CHRISTOPHER SHANNON | SPRING / SUMMER 2012

Jungle foliage and upbeat music surrounded the catwalk opening for Christopher Shannon’s Spring / Summer 2012 collection of clean leisurewear staples.

Muted tones and cover-up waterproofs, combined with crisp black tailored coats and fine knitwear for a very simple and well-groomed collection. Shannon’s nod at futurism was abundant, with plenty of zip and abstract panel and pocket details. Clever ruching and drawstrings created fitted silhouettes and played with the wonderfully laid-back sports vibe that has been incorporated.

Shannon labels Leslie Winer’s ‘WITCH’ album as his inspiration. His personal challenge was to refine his creative and eccentric ambitions into garments that were cleaner, straighter and easier to wear. With this comes his classic colour choices, combining off whites, with steely greys, navy and black. His character popped through with bursts of tangerine and pillar box red, and fringes of tassels adorning shorts and jersey tops.

Slouchy leggings and short-sleeved bomber jackets revealed an underlying Eighties dominance, incorporated with some bustling print panelling. Pale turquoise washes and abstract primary coloured checkers were dotted across his collection in sporadically placed panels.

Shannon has said his prints mirror work fro photographers such as Viviane Sassen, Malick Sidibe and Zanele Muholi.
His streamline approach was finalised with eccentric plastic headwear. Made out of bright coloured combs, they brought a recycling element into the garments, as well as illustrating Shannon’s vibrant personality.

His retro designs show a dynamic approach to adapting basic pieces and giving them a more energetic and modern twist with pop prints and fine details.

- Hannah Gale