The 25 People Who Matter Most in Menswear Right Now Inline
Photos: Yannis Vlamos / Indigitalimages.com (2)1/26Craig Green
Designer
Like J.W. Anderson before him, Craig Green is a designer who appears to have leapt fully formed from London s petri dish. First at Lulu Kennedy s MAN shows, then at his SS/15 London Collections: Men own-show debut, this Central Saint Martins alumnus follows a seductively reductive creative process, by first asking hard questions—what are our clothes for? What is their relationship to us and the world they shield us from? Do we carry them or do they carry us?—and then shaping his answers via a sensibility informed by sculpture, cinema, and the unblinking ethos of his teacher, the late Louise Wilson. True, it was partly in her memory that so many in the audience wept at Green s show last June, but the fact that his collection made them think of her is a huge compliment. —Luke Leitch
Photos: Courtesy of Très Bien (2)2/26Hannes and Simon Hogeman
em Founders and buyers, Très Bien
If the current moment in menswear can be defined by the ease and fluency with which it oscillates between high fashion and street, tailored and utterly casual, then the Hogeman brothers should be credited as the influencers-in-chief. Très Bien isn t the first or only menswear shop to stock Nike alongside designers like Dries Van Noten, but it s certainly where the mix has been most refined. With a burgeoning in-house line and their regular presence at fashion weeks and in showrooms around the world, Simon and Hannes are leading the direction for menswear right now. —Noah Johnson
Photos: Gianni Pucci / Indigitalimages.com; Neil Rasmus / BFAnyc.com3/26Raf Simons
Designer
Done for pleasure and with heart, Raf Simons menswear still emanates youthful enthusiasm even now, a full two decades after he launched the line. Yes, his career has since mushroomed into one of fashion s weightiest—Dior and Dior Couture via Jil Sander (at its clinically exuberant best)—but when he is designing for his own label and his own gender, Simons plays with precision and lightness. From an AW/14 collaboration with Sterling Ruby to an SS/15 collection whose decorative heart was a collage of his own life experience, Simons artistry is at its most relaxedly authentic in menswear—check the collabs with Fred Perry and Adidas, too. —LL
Photos: Courtesy of Our Legacy (2)4/26Christopher Nying and Jockum Hallin
Founders, Our Legacy
Our Legacy has quietly grown to become the brand of the moment. If you aren t already wearing it, you probably should be, and will soon. With three stores in Sweden and one opened recently in London—in addition to being stocked at most of the best menswear shops around the world—Christopher Nying (top left) and Jockum Hallin s (top center) anonymous basics brand has come into its own (and has brought on a third owner, Richardos Klarén, top right). The collection ranges from unpretentious and understated (oxford shirts and raw denim jeans) to ostentatious and nearly ridiculous (in a tasteful way, of course). The magic is that they do it without taking matters of clothes too seriously. A sense of humor is too often missing from the men s shopping/dressing experience, and Our Legacy is doing good work breaking that ice with offbeat cues like zebra-print shirts, drawstring suit trousers, and pony-hair jackets. —NJ
Photos: Courtesy of Hedi Slimane; Gianni Pucci / Indigitalimages.com5/26Hedi Slimane
Creative director, Saint Laurent
What is left to say about Hedi Slimane s intensely scrutinized revitalization of Saint Laurent? One thing that hasn t perhaps received enough comment is the precision of the clothes themselves. Cut, proportion, fabric, and, not least important, the refusal to embellish beyond what is necessary—Slimane nails these elements in almost every garment. None of which might sound extraordinary, till you realize how often other designers get those things wrong. —Dirk Standen
