Agi & Sam are still finding the balance between exploring cut and silhouette and showing off the skill for print and general surface fun and frolics that they built their name on. A/W 14 was a triumph, a confident collection that perfectly balanced those two focuses. That success was always going to be hard to follow. And while this time around it was pleasing to see the pair not rest on past success and continue to try to grow and develop - its a brave designer that takes on pleats when fashion's already got such a leader in Issey Miyake - the collection lacked the impact and cohesion of A/W. Still, it was in the details that one could see the strengths.
The pair's skill for uniting print and texture shone yet again - for S/S 15 they'd fashioned an abstract pattern that referenced the grouting on rooftops in Japan. Similarly the experiments with suiting were a interesting example of a wider trend we're seeing amongst young designers for trying to modernise tailoring and make it more relevant to men's lives by offering an alternative to a stiff, stuffy Savile Row three-piece. The duo themselves spoke of feeling uncomfortable when wearing formal suits, a concern no doubt shared by many other young men. And while most lads are unlikely to feel any more comfortable in an Agi & Sam apron or a pair of voluminous maxi trousers (especially ones that bulge oddly around the buttocks when walking) they'd surely respond well to those longer, looser cuts and the fun Kimono-style jackets. Cool tailoring? That can seem like a dichotomy when all the hippest designers are peddling sportswear. If Agi & Sam can fill that gap in the market, while still pushing their fun prints, then they could be on to a winner.
