Posthuman Wardrobe is a menswear label founded in London in 2010 by Nim Gadhia with the intention to deconstruct traditional heritage menswear. The Style Examiner recently looked into the label’s seven collections and examined the current Autumn/Winter 2012 range of garments. After close inspection, we can confirm that the label’s objective to reinvigorate menswear has been successfully achieved through processes that alter traditional garments in order to produce enthralling results.
After graduating with a first class degree in Fashion Design from London’s University of Westminster in 2003, Gadhia was recruited by the menswear design team at British high street brand River Island. From there he moved to the design team at Ozwald Boateng, where he became assistant design director. He left Boateng to learn traditional bespoke tailoring with Vacher & Jacobs on Savile Row and subsequently completed a Masters degree in Fashion Design and Enterprise at the University of Westminster in 2005. Immediately after completing his MA, Gadhia was invited to exhibit his graduation collection at the British Embassy in Paris and was recruited to head the apparel side of d3o, a technology brand that worked with sportswear brands such a Puma, Quiksilver and Helly Hansen.
In 2009, Gadhia left d3o and started Posthuman Wardrobe. For a year he experimented with different concepts and construction techniques in order to refine the brand’s identity, and in 2010 he was joined by Laura Jones to develop its creative direction. By combining Jones’s technical knowledge and commercial eye with Gadhia’s conceptual vision, Posthuman Wardrobe increased its status even further.
The current Autumn/Winter 2012 collection, titled ‘The Observer Effect’, sums up most of the key Posthuman Wardrobe concepts explored to date. Technical outerwear fused with reinterpreted traditional shapes and the use of technical processes (such as twisted seams and juxtaposed layers of fabric) lead to the creation of very successful garments with asymmetric lines, collarless lapels, double hoods, and elegant folds. Fabrics include cotton, pure wool and cashmere to retain elements of elegance and tradition that are filtered through a sober palette of science-lab white, x-ray greys and tones of clinical blues.
Even though Posthuman Wardrobe has shown in peripheral fashion events during fashion weeks in London and Paris, at The Style Examiner we firmly believe that this is a label that deserves more attention from the press and buyers. We very much look forward to witnessing its development and examining further creative reinterpretations of traditional menswear.
