They’re everywhere you look: tastefully executed chore jackets, roomy beige chinos, leather loafers, artfully tied cashmere sweaters. They’re all very pleasant – hell, they’re what most of us men are wearing on any given day. But therein lies the problem.
On Tiktok, they’re calling the phenomenon “Zara Slop”: a mass-produced, lowest-common-denominator version of “good taste” that has saturated the department stores and the high street alike, and nudged us all into dressing exactly the same. It’s a sorry state of affairs when menswear stylists, Reform candidates and Love Island contestants could all feasibly wear the same combination of workwear jackets and pleated pants.
If you’re in the same menswear rut, don’t feel dispirited: psychologists advise that the best way out of a funk is through a consistently repeated series of small actions. That starts with what you buy next. It’s easy to argue that plainer, quieter pieces are a “smarter” investment, because they imply a lack of risk. But a few well-chosen curveballs will likely last you much longer: what looks unusual, distinctive, even eccentric now is likely to do exactly the same in five years’ time, when the neckline on that plain cashmere jumper has started to seem a little passé.
Thankfully, we’re in the world’s best city for mixing things up. Sure, the deadening liminal spaces of the high street megastores don’t have much to get excited about. But London is still home to some of the most exciting independent brands on the planet, which have graduated from the fashion week circuit and are quietly pumping out great clothes on their own steam. They need our help right now: like every other business, they’re being hamstrung by a combination of inflated costs and sluggish demand. It’s use ‘em or lose ‘em time. You could start with AV Vattev’s perfectly constructed, satisfyingly slutty menswear, which comes finished with lacing, grommets and other faintly fetishistic accoutrements. His knitwear, in particular, is beloved of men unafraid to add a little steam to their style (the king of riggish dressing, Paul Mescal, is one of the label’s better-known fans). Oscar Ouyang is another knitwear rogue making waves.
Conner Ives, whose womenswear collections are already a bona fide tentpole of London Fashion Week (and whose “Protect the Dolls” T-shirts, in support of trans rights, were a viral sensation last spring), continues to evolve his menswear proposition in an oddly compelling way, drawing inspiration from 1930s Berlin with slinky tailoring and silk scarves. His men’s clothes haven’t hit the mainstream yet, but they deserve to – consider this your insider tip.
Similarly, while Stefan Cooke’s artfully tweaked separates and SS Daley’s faux-naïf knits aren’t exactly new, they’re the rare London brands that have surfed the wave of hype and are still around now. Give them a look, and ask yourself this: when was the last time someone crossed the room to ask you what you’re wearing, and where they might find it?
Three more brands to know
Derrick The Bethnal Green-based designer’s mashup of suits and sportswear looks like nothing else on the market right now.
LEJ London Consider this the secret sauce behind most of London’s “menswear guys” – their deceptively edgy outerwear in particular ranks among some of the city’s best.
Octi Men’s jewellery is thriving in the capital, and we particularly love Octi’s offbeat nature-inspired pieces, made in silver and gold.
