collection was a nod to an historic London – and a life before the fashionistas – you couldn’t help but see the resemblance to the four-part film series, Pirates of the Caribbean, which gave the Spring Summer 2013 collection a fictional and vivid fantasy vibe.

- Drew Davies