For today’s Textual Conversation we had the utter pleasure of catching up with Carolyn Massey, head of design for British Heritage brand Lyle & Scott. After completing her MA in Menswear at the Royal College of Art, Carolyn launched her own successful and critically acclaimed label under her own name. She was awarded the NEWGEN MEN award by the British Fashion Council three consistent times which allowed Carolyn to present catwalk on the official London Fashion Week schedule. Then in 2012 Massey was appointed Head of Design at Lyle & Scott to create on brand concept and direction. 2014 is an achievement of a year for Lyle & Scoot who celebrate their 140 anniversary !!! The brand prides itself on seven brand pillars that underpin Lyle & Scott today. Its heritage is unrivalled. Its Britishness is a given. It will always be premium quality. Its close relationship with golf informs the design aesthetic. The Classic designs offer a timeless style. A contemporary outlook is essential. And a refusal to conform comes from a strong sense of self.

So for Spring 14 we see the brand looking back through the archives and delving into the roots of the brand to create an 11 piece premium line. The collection exclusively features the original ‘L&S ltd’ logo which is indicative of where the brand started. Alongside this, the embroidered tonal eagle sits proudly on the sleeve subtly recognising where the brand is today.

Unlike the bright colours the brand has become associated with due to its strong golfing heritage, the palette is drawn from the Lyle & Scott tartan forming sedated Scottish tones ofberry, blue, black, navy and ivory. Ohh and is only available for the anniversary year, so get your skates on. Ave a read….

If you could collaborate with one brand who would it be and why?

We have 2 really exciting collaborations coming up for AW14with 2 very different designers that are totally relevant to the brand. One is the Glasgow born Jonathan Saunders for the Scottish kinship and the other is Universal Works for David Keyte’s personal history & relationship with the brand. In the future I’d love to work with an artist, Lyle & Scott has such a history in colour, someone who could reflect that. Watch this space!

If you could give your teenage self advice, what would it be?

Trust your intuition. Know yourself. These things come after time and experience, as a creative I often don’t know why I’m doing things at the time, but know myself well enough these days to trust that part of the process.

How did you get into the industry, what was your big break ?

I studied a BA and then a Masters degree in Menswear. I’ve been lucky to have a few big breaks, working alongside some fantastic people. Getting sponsored by Topman to show on schedule at London Mens’ was always going to be a great highlight.

What track would always get you on the dance floor?

‘I wanna dance with somebody’ by Whitney Houston, clearly…

Who would your ideal dinner guests be ?

Oh wow.. that’s a question- Joseph Heller (Author of myfavourite book “Catch 22”), August Sander (Photographer who travelled through pre-war Germany photographing tinkers, vagrants and circus-folk amongst others- his book Citizens of the Twentieth Century is a firm favourite and a book I turn to for constant inspiration), Brian Clough (you’ve got to have one controversial character at the dinnertable), Massimo Osti (so that I can charm my way into his archive), Oliver Sacks (author of one of my favourite books “The man who mistook his wife for a hat”) and my Grandfather.

What piece of clothing best describes you?

I’d like to think I’m Churches’ monkstrap brogue. Black in winter, brown in summer.

What do you have to do after this conversation?

I’m preparing for a presentation to the business about how one of our new ranges should look.

Have you ever bought a piece of clothing and regretted it?

Always! Particuarly in my fashion student days. A rather fetching over sequined top springs to mind. My tutor at the time, the wonderful Ike Rust, told me I reminded him of an out of season Christmas bauble. It wasn’t the most the most stylish of tops! Now I tend to buy once and buy well, but I do get bored of clothes quite quickly.

What piece of clothing should every man have in his wardrobe?

Why a Lyle & Scott Lambswool jumper of course! Seriously though, its a really great piece, something we are really proud of, a true part of our 140 year heritage.

Who is your style icon? Why?

I’ve got some amazing print outs above my desk of guys wearing Lyle & Scott in the 80s – peoples dads, lads out watching football, boys in teenage bedrooms. These men are my style heroes and inspiration.

If you had one day to live what would be your biggest regret?

I don’t have regrets- it’s a waste of energy!

Lyle & Scott 140 Anniversary range

London has well and truly established itself as a destination on the menswear calendar as a Fashion & Style capital. So as that international Fashion circus of journalists, retail buyers, celebs and, well yours truly, all conjugate in major cities in the name of observing the trends and future wares of some of the biggest & most talented fashion brands in the world, Clothes-Make-the-Man brings you all the best reviews, titbits & opinions over the coming weeks. Enough of this, first up on the London Schedule is the exhibition as I, rather out of character, arrived early. So I took myself off to have a look around, which in the past have proven to be a greater source of inspiration than many of the show, this season was no exception. With the likes of a Common People, Lyle & Scott and Universal works all offering GREAT Collections for Autumn including collaborations with Jonathan Saunders and the aforementioned Universal Works for Lyle & Scott, all managing, very well, I hasten to add, to produce very creative collection all the while managing to be highly commercial.

