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In The Know: why Spain's Jaime Alvarez is one to watch

Marcus Jaye
01 August 2019

Good menswear is all about timing. Knowing exactly where we are right now and where we’re going next is paramount to design sophisticated product which resonates. It’s intuitive and is the sign of a great designer.

Hitting the mark and making menswear waves is 25-year-old Barcelona Fashion Week star, Jaime Alvarez. His label "Mans Concept Menswear" has quickly become the hot ticket of Barcelona, winning Best Emerging Designer multiple times, and offers a combination of dressy yet cool menswear which wouldn’t look out of place on Harry Styles or any red carpet.

"Everyone believes that MANS comes from man, but, it actually comes from my grandpa’s german surname ‘Demans’,” says Jaime Alvarez. “My grandpa is the person I admire the most, he made me appreciate a good suit and taught me how important it is in men’s dressing.

“I covet finely constructed clothes made from good fabrics that last a lifetime,” he says. “But, I look for more relaxed tailoring for everyday life.”

Alvarez founded Mans Concept Menswear in 2018 straight after graduating from the Istituto Europeo Di Design (IED Madrid) in 2017.

“I've always had the idea of creating my own brand,” he says. “Everything started two years into my final project where I presented twelve looks under my brand concept.” he says. “I’d found an enormous gap in menswear between the classic tailor’s suit to an extravagant design that I personally believe no one would wear on the daily life, so I believed that there would be a place for MANS.”

Huma Humayun, Fashion & Features Editor, Schön! magazine says: “The brand is definitely one to watch. Jaime Alvarez is not only the most exciting young designer at 080 Barcelona Fashion Week, but holds his own amongst much more experienced and established brands.”

Humayun was on the judging panel when Mans Concept Menswear won Best Emerging Designer for the third time at 080 Barcelona Fashion Week in February, 2019. “It was simply the strongest collection, both in terms of originality and, I believe, commercial viability.” she says. “Perhaps it was not as 'commercial' in the traditional sense as some of the other collections in that category, but to compete on an international stage, one must also bring something fresh to the table,” says Humayun.

Jaime Alvarez

Mans Concept Menswear SS20

Proudly Spanish, Mans Concept Menswear is made entirely made in Spain in a little atelier in Madrid, except the shirts, that are made in Seville, Alvarez’s home town. There are four people in his team and seven more working at the ateliers.

Based around tailoring, Alvarez, is trying to push the boundaries of masculinity yet with very beautiful clothes. “Masculinity is an attitude whether you wear an ostrich feather shirt or an anthracite grey blazer. We de-contextualise fabrics that from the beginning are for women and use in menswear pieces without losing the virility and masculinity,” he says.

For his AW19 collection Alvarez took to India for inspiration and, his latest collection, SS20, it was all about a night in Vienna.

“I get my inspiration from many different places; from guys I see on the street in my hometown in Sevilla, La Luisana. There I design the majority of the collections, but it's curious because it’s far from Andalusian folklore, but there are pieces with a southern see-through inspiration,” says Alvarez. “I take a lot of inspiration from fabrics, normally, I investigate fabrics and from there, the sketches,” he says.

Alvarez doesn’t garner much inspiration from the current menswear market and looks to the old masters. “I’m tired of sportswear,” he says. “I love to have references from artistic tendencies and iconic dressmakers such as Cristobal Balenciaga. His skill with fabrics and patterns still have me fascinated.”

Just shown at 080 Barcelona Fashion Week in June 2019, his latest collection "A Night In Vienna" was a confection of brooding tailoring with sheer pieces and elegant satin sashes.

“With this collection we were looking for a maturity on the patterns as well as in the couture through the details compared to our other collections.” says Alvarez. “This time, the MANS man travels to Vienna to be captivated and nourish himself on the romanticism that involves not just the art and the culture in the Austrian capital, but in the minimalistic and solemn way of opera and music conservatories.

“This collection is more focused on details; lined blazers in white poplin instead of the classic lined tailoring. The flaps are full of eyelets, trousers topped with mini satin flaps and waterfall fringing,” he says.

“It's a collection that maybe does not flash on the runway, but a closer look and there are surprises. On the colour palette it’s much more sober and defined, when compared to the last collection where I made a more crazy colour study, with colour touches of burgundies, sunset oranges, and pinks."

Mans Concept Menswear AW19

Mans Concept Menswear AW19

Alvarez is referring to his AW19 collection, which is just about to hit his website, and was inspired by India and featured florals, exaggerated lapels and knitted tank tops. A vibrant Indian colour palette of fuschia, marigold yellow and green gave this a collection a summery feel with the highlights being delicate leaf cutouts in soft tailoring.

Humayun, says: “The (SS20) collection clearly demonstrated Jaime's progression as a designer. It was sophisticated both in terms of ideas and technique. It was much more restrained than the previous collection, in terms of the palette, but still had shots of bold colour. I think Jaime has really mastered how to introduce colour into his collections and it's one of his main strengths – that and his attention to detail. I also loved the accessories.

“It's not easy to achieve an impact on the catwalk and produce wearable garments, but I feel the brand does this very successfully. It's tailoring with a high fashion edge, for a man who wants to stand out without being overly flamboyant." she says.

“It will be exciting to see what Jaime does next season. Although he's developed a strong signature, each collection is very distinct,” adds Humayun.

Any young and gifted designer will reach a stage in their career where they have to think about the next step. Do you stay a big fish in a small pond, or take the leap? “This was our last show at 080 Barcelona Fashion and we are looking for new platforms to present the new collection,” says Alvarez. British Fashion Council, are you listening?!

 

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