matthew francis millward

THE SPRING 20 CONCEPT PRODUCT PRESENTATION - ‘CALVIN’S NYC’, ‘MODERN UTILITY’, ‘OCEAN PARK’, AND ‘ESCAPE’. A WIDE BREADTH OF APPAREL IS DISPLAYED, FROM MODERN OFFICE-INSPIRED SPORTSWEAR, A FUNCTIONAL SPORTS CAPSULE KNOWN AS ‘MOVE 365’ (REPRESENTING THE DAYS OF THE YEAR), INCLUDING MORE CASUAL INSPIRED JEANS AND WASHED ASSORTMENTS WHICH PLAY MORE INTO THE SOFTER PALETTE OF ‘ESCAPE’

FALL 20 CONCEPT DECKS FOCUSING PRIMARILY ON OUTERWEAR IDEAS, THE CK ‘MOVE’ / COMMUTER PACK AND ESSENTIAL TIMELESS KNIT PROGRAMS. THERE IS AN EMPHASIS ON FABRIC TEXTURES OFFERED THROUGH WOOL, THE TENSION BETWEEN MATTE VS SHINE, MODERNITY VS TRADITIONAL, ALL THROUGH THE LENS OF MODERN SPORTSWEAR

THE CALVIN KLEIN FALL 19 MEN’S SPORTSWEAR SHOWROOM OPENS WITH A VERY FOCUSED COLOUR PALETTE; LEVELS OF GREY GROUNDED WITH BLACK AND NAVY; HITS OF NEON VOLT, SILVER AND ROYAL BLUE AS ACCENTS, FOR A MODERN AND SPORTS-INFLUENCED SENSIBILITY. THERE IS A FUSION OF CLEAN TAILORING WITH TECHNICAL OUTERWEAR; MILITARY MEETS REFINED, MATTE VS SHINE

FALL 20 TECH PACK ‘LIGHT’ PAGES; A DECK TYPICALLY USED BY THE DESIGN TEAM TO INITIATE EARLY PROTOTYPES FROM OUR VENDORS

THE FOLLOWING SET OF PHOTOS WERE TAKEN FROM THE CLUB MONACO FALL 17 CAMPAIGN, WHICH I HAD STYLED AND WAS SHOT ON LOCATION BY RANDALL MESDON IN FREEMANS, NEW YORK. THE FOCUS WAS ON RICH TEXTURED FABRICATIONS; DONEGAL TWEED, ARAN KNIT SWEATERS, LUXE-HANDFEEL SHEARLING, FELTED MELTON WOOL, WITH A MILITARY-INFLUENCED COLOR PALETTE OF SOFT GREYS, NAVY, OLIVES, CAMEL AND WARM CREAM

A SMALL SELECTION OF SPRING / SUMMER CONCEPT IDEAS, PRINT & PATTERN BOARDS, AND PHOTOS OF STYLING OUT FALL OUTFITS IN THE SHOWROOM, PRIOR TO A FLOORSET UPDATE IN ALL STORES

A SELECTION OF NIKE WORK EXAMPLES AND DESIGN DECK PAGES FOCUSING PRIMARILY ON NIKE SPORTSWEAR " TECH PACK ", THE MODERN FORWARD-THINKING SPORT SILHOUETTES, FABRICATIONS, TRIMS AND PERFORMANCE ATTRIBUTES

A CURATED SELECTION OF RALPH LAUREN RUGBY CAMPAIGN PHOTOS SHOWCASING OUTERWEAR, TAILORING, ROUGH-WEAR, WOVENS, KNITS AND SWEATERS, INCLUDING A SHOWROOM RIGGING PAGE AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE DESIGN PROCESS

THE FOLLOWING IMAGERY IS TAKEN FROM PAST A&F CATALOGS, SHOWCASING OUTERWEAR I DESIGNED, AND WASH WORK I DEVELOPED WITH OUR FACTORIES OVERSEAS. THIS COLLECTION WAS WORK I PRODUCED AFTER COMING TO THE USA IN 2004, AND COVERS NOT ONLY A&F, BUT ALSO THE ‘EZRA FITCH’ PREMIUM LABEL WHICH WAS SOLD ONLINE AND IN FLAGSHIP ABERCROMBIE & FITCH STORES WORLDWIDE

A FOCUSED SELECTION OF MOOD BOARDS, BASED ON MULTIPLE FINDS, IMAGERY AND INSPIRING VISUAL ELEMENTS I FOUND POKING AROUND ANTIQUE STORES IN COLUMBUS, OHIO, USA. USING SOME OF MY OWN ORIGINAL PHOTOS TAKEN OF THE CORNISH COAST, PHOTOS FROM THE SOUTH OF FRANCE, AND OF MY OWN VINTAGE JEANS, I COMPILED MOOD BOARDS OF IDEAS AND APPAREL DESIGNS REFLECTING AN OUTDOOR / WORKWEAR SPIRIT

DENIM INSPIRED MOOD BOARDS, SHOWING THE BEAUTY AND VERSATILITY OF INDIGO AND HOW IT FLOWS FROM APPAREL TO THE OUTDOORS AND BACK TO ITS USE WITHIN INTERIORS

A SELECTION OF MOOD BOARDS EMPHASISING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TECHNICAL APPAREL AND TRADITIONAL TAILORING, SHARP DIMENSION AND MODERN CLEAN LINES

STREET INSPIRED MOOD BOARD IMAGERY

J. CREW Menswear has an incredibly distinctive DNA; a solid foundation which strikes an emotional chord with its consumer; a reminder of a first job interview, an East coast Fall wedding, lazy days in salt-washed, sun-faded chinos strolling through Martha’s Vineyard, or cycling Nantucket’s cobbled Main St. But the sole intention of this project is to propose a fresh approach to the Menswear assortment; delving deep into its rich archive and staying true to its signature ‘codes’, whilst purposely turning the dial and steering the brand in a more contemporary direction. The focus will be on the Tailoring business, Casual Lifestyle, and Sportswear / Athleisure

The main objectives:

Reset the suit / tailoring business and take back ownership of market share due to other emerging brands playing in this field. This is for J. CREW to own again. Every detail should be obsessed over, from fabrics to SB / DB lapel widths and pocket angles, lining qualities, buttons. There is a definite shift in Menswear back towards a more sartorial, tailored sensibility after the strong streetwear influence

Own the casual lifestyle business; injecting a more polished and modern feel which should appear sophisticated but not slick. More emphasis on saturated color, modern prints, blended fabrications

Define a sportswear sensibility; less street, but more athletic chic

Engage the consumer through a more modern, updated and relevant marketing lens