Men's fashion week kicks off in New York showcasing wearable art, pants with a twist

REUTERS - Men's fashion week kicked off in New York on Monday (July 9) with designers showcasing their offerings for Spring 2019. American designer Michael Rubin, creative director of Krammer & Stoudt found inspiration in his latest vacation to Tokyo, taking his queues from Japanese street style, using "classic Japanese print patterns" for his collection titled "Eight days in Japan." Models wearing oversized shirts and chino pants broke out into dancing with a video of Japanese imagery playing in the background. The collection had a relaxed feel with shorts paired with matching oversized sports coats, finished with Converse sneakers. "I try to stay away from being too heavy handed with anything, whether it's the inspiration or the trends," Rubin said about his design philosophy. Japanese streetwear brand HBNS made its debut in New York, showing a colorful collection of denim pieces with a twist. A model showed a pastel yellow denim short and jacket ensemble, while another sported hybrid shorts made with khaki and denim fabrics. Updating classic items for an unusual outcome was his key to success, said HBNS designer Akio Mitobe, "I put a little bit of a twist on basic pieces in order to create something new. It's just a little modification, the basic concept is not changed," Mitobe told Reuters. Swedish design duo Emrik Olausson and Gustav Peterson of "Limitato" also showed for the first time in New York, bringing their "wearable art" fashion to the United States, Their collection consists of simple tee-shirts and trousers with a print of a famous artist or photographer using the garment as a canvas. The brand has ongoing collaborations with nine photographers and artists, among them Terry O'Neill, whose vintage photographs of David Bowie and Raquel Welch adorn their $170 (USD) limited edition tee-shirts. New for Spring 2019 is a collaboration with American artist Craig Alan whose representation of Marilyn Monroe is featured on their designs. The brand only creates a very limited number of high-quality clothing, each piece marked with a specific number. "This one, I think it is 850 pieces in total, so like every piece is completely unique. And that is why we are called 'Limitato' it is 'limited edition' in Latin," explained Olausson to Reuters pointing at a black shirt with a print of vintage Kate Moss photograph by O'Neill. New York Men's Fashion Week is a three-day event with designers showing they're ready to wear lines throughout the city.