The Bite Magazine - Spring 2016 - Issue 15

Gina Gill gives us an insight into designer Andrew Majtenyi and his SS16 collection. T hink fashion inspired by the nautical and the mind goes instantly to endless Breton stripes, wide legged trousers and many a Gaultier runway. However, sometimes a fresh perspective on an oft-used theme can lead to a truly beautiful collection. Andrew Majtenyi is one designer who offers exactly such a perspective, bringing freshness to his take on cruise collections without the usual clichés. Based in London, Majtenyi set up shop in Clerkenwell in 2009 and his star has been rising ever since with the likes of Leona Lewis, Nicki Minaj and Daisy Lowe donning his designs. He began his career as an apprentice, working under the tailor Vincenzo Cardone learning all the ins and outs of 20th century tailoring. He followed this by working under the talented Madame Sophie who taught him the fine art of advanced draping and his education in hands-on skills was com- pleted with a honing of his couture skills whilst working with the National Ballet of Canada under Oscar nominated Santo Loquasto.The span of these varying skills combined to lay the groundwork for some wonderful designs and over the years Majtenyi has finessed his talents for producing a fine cut and fit as well as excellent finishing. More than just a designer, Majtenyi is also accomplished in film, having designed for a number of film and television produc- tions and now channels those skills into writing and directing the short films that open each of his catwalk shows. So back to the nautical theme – rather than going for the standard girl meets boat and wears stripes route, inspira- tion was drawn from early 20th century battleships of WW1 combined with the modern passenger and cargo steamships. It was an unusual theme for a SS16 pret collection but one that resulted in a wonderfully diverse collection. It wasn’t just the theme for this collec- tion that was unusual. Majtenyi executes his design process in a rather unusual way too, eschewing sketches in favour of using the texture, colour and feel of a fabric to draw inspiration for his silhouettes. Perfect for a seasoned world traveller, favourites from the collection include a beautifully cut, wide legged jumpsuit that exudes elegance whilst retaining the appeal of being slightly quirky, a satin wrap dress with pops of block colours that’s PERFECT for cocktails on deck (or cocktails anywhere really) and a preppy little shorts & t-shirt combo reimagined in a wine hued silk for all the comfort of leisure time with NONE of the poly cotton blend.Who says downtime can’t be stylish? www.andrewmajtenyi.com bitefashion Images courtesy of Pop PR