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LONDON, United Kingdom — Kim Jones spawned an entire generation of young London-based cyber-sportswear designers, from Christopher Shannon and Nicola Formichetti to Nasir Mazhar and Bobby Abley, and it's been fascinating to see how distinctly each of their voices has evolved within such a clearly defined vocabulary: a hoodie is a hoodie, a tracksuit is a tracksuit.
Abley’s specialty is cartoon-cute. His latest collection featured the warm fuzzies of mohair and teddybear fur (his logo is a teddy) and the primary colours of Brazil, a land he loves. He was also inspired by the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, as if you couldn’t tell from the palette, the go-go graphics and the helmets carried by Abley’s boys and girls. But cute can turn terminal toot sweet. This designer dodged that bullet yet again with a healthy dose of sex appeal, the way his teddy bear was splayed across a tanned Carioca chest, for example. It raised an eyebrow, added a knowing edge to the collection. Not such kid’s stuff after all.
