The following are some of the ways to get in touch with each other:Hey, they say that the years get faster as we age. If that’s true, we must really be getting on because 2018 has been one of the fastest on record.
The time between Christmas and the New Year was a blur. There were Brexit negotiations that went awry, World Cup Fever – or World Cup Disappointment – and more royal weddings to shake a taxpayer-funded solid-gold sceptre at.
Blink and you’d have missed it. Which would’ve been a pity, actually, because as swift as 2018 was, it still managed to bring with it a staggering amount of menswear greatness (and not-so-greatness) in the form of throwback revivals, high-profile brand hookups, hyped trainers and beyond.
From high-fashion highlights to the best and worst of the year’s trends, here we hand out the official FashionBeans Menswear awards for 2018.
Brand of the Year: Sportswear
Fila
If you’d told us five years ago that in 2018 a Fila trainer would be the second most-searched fashion item on the net, falling only behind the iconic
Thanks in no small part to the nineties revival, the Italian label managed to rebuild its damaged reputation, going from sale rack to runway and becoming one of the year’s biggest success stories in the process. At the core of this was the Disruptor – a bulky, white, platform-esque stomper that took off with unprecedented success.
There were the collaborations. From young, renegades like London’s Liam Hodges to esteemed Italian fashion houses like Fendi, it seemed every designer worth their salt was desperate to team up with the retro legend this year, and things only look to be gearing up as we transition into 2019.
Most Influential Designer
Stella McCartney
The word sustainability is the hottest buzzword of the moment. However, unlike ‘normcore’ and ‘DILF’, it’s one that actually carries significant weight.
Stella McCartney has been sustainable since day one, refusing to use fur, down or even leather and boycotting suppliers if there was so much as a whisper that their produce wasn’t ethically acquired. She also set for her label strict targets in terms of the environment, including using organic materials, avoiding endangered trees, and reducing oil-based synthetics.
It’s an approach to fashion that saw her ridiculed in the past, but she remained steadfast in her commitment. In 2018, all of the fashion’s biggest names are now following suit.
Menswear Icon
Jonah Hill
Jonah Hill’s transition from bumfluff-bearded, flannel-shirt-and-fedora-wearing kid into straight-up fashion killer has been a joy to behold. It made us warm on the inside. We’d imagine it’s the same feeling you might get from watching your child excel at school after a particularly ropey parents evening, or releasing an injured bird back into the wild and watching it instinctively adapt to its natural environment for the first time. We’ve watched him grow into his own unique sense of style over the course of a decade, and it’s been epic.
Whether he’s getting papped out and about in Hollywood draped in skatewear courtesy of Palace and Bianca Chandon, or strutting the red carpet in slick black tailoring, it’s clear that this is a man who knows how to dress. For us, Jonah Hill is one of the coolest guys in Tinsel Town and a bona fide menswear icon who we can’t wait to keep watching evolve over the years.
Everyday Brand Of The Year
Marks & Spencer
Bashing Marks & Spencer has become a favourite pastime for everyone from business journalists to those who like to think they’re one step ahead of the menswear curve. They say it’s old-fashioned. They say it’s boring. It’s where their grandparents go to stock up on pyjamas, so why should it be worthy of a place in a sartorially superior wardrobe?
The dated mindset of younger consumers has led to them missing out on the best clothing for everyday wear. We’re talking selvedge denim, vegan footwear and high-quality tailoring that won’t break the bank nor your style credentials.
This year saw a suit collaboration with David Gandy as brand ambassador, and some great PR for the World Cup, thanks to England manager Gareth Southgate. The following are some examples of how to use waistcoat. Couple this with an unsung yet sturdy commitment to sustainability and it’s plain to see why M&S was the best place to stock your wardrobe in 2018.
Style Move of the Year
Do Whatever The F*ck You Want
The rule book was torn apart, thrown away and possibly stitched into a suit that an A-list celeb wore to a red carpet event.
This was the year that anything went. The year when Jared Leto’s dress sense began to (almost) blend in. This was the year that men in dresses, puffer jacket gowns on floor-length, and dinner suits became more common at movie premieres.
We saw baseball caps married with Savile Row tailoring, the biggest pop stars on the face of the Earth in tie-dye T-shirts à la your embarrassing uncle, and chunky trainer across the board. This was bold and brilliant. And this is only the beginning.
Worst trend
Premium Mediocre
To ensure that their brands are accessible to everyone, luxury fashion houses rely on affordable items such as accessories and fragrances. Premium products, such as clothing and shoes, maintain an air of exclusivity. It’s a marketing trick as old as fashion itself, but this year it took a turn for the ridiculous.
Suddenly, consumers were shelling out £100 for a pair of socks or half a month’s rent on a baseball cap. Why? Because they had ‘Balenciaga’ or ‘Vetements’ slapped on them.
