Login / RegisterLrma Clothing's London Alexander styles clean and cool menswear
London Alexander doesn’t “like fashion”. Odd, considering he’s a fashion designer and a fairly talented one at that. In fact, if his fall-winter 2012 collection exudes as much understated steeze as his spring-summer 2012 collection does, Lrma Clothing’s London Alexander, is going to be the one to watch at this year’s Eco Fashion Week—which runs from Tuesday to next Thursday (April 10 to 12) at Robson Square.
“Basically, I’m just trying to make menswear,” says Alexander in a phone interview. “Obviously, I gotta follow trends a bit. But I’m just kind of doing whatever inspires me or whatever I think is cool.”
For this season, the Squamish-based designer combined two distinctly different, yet completely classic, influences and made them his own. The result is a hip, but not pretentious, line of casual wear for dudes who are fashion-conscious, not self-conscious. In other words, guys can rock Lrma pieces without looking like they’re trying to buy street cred with designer clothing.
“I kind of wanted a clean look, but also a surfer look,” says Alexander. “So I went for French Riviera with some California beach ease and missed both, and it kinda came out like this.”
You can still see where he was going with those two inspirations, though. His navy-cotton slim shorts ($148), for example, have the same breezy summer vibe as boarding shorts do, but they also have just enough of that south of France chic thang going on to pull off a dressier look with an untucked shirt and blazer. And Alexander has just the right blazer for that.
His silky pinstriped lined Japanese cotton blazer (which comes in black, tan, or navy for $400 or denim for $300) fits a little longer than a business jacket and has a really effortless summertime feel to it.
While most of his collection—which, come May, will be carried at Nouvelle Nouvelle (209 Abbott Street), Staccato (1842 West 1st Avenue), the Board of Trade Co. (227 Union Street), and online—consists of neutral basics, Alexander did throw in some colourful, cutting-edge pieces, like his short-sleeve, button-up floral shirts, which feature hidden pockets to, as he says, “stash all sorts of things”.
“I didn’t want a Chachi floral,” says Alexander, referring to his pattern-selection process. “I wanted something that was masculine and I think it worked out, because the feedback has been pretty good. People love them. I’m actually surprised by how much people love them.”
In terms of what makes his label eco, he uses sustainable materials as frequently as possible and all Lrma clothing is made in B.C. But you won’t catch him beating his chest about it. “I’m trying to keep it here,” he says of his production outsourcing, “because it supports the community.”
