Writer / editor / raconteur / rentboy Zac Bayly recently relocated to London from Brisbane to explore the city’s roaring fashion scene. Between his regular contributions for Oyster Mag and freelancing for a wildly impressive portfolio of style rags, he spun up a feature for Pedestrian analysing two of the breakout male designers from London Fashion Week. Let the game begin…
Strip off! Oil up! Pout, pounce, POW! Welcome to Fashion Fight Club!
Everyone knows that manly men are highly competitive – it’s a fact. If Hollywood has taught us one thing, it’s that men vent their energy through healthy bouts of testosterone-fueled conflict, whether they’re comparing biceps, playing racket-ball or Mario Kart, or downing ‘brewskies’ competitively.
During London Fashion Week, I interviewed two of London’s best young menswear designers, Asger Juel Larson and James Long, and decided that they were subconsciously vying for the title of Pedestrian’s Favourite Menswear Designer.
Asger’s and James’ aesthetics couldn’t be more different, making the designers natural enemies. Asger’s collection was a violent orgy of S&M accessories, biker jackets and shredded denim, while James’ men wore shimmery gold resort wear-style pieces, perfect for that luxurious poolside vacation in Abu Dabi. (Strangely, I was wearing a gold collared shirt and ripped black denim when I interviewed them, which suggests that a) I’ll never work as a stylist, and b) that I was the perfect impartial judge, since my top was a bit ‘Long’ and my ass was so ‘Larson’.)
Post fashion week, I combined their interviews – which took place separately, after their shows – and rated their answers using a highly biased system of my own construction, in order to ascertain who is the better man(swear designer).
Wanna know who’s man enough to dress our man? Read on!
ROUND ONE, IN WHICH JAMES GETS A POINT FOR ECONOMY
Zac: What was the concept for your collection in six to eight words?
James: Six to eight words? Brian Eno. Edward James. Surrealist garden. Licking toads. [+1P]
Asger: Subcultures. Popular culture. My youth. My hobbies. And as well, I’ll say something like ‘MC burgers’ and ‘street gangs’. [+0P]
James Long Spring/Summer 2012
ROUND TWO, IN WHICH ASGER WINS BY ELABORATING
Zac: How many coffees and/or diet cokes have you had today?
James: No diet cokes. One coffee. [+0P]
Asger: I’ve only had one coffee. I get so anxious if I have more than one coffee; my hands start shaking. I’ve had lots of water though! [+1P]
Asger Juel Larson Spring/Summer 2012
ROUND THREE, IN WHICH EVERYONE’S A WINNER
Zac: What is your current state of mind?
James: Happy. [+1P]
Asger: I feel relieved! Half a year’s work, then a five-minute presentation… It’s funny, right? I feel completely stoked! I’m really happy. [+1P]
ROUND FOUR, WHERE JAMES NAILS IT
Zac: Imagine you have taste colours, and everything you see has a flavour. What does your collection taste like?
James: Ok, so my collection would be bitter, like a poisonous lemon. I nailed that one! [+1P]
Asger: Mine would taste like soya sauce. It’s dark and thick, and a combination of lots of different things. [+0P]
James Long
ROUND FIVE, IN WHICH JAMES WINS FOR BEING COOL UNDER PRESSURE
Zac: What were the best and worst moments backstage?
James: Everything was pretty under control. All that I had to do was finalize a few looks, add some sunglasses, and that’s about it! You’re really just looking out for the things you’ve talked about, like is the hair and makeup perfect? And is everything styled the way you wanted? [+1P]
Asger: Some of the looks, I didn’t like, so we had to change them at the last minute. When the clothes come on models, you never know how it will look, but I think it worked out well in the end! [+0P]
ROUND SIX, IN WHICH ASGER WINS FOR GETTING DUDES OFF THE STREET
Zac: Do you have a favourite look from the show?
James: I normally do, but I think it was a very good collection over all. There were a lot of looks that I’d want to wear. I definitely really liked the bags, and obviously I’m wearing the python shirt. [+0P]
Asger: Yeah, I liked the rough guy in the glasses. It wasn’t my favourite look to begin with, but then when he wore it, he really looked the part. Actually, all our models were street cast. [+1P]
Asger Juel Larson
ROUND SEVEN, IN WHICH ASGER WINS FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTION
Zac: What is your personal motto?
James: Do I have a personal motto? I don’t really. I think I change too much. [+0P]
Asger: You only accomplish the things in life that you work your ass off for! [+1P]
BONUS ROUND!!! HERE I AWARDED POINTS BASED ON WHO WAS NICE TO ME
Zac: Thanks so much for the interview!
James: You should come to my after party at W Hotel! [+5P]
Asger: It was so nice to meet you! Give me a hug! [+10P]
THE SCORES:
James – 9 POINTS
Asger – 14 POINTS
Conclusion: While the promise of free alcohol at James Long’s after party thrilled me to no end, I really enjoyed the THREE hugs that Asger Juel Larson gave me after the interview. Writing from home means you spend a lot of time on your own, and I welcomed the warmth of human contact like a lonely leper in a blizzard. Congratulations, Asger!
Zac Bayly is so lonely. Follow him on Twitter and provide a little human contact: twitter.com/zacbayly, or learn more of Zac’s fashion-related follies at his blog: zacbayly.blogspot.com/.
All Photos Provided by Asger Juel Larson and James Long
