It’s a man’s world. And in the world of menswear, for London-based premium trade show Jacket Required, spring/summer 2016 is the best of times, the epoch of belief, the season of light – with everything before it.
The invitation-only event returns to The Old Truman Brewery for July 2015 in the centre of creative, cosmopolitan Shoreditch to host its ninth edition, presenting a comprehensive yet considered hand-picked selection of international premium brands from all aspects of menswear. Having established itself as the place to discover a wide range of the world’s finest new and established labels across sportswear, tailoring, streetwear, fashion, casualwear footwear, accessories and lifestyle product – for the forthcoming show, buyers will be welcomed through a new glass-fronted entrance via Hanbury Street, incorporating additional space and introducing an increased collection of like-minded labels.
“For us, it’s always been about the people,” says Mark Batista the show’s co-founder. “When we started the show in August 2011, we had 30 brands and loyal support from buyers and press within the industry – our friends, our menswear family. Now, four years later, Jacket Required hosts approximately 300 collections, and continues to attract more buyers from the world-over, yet the premise remains the same – a shared understanding, a collective statement that together we’re providing the very best selection of menswear that can stand strong in a simple setting.”
While it’s true that the show has continued to grow since its launch at Rochelle School, the curators-come-organisers have never lost sight of their original goal to bring together quality retailers with the finest prominent and up-and-coming menswear brands – from every corner of the world under one roof during the international buying period.
“What you see is what you get,” says co-founder Craig Ford. “Jacket Required’s approach since day one has been to strip out any large branding paraphernalia and marketing propaganda – a straight forward rail and table set up against white washed walls, an honest aesthetic so the product can speak for itself and rise above the add-ons. As a show, we select brands in the same way a retailer would – our buyers are an elite group of their own making, able to identify the collections that will set them apart from the competition – in search of the extraordinary, mediocre is anathema to them.”
And so, Jacket Required continues to develop its offering for the men of its world – catering to the superior tastes of the sartorial select. With homegrown labels and those from further afield, the spring/summer 2016 edition is set to welcome returning brands Edwin, Red Wing, Clarks Originals, Made by Scrub and Gant Rugger along with many labels including Birkenstock, American Vintage and Halo making a debut appearance, all preserving the show’s original paradigm – a tale of quality of brand, diversity of offering and uniqueness of experience in the heart of the city of London.