WILLIAM RICHARD GREEN | FALL / WINTER 2012

Drawing on the football hooligan scene and how it was affected by England’s rave culture towards the end of the 80s, for Fall / Winter 2012 William Richard Green designed with a quintessentially British lad in mind.

Aptly entitled ‘Hooligans against Acid’, Green’s wonderfully laid-back collection was shown as a static presentation with Fashion East at London Fashion Week, and featured six models playing table football. The hedonism of this era, which was suppressed by increased drug use, was translated through the unruly injection of prison jumpsuit orange and riotous circle prints which add an overriding aroma of humour in an otherwise muted range.

And what’s most commendable is that rather than crafting a wildly dramatic and superfluously extravagant line that verges on couture, (as seen in many of the Fall / Winter 2012 collections) Green prides himself on creating wearable clothing for likeminded men with a relaxed aesthetic.

Nowhere is this more prominent than in the zip-up orange jacket and the military-inspired boiler suit in that brilliantly brash orange which was influenced by Acid House. Not only do these bold and oversized prints add pizzazz, they also break up a monochrome palette in masculine structures to invoke a playful element.

Also staying true to his famed commitment of supporting British manufacturers and suppliers, materials for this collection – sans zips – were sourced purely from England. Everything from the wools and cotton drill, which were milled in Yorkshire, to the Jersey knitted in Leicestershire, wax cotton from Lancashire and shirting from Cumbria advocates Green’s penchant for creating collections which are distinctly British.

- Caroline Jackson