ONE 2 WATCH – THOM HUMPHRIS

Thom Humphris is a designer with a difference. Having just presented his A/W 2009 Menswear collection to the masses at hip fashion event Artifical at The Fly in London, he hinted at truly outstanding things to come. With a penchant for black and tailored shapes, the collection is at the cutting-edge of fashion whilst remaining comfortable and warm. Characterized by heavy silks, single-knit jerseys and wool, these are staple Winter wardrobe pieces from a promising young talent in the fashion world. Humphris has worked alongside some of the best names in fashion such as Alexander McQueen and Jean-Pierre Braganz, and has assisted and styled backstage at shows, including at London Fashion Week. Here he chats to AGENT2 about his collection and his fashion influences. 

How did you get into fashion?

By accident actually, at the age of 16 I was a football, rugby-playing athlete. I broke my leg severely playing football just before my 17^th birthday. My leg was plated and bound for around a year. Obviously this left a lot of free time and let me focus on things that I had neglected during my school life. I began to draw, paint and most importantly, sketch designs onto bits of paper. It wasn’t until I realized what I was actually doing was creating garments with my doodles that I realized fashion might be an option for me. I opted for UCA Rochester simply because there were beautiful people there!

What is it that attracted you to working in fashion in the first place?

I think the one thing that attracted me was the psychology behind dressing somebody. My design style is dark but my own dress style is chaotic to say the least. To be able to dress somebody how you would like and for them to feel a difference when they wear your clothes is the attraction to design.

What inspires your designs?

There are probably 2 main things that inspire me. The first is tactility. Take me anywhere and I have to touch things. I can visualize anything from a single garment to an entire collection. I think it’s rather odd and sometimes surreal. Secondly, dark concepts inspire my designs. That’s vague I know, but if you knew me you would understand; anything vile, anything just the other side of the line that you should never cross, is most probably the starting point of the collection. This collection is inspired by the rebellious explorer, the sights and feeling of the abandoned building. I took the shapes directly from photography that I documented inside the buildings, then converted them into simple basic shapes, cut them in cloth and chucked it onto the stand, manipulating areas and playing with structure in others. 

How long does the whole process take, from design to production? And how do you decide on things like fabrics and cuts?

From the start point of a collection to finish it’s probably taken me 7 months to complete everything (Thom has a 25 garment range), looking at each garment from design to toile to final garment usually takes me a couple of days. I can never spend too much time on a garment; I get terribly bored of my own creations, as I’m sure most designers do. I like to let the production process have a freedom of its own. I’ve become aware that most students when doing the course have many stresses when things don’t go to plan. Not that I don’t have a plan but I don’t expect everything to be exactly as I plan it. Listening to myself say that it sounds like I cant be arsed! I can, I assure you, but I’m a believer in the atmosphere the clothes are made in, if it’s a happy, stress-free one, the wearer will benefit. 

I decide on the cut and the fabric based on things developed through the story created, in this collection I mainly focused on the concept of using the shapes of the buildings to inspire cut, and the silhouette was inspired by what the main building I looked at produced- light bulbs. As far as the fabrics go, when producing an all black collection I was aware that texture had to be a key feature of my choices. If I can touch it and feel strong, powerful and respected, then it was brought for the collection. They all have this feeling when you wear them, the structure adds to this.

Why is black such a prominent colour in your collection?

If I visualize anything, what ever it is garment-wise, it will be black. It’s quite unexplainable actually, even my favorite colour is green. I believe most probably my theory behind it is that the most sophisticated men I see wear black. I respect them, I watch them closer, I think they’re hiding something.

How would you describe the kind of man you’d like to see wearing your clothes?

I see him sometimes. In the back corner of a club, or the lobby of hotel. He is affluent and has the grace of that boy I always wanted to be, its really a combination of what makes me and what drives me, the flaws I embrace and the injections of inspiration I take to get what I want, the addiction, he is what I want, he is the parts yet to be explored.

I always try to think of a public figure that I would like to see in my clothes. Obviously a) for sales and b) so people can visualise a muse I have. The truth is that I design for the men I pass on the street.

Are there any designers that you really admire?

Elber Albaz for his shear genius

Stefano Pilati – A fellow black worshiper.

Hedi Slimane – I once got told that my designs looked like Hedi crossed with Japanese structure. I was flattered to say the least.

Who would you most like to style? 

Her Majesty, she’s got bad style. Sorry, I have no idea. Most probably Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails).

What are your future plans, fashion-wise? 

I would love to do a MA in Menswear. With sorting out the end of the degree, I’m a little bit lost at the moment as regards what to do next. I move to London this week actually, I will be interning from then on and hopefully trying to get something fashion wise. The state of the fashion industry job wise is rubbish without recession so God only knows what the opportunities will be mid-recession!

thomhumphris.com

Words Kay Weston  Images catwalking.com