Martine Rose: Unisex Monstrous Volume Clothing
IN THE WEEKLY RUBRIC "NEW MARK" Wonderzine presents young designers and tells where and how you can buy their things. Our heroine this week is Martin Rose, who spent her youth on raves in London and founded the unisex name brand that Rihanna and Azilia Banks wear.
This British brand began in 2007 with a debut collection of shirts, shown in one of the clubs in SoHo. Here, Lulu Kennedy from Fashion East noticed her, and Martin got the opportunity to participate in a small installation during the men's fashion week in London. In 2012, she presented her first full-fledged collection, and later received a grant from NEWGEN for the development of the brand.
Martin's collections are recognizable: their basis is huge, almost monstrous things. At the same time, most of them look quite basic, be it wide pants, huge jackets or loose T-shirts. The designer does not share things on a gender basis, and Arena Homme Plus fashion editor Max Pirman helps with the styling of filming. It must be said that in each collection the girl turns to a new subculture, whether it be skinheads, hip hopers or ravers, and does not cease to talk about the significant influence of music on her work.
Martin is an innovator not only in the area of styling, but also in the presentation of collections. For example, she presented the entire line of spring-summer 2015 clothes with a single bow: the model was wearing dimensionless sweatpants, a T-shirt, hoodie with zippers and a giant leather jacket. Martin says that sometimes it’s enough to show one image and everything will be clear.
The girl is supported by the musicians, as well as by the fashion group Been Trill, with whom she had a joint collection autumn-winter 2015. To work with the Been Trill is to make a serious step to the future: this team is on a short foot with brands like Nike and Supreme, and also Kanye West level figures. Obviously, they recognize a serious potential for Martin Rose. However, she is already fine now. Behind the designer are collaborations with ASOS, Timberland, CAT and Opening Ceremony, and among fans of dimensionless things Martine Rose are, for example, Rihanna and Azilia Banks, which can be seen in the brand’s things in the “Atlantis” clip, as well as the Vogue editors.
Not only star customers are talking about demand for and prospects of the brand, but also the fact that Martine Rose items are presented in key world concept stores and department stores: Browns in London, VFILES in New York and Opening Ceremony in the States and the UK - as well as a number of Asian boutiques: GR8 in Osaka, Fake Tokio in Tokyo, KniQ in Hong Kong, Space Mue in Seoul.
Subcultures, coupled with music, street influence and politics, are of course a hypnotic mix and endless source of ideas. My work always includes strange things and combinations of materials. They are dedicated to the outsider hero, and the awkwardness in which I see a lot of beauty is inherent in Martine Rose clothes. For me, personal style and feelings of clothes are important, and not the separation of things into women's and men's. A girl in a huge coat of her boyfriend or a boy in a shiny satin shirt are examples of beauty, full of nuances and an easy attitude to things.