An example if Jonathan Saunders for Lyle & Scott

Onto the shows for me, my lad and first up is TOPMAN. You never quite know what to expect from TOPMAN Design and this season was no exception, the show can be summed up in three words Mature, Desirable but above all Wearable. With a very muted colour palette of Black, Navy, pale blue and flashes of Russian Red. If those guys over at TOPMAN HQ are planning on targeting an older the customer, they won’t have a problem enticing him. Plus with the dulcet tones of John Copper Clarke and the downpour of rain in the finale, it brought me right back home to my Northern roots.

TOPMAN Design

Next on my hit list is Gieves & Hawkes and the subject of yesterday’s textual Conversation, Mr Jason Basmajian, who just so happens to be the house’s new Creative Director, making waves in all the right places. Jason, informed us his profile that he was going to offer us an, “Elegant,textural, tailored, rich, Savile Row revisited, British twist”. Which quite simply summed up the collection.

Gieves & Hawkes

Now, talk about ends of the spectrum and what is becoming a real USP for LC:M is how it manages to go from the tradition and finesse of Savile Row to young designers offering the height of creative inspiration. One in question being the wonderful Richard Nicoll, who from season to season just seems to be getting stronger and stronger when it comes to his Menswear. Only four seasons in and Nicoll’s presented to us, what can only be described as a riot of Colour. If I had to fit it into a tweet, I’d say, A modern interpretation of the urban man’s wardrobe.

Richard Nicolls

Last, but by no means least of today’s round up, is Christopher Raeburn, who was one of a number of Designers who picked up on the Polar Explorer vibe in their collection, it was a seriously cool show which Mr Raeburn laid on. You were left thinking, did he know something about the weather for next season that we didn’t which was rather apt as we read about our freezing American cousins who were experiencing record low temperatures.

Christopher Raeburn

Normally the one to watch section of the blog is reserved for young, up and coming brands, however today we’ve made an exemption to the rule as Lyle & Scott almost feel like a new brand as they have so much coming up over the next couple of months. But before we move forward, we can’t miss out the rich history of this brand which stretches back to 1874 when it was founded with a loan of £800 from an Edinburgh based investment company and £500 from a local corn merchant by Messers William Lyle and Walter Scott in the Scottish town of Hawick. Lyle & Scott have, as the Headline reads, stayed true to its roots and still today draws on its over 130 year archive that includes designs by Christian Dior and Michael Kors.

However, is wan’t until 1960 that the Eagle finally landed and started to be used by the brand as their iconic logo and round about this time they started to establish themselves as key players in the world of Golf apparel. During the 1970’s & 80’s their bright and patterned knitwear became synonymous with the golfing world and the Celebrities of the day. It was common place for such stars as Sean Connery, Greg Norman or Comedian Ronnie Corbett, who would be sat in his arm chair telling us of a funny thing happening to him on his way into work, to be seen wearing the unmistakable knits.

Like with every good brand it had a period in the 90’s where it took, what can only be called a sabbatical from the style scene but like a phoenix from the ashes of the new millennium came out fighting with a re-branded new look and feel which was followed by the launch of Lyle & Scott Vintage. Like in the 80’s the retro aesthetic look of Lyle & Scott became a hit again with the likes of The Arctic monkeys, Kasabian, Dermot O’Leary, Steve Jones and the cast of Skins.

For AW12 the Heritage collection takes a trip along the great British coastline, using inspiration from the traditional Naval and Maritime dress code to create a sophisticated and stylish winter wardrobe. The key piece of the collection that embodies the design ethos perfectly is a Melton wool pea coat in navy, a real time-honoured classic. Of course, the knitwear offering is at the core of the collection with a shawl collar Submariner sweater in 100% heavy gauge merino wool. Another knitwear highlight includes a crew neck pullover, available in a range of colours and made in Scotland from 100% lambswool, providing a simple but timeless winter indulgence. Cords complete the Heritage look, capturing the nautical dress code of the season in navy or burgundy.

Now with British designer Caroline Massey taking at the helm watch this space for another new and always interesting turn in the next chapter of Lyle & Scott

LyleandScott.com

Carolyn Massey of Lyle & Scott -Textual Conversation

Lyle & Scott 140 Anniversary range

London Collections:Men Show Review Autumn/Winter 2014 Pt I

Staying true to its Roots – Lyle & Scott

Categories