James Adam Nightingale, BA Menswear Graduate, London College of Fashion.
Collection: The Swineheard
As a fashion outsider; I am still adjusting to men in floral prints, let alone a man in a jumper with some pretty hefty 3D flowers hovering over his pectorals. This collection takes the term androgyny to a whole new level. I was fascinated by Nightingale’s use of textures and layering to create typical masculine work wear, with oversized pockets and straps. All were slightly distorted of course, with the contrasting feminine floral prints. Not to mention the pastels.
Inspired by the Hans Christian Anderson story The Swineheard, this collection draws upon “ideas of the traditional farm worker in a fast food society”. Nightingale brings to light the globalised food industry and the way it has been romanticised and distorted.Through unorthodox textiles and a fusion of both traditional and contemporary craft techniques, we are taken back to life in the factory farming age; from an idealistic and romantic angle. The theme plays with “juxtaposition to raise questions of ethics and morality industrialized farming poses”.
With such a strong concept and fantastic use of structure, colour and print, I thoroughly enjoyed this collection. Nightingale is focusing on “the young brave customer, with a keen eye for the avant-garde”. So keep an eye out, Nightingale is likely to crop up again – pun intended- very soon.
Photographs by Sophie Weston
The Colourful Kind 
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