LC: M with Paul Costelloe

Amid the manic, madness and mayhem of the Mens Collections in London, at the adopted home of the BFC The Hospital Club on the second floor we met with the inimitable Irish designer Paul Costello to find out how the industry is changing and what the Collections is doing for London's stake as the home of menswear.

Q: As someone who has been in the industry for over 30 years, how has LC: M changed the market?
Paul: London's Menswear Collections has been running for four seasons now, I think it will become more relevant and I think it's a wonderful opportunity for British designers showing British fabrics and promoting British makers. It's still quite small, and it is clashing with Pitti, maybe we could sort out the dates a little better but I think it's a special place, that's what I'd call it at the moment, special.

Q: What prompted your decision to join the Collections?
P: Well number one, it's quite reasonable which does help if you're a small menswear design company. Number two, the standard here is exceptionally good compared to ladieswear it's of a very high quality I think that's wonderful. Menswear people are very unique they're not here today and gone tomorrow it's a greater commitment, it takes a lot longer to be a success and there's just a wonderful atmosphere. There's also a great loyalty among male customers in that once someone establishes a relationship with a retailer, it lasts and that is very comforting.

Q: LC: M promotes London as the home of menswear, would you agree with that sentiment?
P: I do I think you have to go back to Victorian times, characters like Sherlock Holmes, men's fashions have dominated it's history. Also the wonderful mills in the North of England, Yorkshire, i's a great tradition, a lasting moniker of the Empire, it's in the country's DNA.

Q: Having worked in France, Italy, New York & Dublin, why did you choose to settle in London?
P: I settled here because I have a large family and I wanted to give them a bigger picture of the world when I was living in Dublin. It's OK being the big fish in a small pond but I prefer being the small fish in a much bigger pond.

Q: What's next for Paul Costelloe?
P: We're looking at (expanding) China, we're launching in Australia at the end of February with David Jones and that will be our first time in Australia so, the eastern continent.

Q: Can we expect to see you at LC: M in June and next year?
P: Of course, definitely.

We also had a closer look at the AW14 collection which, with emphasis on fabric and colour, is steeped in tweeds and tartans:

A big thank you to Paul for taking the time to chat and to Matt Coles at Chase PR.

Paul Costelloe SS14 @ LC:M: A Closer Look

Paul Costelloe is an Irish born designer who moved to London with his business in 1999, set up in 1979 in Dublin, after a vast training experience in both France and Italy, the brand was expanded in the 1990's and pitched up in London's Knightsbridge.

Fast forward to the second decade of the new millenia and the brand is taking a large step to attract a new customer, a younger gentleman with a discerning eye and a keen interest in the finer detail of his garments.

At the behest of Chase PR we were invited to take a look at Paul's SS14 collection which was viewing at the Hospital Club in Covent Garden for London Collections: Men.

We were given a tour and informed chat by Matthew Coles from Chase PR who was in the showroom to lend a hand.

As you can see from the photo reel there are bunch of subtle pastel shades on display in his jackets as well as more gentrified herringbones and windowpane checks. The composition is more relaxed with a slightly padded shoulder, 'spalla camicia' (shirt shoulders) and patch pocket details. The fabrics have an open weave and are only one third lined to keep the wearer cool and comfortable in warmer temperatures.

As well as the jackets you will find chambray shirts, a superb selection of cotton trousers with side tabs fastenings rather than belt loops, and a wonderful array of hand rolled silk handkerchiefs. The handkerchiefs are carefully considered floral and paisley prints, the floral prints often concentrated in one quarter to allow for some diverse pocket artistry.

We'd like to say thank you to for the invite and we're very much looking forward to seeing the collection in stores.

Big thank you also to Matthew too who has really caught on to what we are hoping to convey through the blog, he's also a keen sartorialist with a blog of his own Topgrain.co.uk and has just been to Pitti Uomo the menswear trade show. Take a gander at what he saw on his travels, very good reading and some brilliant photos.