In reality, these items are no different to something you might buy from a street vendor, with ‘I Love London’ emblazoned across the front – some of them are no doubt even come out of the same factories. It’s the fact that by buying something with a name like ‘I love London, they get an illusion of luxury when what they have is nothing close.
Best Collaboration
Polo Ralph Lauren x Palace
There is one collaboration that stands out in 2018 – apart from our own partnership with London menswear brand Percival. Let’s go back to mid-October. Three giant billboards popped up in Tokyo’s Shibuya district showing a simple image: a polo player on horseback with the word ‘Palace’ written directly beneath.
This might not have been much to a casual observer but it was a major announcement for streetwear fans. The hype was palpable when it was announced that Polo Ralph Lauren, the iconic preppy brand, would team up with the fashion-oriented skate brand Palace.
The collection, which was launched on November 9, included patterned rugby shirts in vibrant colors, corduroys jackets, plaid tracksuits – and much more. Both brands have taken their key features and combined them exactly in the same proportions.
Most impressive comeback
Nineties fashion
The nineties revival is back in menswear. 2018 proved that the trend-cycle clock of 20 years still ticks at the speed of a nanosecond. 2018 saw the re-emergence of baggy denim, a return of childhood favourites like trainers and the wraparound sunglasses.
It wasn’t just our wardrobes and accessory drawers that were infiltrated, though. Curtains made a surprise return in the nineties, giving hairstyles a new look. Even the most open-minded barbers could not have predicted this change. The man bun was a huge success, but anything can happen after that.
It is possible that the greatest benefit of the 90s revival is that it has allowed a few brands to come back into prominence. These retro sportswear labels are now some of the most sought after on the market, and with sales continuing to soar, that doesn’t look set to change any time soon.
Most Wearable Fashion Trend
Americana
This year’s Fashion Week runways were awash with more denim shirts, western jackets and jeans than Ralph Lauren’s walk-in wardrobe. Americana had returned to the fashion world.
It’s one of the select few trends from this year’s catwalk shows that we regular guys can get on board with. The garments aren’t too ‘out there’, they’re nice and casual, and they can be paired up nicely with the majority of your existing wardrobe.
So, while the Raf Simons’ shiny, satin cowboy shirts and Palm Angles’ studded denim jackets probably aren’t going to be taking up residence in our rotations anytime soon, the overarching theme is something we all can definitely glean some valuable style inspo from.
High-Fashion Brand Of The year
Louis Vuitton
Off-White founder Virgil Abloh has served a huge slice of humble pies to those who believe the intersection of high fashion with streetwear is a fad.
Self-described former skater child and pioneer of ironic brand, made headlines after it was announced that he will be taking over as artistic director of menswear of historic fashion house Louis Vuitton. His debut collection was shown at Paris Fashion Week, in June. It received universal acclaim.
It was a smart move by LV, and marked another step toward winning over a younger and more street-savvy audience following 2017’s hookup with transcendent skate label Supreme. Abloh was a great choice for the fashion house, as it allowed them to compete against the likes Balenciaga.
Trainer of the year
Nike Air Max 1/97 Sean Wotherspoon by Nike
You might think it would be difficult to choose just one pair of knockout trainers in 2018 due to the volume. It wasn’t. Even with all the 3D-printed shoes, transparent uppers, and amazing sole technologies that the last 12 months have brought us, one shoe stood out.
Long time collector Sean Wotherspoon’s corduroy reinterpretation of the Air Max 97 had sneakerheads climbing over one another to get their hands on a pair. And it’s not difficult to see why: the contrasting layers of pastel colour to the upper; the wave motif on the tongue; the textured fabrication; and, of course, the fact that this is not one but two shoes in one (that’s an Air Max 1’s sole unit). So wrong but so right.
Best Hair Trend
Mid-length
If Timothée Chalamet, Dev Patel and – dare we say it – Justin Bieber are doing it then it’s probably worth paying some attention to. This year, mid-length hair was the most popular hairstyle. To be honest, there were worse trends.
2018 saw a resurgence of wavy locks, and it was long overdue. The past decade brought us everything from undercuts to military flat-tops – all of which were lacking a tad in the length department.
We’re happy that this hairy problem has been stylishly rectified now, and as long as things don’t get too much longer, we’re all for it.
Watch Trend of the Year
New collaborations
This year has seen a change in the way that the stodgy old watch industry approaches its collaborations. Watchmakers were reluctant to allow outsiders to play with their dials until now.
This year, however, saw Bell & Ross create a watch with streetwear label A Bathing Ape and Tag Heuer let Hiroshi Fujiwara, a Japanese street style designer and influencer, design a limited edition Carrera. Zenith has collaborated with Bamford Watch Company. This customisation firm was previously viewed by many watchmakers with a lot of suspicion. The result is more wrist candy for watch lovers to fantasize about.