2009 was a great year for men's designer clothing, seeing in the debut release of several fresh and exciting collections. New brands were released all across the sector, but there were two that really stood out strongly amongst their competitors. And so, as 2010 has settled in, it is time to look back on these and celebrate their very first offerings.
Pretty Green
Pretty Green was always going to be popular in the United Kingdom, but was a little surprising was how well it was received Worldwide. The Pretty Green clothing collection was created by Liam Gallagher - an ex-frontman of British rock band 'Oasis'. Gallagher was well known for his personality, looks, band and his contributions to British culture for many years before his came up with Pretty Green. When the news was first announced, his fans followed the fledgling brand feverishly awaiting news on from Gallagher about the designs, availability, price and looks.
The first collection was released in Spring/Summer 2009 and was an online exclusive available only through the Pretty Green website. Items sold out very quickly, and fans were soon crying out for more. The collection featured 'Monkee' jackets, t-shirts, Parka's, canvass shoes, hats, scarves and polo shirts. Many of the items were strictly limited edition, with only 100 made available Worldwide. They sold out within an hour of becoming available.
The Pretty Green Autumn/Winter 2009 collection was announced to fans of the brand first through the social networking sites Twitter and Facebook, as well as through YouTube. Social networking has been a very important element in the Brand's success. Gallagher has been taking and answering questions directly from the public through this medium since the brand was first announced.
Knowing that the Autumn/Winter collection will be an even bigger hit than the earlier Spring/Summer collection, Pretty Green expanded the range as well as its distribution policy. They chose 2 designer menswear retailers from each major city and 30 online stores. Independent stores were favoured over chain stores, and the 30 online stores were chosen from amongst the brick and mortar stores.
Natural Selection
Natural Selection kicked up a storm when it debuted in Autumn/Winter 2009. This hard-wearing, hard-living denim brand is, as their motto suggests, 'Immune to Compromise'. This is a brand that is all about the quality, craftsmanship and build of the clothing.
The brand is inspired by Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution. 'Natural Selection' is described by Darwin as the process by which weaker, less intelligent traits and characteristics and removed from a species' gene pool. Only the strongest specimens survive, and these pass their superior genes into their offspring. Over time, species' enhance their strengths and filter out their weaknesses. This is the inspiration behind the Natural Selection brand - only the best is good enough, and even that has to get better over time. There is no place for the weak, and half-hearted efforts with a willingness to compromise can only fail.
This is where Natural Selection Denim excels. They have focused solely on the jeans - no peripheral t-shirts or accessorised gimmickry - they're a denim brand and so they make denim jeans. The Denim is some of the toughest, most resistant in the World. The denim clocks in at 14oz, this is a good 2-4ox heavier then what other brands use (6 oz. heavier than some of its more questionable competitors!) and is masterfully put together by people who very clearly know what they are doing. The jeans have a strong red selvedge, tough pockets and feature the Natural Selection logo embossed into fine leather on the waistband.
Natural Selection jeans rival Prps in terms of style and certainly in build quality. Both use similar production techniques and are oozing with style. This is certainly a brand to watch in the coming years and will definitely give other premium denim brands a run for their money.
British football legend, David Beckham, is known for his great fashion sense throughout the World. He is highly regarded as a trend-setter, and has significantly contributed to the success of many brands (not least Money clothing!). It is believed that Beckham is a fan of Natural Selection jeans, although he is yet to state it. He has been spotted wearing jeans which look similar, but the photos are not clear enough for a positive identification.
Luke Simon - Looking for 2010
While Natural Selection jeans and Pretty Green were great brands introduced in 2009, we have a whole year of new brands to look forward to now. One that really stands out, and is due for release in Spring/Summer 2010, is called Luke Simon.
Luke Simon Clothing is inspired by the fast paced life of city-living, clashed and fused with the relaxing atmosphere of a vacation at a beach. This is going to be the ideal choice for an easy-wearing, smart casual look this Spring and Summer.
There's no tension with wearing Luke Simon clothes - it's just straight-up chilled out clothing for those wishing to keep appearances. There are a lot of stripes, a few checks and plenty of pastel. The colours are strong without being overpowering and it all works together in harmony to really capture the spirit and atmosphere of summer. It is easy to imagine wearing a Luke Simon outfit on a hot summer's day in a big city park, relaxing and playing games with friends and just absorbing the environment; the friendly chatter, the singing birds, the playing children, the sound of distant traffic and the emotion of bliss.
This is what Luke Simon is about, easy-living clothing for a hardworking lifestyle. Life does not often hand out breaks and free time, but when it does you should make the most of it.
Luke Simon's debut collection is due for Spring/Summer 2010 and will be available in the USA and Europe, both online and in-stores. This is going to be a great brand to watch, and you're sure to want to pick up a piece or two of the collection as soon as you can. Watch out for it hitting stores from early March.
