The launch of PETROU\MAN deservedly received a fair bit of blog love (with Filep Motwary first out of the blocks) as folks were all excited to see the Cypriot designer turn his hand to menswear for SS10. The fanciful images he created for the look book which aim to represent elements of everyday life certainly capture the eye and the imagination. Inspired by men's active sportswear, the debut offering is a mix of patterns, mesh and is a reinterpretation of classic jackets and shirts. Nicolas Petrou is an MA graduate from CSM who has been occupying his time in New York working for a number of design companies including his own (PETROU). I jumped at the chance to catch up with the designer for a DazedDigital piece. As part of the interview I spoke to Nicolas about being inspired by Geoffrey Beene, living and loving New York, wanting to dress Olivier Theyskiens and being an excellent host. The full interview can be read over on Dazed but below are a few of my favourite questions and answers along with a few unseen look book illustrations...
Describe the collection in your own words Nicolas Petrou: The inspiration for this collection started from an illustration by Sirichai done for Geoffrey Beene in 2001. Then I looked into men’s active sportswear and what they achieve with the cut, the fabric and the design. And of course all those creatures of the night that always strive to present something new and different. I combined all these elements into the classics that men wear today and developed a collection that is focused and complete. There are mesh inserts in the sleeves of jackets for better movement, the fit is closer to the body but yet relaxed, the lengths are shorter than those of classic jackets and shirts… It is a younger look in general for all the guys that do not want to look like their fathers when wearing a suit.
Talk us through the illustrations accompanying the look book...Nicolas Petrou: The illustrations are based on our everyday life situations and are created from events that are happening around the world at the moment. I wanted to create an environment for the PETROU\MAN that exists today but is more abstract and creative. The destruction of the world, science, genetics, war, politics and what is generally on our mind in these times we live in. Everything was done with no budget; I shot the collection on a friend and created all the images on photoshop with my genius assistant Soteris Kallis. It was fun and exciting to see the result and the amazing reviews from different people.
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