”A well-tied tie is the first serious step in life.”

- Oscar Wilde

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Moschino S/S15[/caption] Hello Significant Seams readers, My name is Shamal and I recently started volunteering at Significant Seams after dropping into the hub on a chance visit. I was intrigued and inspired by the great work carried out by the team, and felt perhaps my menswear skills could be put to use in the community. I have been interested in men's fashion since I left school and began studying Menswear at the London College of Fashion. I now personally have the great opportunity to work as the production manager for designer Lou Dalton. We have had a busy few weeks in the run up to LC:M (London Collections: Menswear) and it's been great to see some amazing designers showcase the best in British menswear design. Fashion week has always been associated with womenswear, but the tides have now changed and twice a year the best in menswear fashion design showcased in London.Now in its third year, the three day spectacle of shows, presentations and parties by over 130 designers is known as London Collections:Men. The UK menswear fashion market was valued at 12.9 billion in 2013. It is now forecasted to grow by 27% between 2013 and 2018 to reach £16.4 billion(source:Mintel). This forecast is a direct impact of the LC:M shows and their growing global influence. Buyers, editors and journalists descend upon the city of London to watch the latest trends set by British designers. This has caused an increase in some major export markets from as far at the USA, Russia, Middle East and the Far East (source:BFC). LC:M S/S15 took place between 15-18 June 2014, and yes, that's a whole year before you end up wearing the garments showcased on the catwalk. A range of well known design houses from Burberry Prorsum to Moschino showcase alongside emerging designers such as Craig Green and Matthew Miller. High street brands like Topman, Superdry and Hackett present exciting shows to set the tone for their forthcoming collections in store. [caption id="attachment_3886" align="aligncenter" width="199"]

Topman Design S/S15[/caption] This season, we at Lou Dalton opened LC:M to some rave reviews including style.com, ID online and The Financial Times. It was a collection inspired by "control and protection" which gave Lou Dalton a chance to go back to her signature “Rebellious English sportswear with a strong attention to detail” style. With stockists such as Opening Ceremony, Dover St Market and Liberty's the Lou Dalton brand is emerging as a influential menswear company. [caption id="attachment_3887" align="aligncenter" width="199"]

Lou Dalton S/S15[/caption] I had an intense couple of months of hard work leading up to the show, which culminated in a glittering party, held in the centre of Liberty's store in London in our honour. Having trained in both tailoring and menswear myself over the years, I can't help but feel a showcase like LC:M for designers has long been coming. It is amazing that menswear designers can get their own fashionable showcase spread over three incredible days. Gone are the days when menswear was one day stuck at the end of London 'Womens' Fashion week. Everyone by this point was packing to travel to Milan which starts immediately after LFW. There is now a 30% increase in buyers coming to LC:M year on year and season on season(source:Mintel). All this interest has created over 797,000 jobs within the fashion industry collectively (source:Oxford Economics 2014)and the journey for Menswear design has only just begun. [caption id="attachment_3888" align="aligncenter" width="199"]

Craig Green S/S15[/caption] This article was kindly written for us by new volunteer and fashion designer/tailor/enthusiast Shamal Waraich, and was originally posted to his blog at http://lcmintroducing.blogspot.co.uk/ Credits: LC:M and Catwalking.com

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