After showing for two seasons during London Fashion Week as part of the Fashion East installations, Agape Mdumulla and Sam Cotton showed their inaugural runway collection for Autumn/Winter 2012 as part of MAN (a collaborative project between Topman and Fashion East) in the sombre environs of London‘s Royal Opera House back in February 2012. The Style Examiner found that collection incredibly enchanting (see review HERE) and very much looked forward to Agi & Sam’s return to the MAN runway for Spring/Summer 2013. Suffice to say that the duo’s latest collection was far from disappointing and confirmed that Agi & Sam is one of the most exciting London labels currently designing and producing clothes for men.
Inspired by memories of being made to watch 1980s television detective series in their grand-parents’ homes, Agi & Sam devised a collection that explored modern menswear silhouettes against prints with exaggerated florals, pastel upholstery patterns, and needlepoint embroidery printed as trompe l’oeil designs onto the fabrics. The young designers also continued their investigation into the potential of fabric, once again using cloth made from recycled plastic soft drinks bottles as well as more traditional fabrics such as jersey, cotton and leather.
Moustachioed models (inspired by the exaggerated masculinity embodied by fictional male characters in TV series such as Magnum P.I. and Miami Vice) wore tailored blazers and trench coats in relaxed shapes mixed with casual garments such as biker jackets, and with sportswear-inspired pieces such as tracksuits and swimming shorts. The playful and elegant bold print element continued throughout the collection in the form of matching printed socks developed in collaboration with Japanese company Tabio.
After the show, Sam confessed to The Style Examiner that designing this collection was very much of a challenge, as the duo had only been allowed a three-month window to design and produce the printed fabrics and assemble the garments. However, this was a collection that was not short of creativity and technical accomplishment, cementing Agi & Sam’s reputation as one of the most promising new menswear labels in London.
