TOUBA : ART COMES FIRST
Art Comes First was founded by former Savile Row designer Sam Lambert and media artist and stylist Shaka Maidoh in London few years ago. ACF is a cross-industry multimodal collective providing its two creators with the tangible platform for expression they were longing for after being active in a band for a few years. In their words, Art Comes First is working towards artistic expression and cultural craftsmanship for a Redefined Global Style. Under its apparel line « Avec Ces Frères », ACF draws upon an exceptional tailoring tradition to compose a strong punk-chic vestiaire that is wearable, sharp, creative and travel-friendly.
ACF puts forward collections which aim at creating a sense of belonging. Their items, such as the skull puffer coat on the left hand-side of photography, are highly-coveted pieces amongst the people who identify with Art Comes First’s ambitions and identity.
The AW20 collection of which the highlight is shown in the picture above was inspired by an art exhibition in Paris. Hassan Hajjaj, a contemporary artistic and photograph, as well as Sam and Shaka’s good friend, was recently honoured in a large retrospective exhibition at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie. His works feature bold vibrant asymmetric prints and colours superimposed on strong youthful bodies photographed through specific camera angles. The down jacket coat in the picture is a mix of what looks like a kimono cut, with an original artwork of paisley print designed by ACF’s Japanese collaborator TT_art_arch. Reminiscent of the evening opera cloak with its structured swathes of fine fabrics, ACF associated to it the modern eclectic prints needed to create the perfect unique evening coat for a 21st century dandy.
These yellow and red ensembles are also part of ACF’s AW 20 menswear collection. The profusely printed motif of tailor scissors on the garments above are a sarcastic expression of ACF’s filiation to bespoke tailoring tradition. While claiming filiation with Savile Row’s designers, ACF never gives up on revitalising the bespoke style for the modern market. With their contemporary garde-robe, ACF pushes the envelope of modern suit making and bespoke active wear, creating more contemporary silhouettes with bolder fabrics.
