FAULT Magazine Reviews Matthew Miller LFWM AW/17

Matthew Miller is a designer who consistently places himself at the vanguard of the menswear pack in London, as he quietly but assuredly tweaks and refines the 21st Century uniform of the enlightened urban man and woman. He designs clothes for those who appreciate intelligent aesthetics, extremely wearable modern classics that not only represent a break from traditional norms, in favour of his new proposition. Miller’s philosophy is similar to that of YohjiYamamoto famous ‘on black’, except that in the case of Miller, he has every intention of “messing with you”. Miller is driven by his desire to challenge and disrupt the system, and his tribe whom he champions are the youth, the disenfranchised, the black sheep and the idealists, the outcasts and the rebels.

In an age of austerity, it was fitting that Miller presented a somewhat austerely minimalist vision for AW17. Entitled ‘Fear Itself’ (a response to the sinister politics of our era):  when put into context with his philosophy, it sent shivers down the spine. Sumptuous outerwear resplendent in rare and exotic materials (antique nappa, silk organdi, Yorkshire wool..) formed the outer shell of ‘human armour’. Beneath these, were encased exquisite tailoring and separates that were predominantly black, with splashes of raw white, rust, granite and blood. Miller played with layering (two shirts to achieve an origami-like effect) and silhouettes, to form his vision of the cloaks of our souls, those shrouds that represent mere glimpses of ourselves, that we use to shield ourselves and our insecurities in public. It was a thing of beauty, it was a call to arms.

Words: Ian Michael Turner