Fashion, masculinity, and social impact – Fashion East designer Jawara Alleyne offers a promising collection

London Fashion week S/S21 has been and gone, and while mainstream designers have presented some fantastic collections this year, it’s definitely worthwhile taking a look at the debut work of some of the newer designers wo dominated the runway this season. They can sometimes offer a breath of fresh air in such an elite and therefore closed off industry.

The Jamaican-Caymanian menswear designer and Fashion East newcomer Jawara Alleyne’s A/W21 collection focuses heavily on exploring masculinity and self-definition, a theme that is heavily reflected in his designs. During his opening season, he exposed sections of the torso appear to be a motif in his collection: from sleeveless V neck shirts that close at the stomach to cropped halter necks and complex layered tops with numerous cut-outs. This season’s message is clear; it’s time for menswear to explore more revealing upper garments.

Such a bold collection offers an interesting new perspective on what we define as menswear. The majority of menswear collections choose to play with colour and print as opposed to the structural design of the garment. Certainly, there isn’t as much exploration of garment composition as we regularly see in womenswear collections; so even if this season’s designs don’t appeal to you, it’s well worth keeping an eye on this designer’s work in the future if you wish to see something truly innovative within a section of the industry that has for far too long been content with the familiar.

As the founder of the Nii Agency, a modelling agency that is dedicated to diversity, this isn’t the first time that Alleyne has worked to change perspectives within the fashion industry. It will be interesting to see where he’ll go with his next collection. Like it or hate it, it will likely be very different to what we’ve grown to expect of menswear.