You know what I really enjoy? Really beautiful menswear. Hell, my boy lived in suits when we first got together (something I frequently try to recapture despite the protests about dry-cleaning bills) and Fuck Yeah Menswear was one of the only reasons I got a tumblr (well that, and to reblog pictures of kittens and otters, but we’re not surprising anyone here are we?) Anyway when Heriot Watt graduate Amber Hunter got in touch to see what I thought of her graduate collection “Secrets in the Suitcase” I thought, worth a wee gander, I do have a soft spot for tailoring and minimalist detailing after all.
I was not expecting to love it quite as much as I did. I dipped my toe in with watching her short fashion film, and it is, without a doubt one of the single best graduate films I’ve seen in a long time. It’s just very very good. It feels like it has a story. It’s a fashion film that doesn’t overly feel like a fashion film, without loosing the designs in the process (I need like 5 of the shirts for my boy right now.)
Hunter has racked up quite an impressive CV in the past couple of years,winner of Heriot Watt Outstanding Merit Award, one of the winners of the “A Man’s Story” Ozwald Boateng design competition, Winner of Scottish Academy if Fashion Mackintosh Project Menswear as well as a fabric sponsorship from Hermès to name but a few and continues to shine with the presentation of her graduate collection.
“See No Evil: Secrets In The Suitcase” is the final product of two years of conceptual research inspired by The Moors Murders (suitably macabre then.) Hunter feverishly gathered every document she could find about the case, loosing herself in a project where she explored the minds of Myra Hindley and Ian Brady.
Sharp collars, wool jackets, leather detailing and pinstripes make up this collection, keeping it simple, contemporary – the tailoring isn’t overwhelmed by overworking, however the detailing is what makes the pieces stand out. The focus here for the collection is the idea of “hidden secrets” which Hunter cites as fundamental to her design identity. Hunter’s collection feels modern, classic and sexy and I’m utterly gutted I won’t be able to make it to the graduate show at The Dovecot’s tomorrow to see it in person.
Amber Hunter is truly one of my ones to watch.
You can check out Amber Hunter’s artsthread or follow her on twitter.