AnOther consider James Long's S/S15 collection of vibrant knitwear, denim and painted weaves
Last spring, James Long translated cycling into knitwear. For S/S15, he has turned his hand to boxing, spining the tale of a Thai boxer gone awry, having abandoned his gloves for life more tranquil as a denim-clad hippie. The leather and knitwear specialist blended striped hoodies, elastic sports shorts and mesh with patchworked torn denim and intarsia knits. Brightly coloured stripes were scattered across clothing, a DIY-aesthetic carried through to the hair: a weave was stitched into each model's head and painted with a neon streak. “Hippy, dippy, trippy Jesus hair,” was the less formal grooming definition by hair stylist John Vial. “Jesus goes to Ibiza.”
"We had to weave every single boy from the neck up to the parting." — John Vial
“It was probably one of the hardest shows I’ve ever done to be honest,” he continues. “Each head took about an hour and a half to dye. We had to weave every single boy from the neck up to the parting. It was sometimes really hard to get the hair to blend in. Then all of the weaves had to come out.” The hair also mimicked the multi-coloured bobbled knitwear and mesh stripes found within the collection. Technical details were noted in bonded tunics and quilting emblazoned with Long's signature.
“Wet hair is going to be big this year,” concludes Vial. “It kicked off last season with Christopher Shannon but I think it’s been a revelation. We haven’t had a wet look since the 1980s, so let’s bring it back.”
Text by Mhairi Graham
