Martine Rose Is Having Another Moment
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LONDON — It’s been a frenetic six months for Martine Rose, who made her international debut at the January edition of Pitti Uomo and is following it up with three big collaborations at Stüssy, Clarks and Nike.
In April, she took a swerve at Stüssy, designing car-themed accessories, including a fuzzy leopard print steering-wheel cover. More recently, as Clarks’ first guest creative director, Rose put a colorful spin on a series of classics, which debuted during the designer’s spring 2024 runway show here on Sunday night.
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Working with Clarks felt right on every level, said Rose during an interview at her north London studio.
“The brand is such an intrinsic part of British culture — and beyond. It resonates with everyone. I’m British-Jamaican, and the cultural impact it has in Jamaica is enormous. More important than anything is how comfortable the shoes are, and we really leaned into that,” said Rose, who jazzed up three classic styles in snakeskin, tinting them black and burgundy.
As reported, Rose has also designed a tailored clothing collection with long-term collaborator Nike, which is set to be released in July to coincide with the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup soccer games.
Tailored clothing is new for Nike, and Rose said the idea evolved from their conversations about women’s soccer in particular. “I’m really excited to release that,” she said.
In the midst of it all, Rose is still processing the impact of her big Pitti Uomo show, which she staged in a 16th-century loggia. She decked the space in saffron yellow carpeting and covered the columns with mirrored tiles.
“I think I underestimated the reach, and how far that goes. There were people at Pitti who don’t come to London for whatever reason, and they got to experience my show. And the PR machine behind it. It has definitely opened doors, and raised my profile. It’s such an amazing platform,” she said.
But she was happy to be back showing in her home city, and in the local community.
Sunday night’s show took place at St. Joseph’s Community Centre, not far from her studio.
“I wanted something that was completely different to Pitti — which was a very glamorous show,” said Rose. “There are references to club culture — but it’s a different club culture — a time in London when people used to co-opt rooms or community spaces to go dancing or have a club night.
“I find community centers interesting because, initially, they were very British, but as each wave of immigration came, they would change. There were Polish, West Indian and Turkish centers. They had a relevance for every community. That’s why this show feels very personal,” she added.
A London native, Rose is famous for her colorful, and community-focused, runway backdrops, which over the years have included her daughter’s primary school; the Seven Sisters food market in Tottenham, and the roof of a corporate office block in the City of London.
During the interview Rose was wearing a T-shirt by the brand Sports Banger emblazoned with the phrase “Make Croydon Bait Again.” It was a reference to the area of south London where she grew up, and a play on U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s (and later Donald Trump’s) campaign slogan.
As always, this collection didn’t have a specific theme. Instead, Rose twisted and reshaped menswear classics such as waxed jackets, trench coats and hi-vis vests, subverting traditional menswear codes “and playing around the edges of who the character is, and what they do.”
This season she drew inspiration from traditional female wardrobes, adding A-line shapes to car coats and sportswear, and draping to tailored silhouettes.
She’s also worked a “pre-owned, pre-loved, distressed” feel into the collection. “There are a lot of washed linens, and special treatments that make the clothes feel more easy and relaxed. When you distress things and make them feel a bit more worn and loved, it [allows] people to imagine them in their wardrobes, somehow,” Rose said.
There were slinkier fabrics, too, such as silks, satins and viscose “that sort of drape and flop around,” said Rose.
She explored volume drawing inspiration from the distorted silhouette created by riding a motorbike, with the rounded shoulders pushed forward and all the volume at the front.
Silhouettes were big — a Rose signature — with linings and shoulder pads cut in half to allow jackets to drape and hang in an easier, more casual way.
Rose worked for three years with Demna on Balenciaga menswear, and is widely regarded as having been a major influence on the brand’s oversize, distressed and vintage-flecked men’s silhouettes.
For spring 2024 she collaborated once again with the New York-based brand LL LLC, which was founded by Lia Lowenthal. Rose discovered Lowenthal’s sculptural designs in a shop in Portland, Oregon, fell in love with them and asked Lowenthal if she’d collaborate.
The fluffy ear cuff jewelry, made with marabou features, came courtesy of Yaz XL, a Central Saint Martins graduate who looks to science, magic and sculpture to create her statement pieces.
Rose’s distinctive brand of urban cool has won her numerous fans. Drake featured in one of Rose’s fashion films during lockdown, while Naomi Campbell and DJ Goldie sported looks from her spring 2023 collection on the cover of the fall 2022 issue of i-D.
Rihanna has been a faithful client of Rose’s for more than a decade. She was one of the first celebrities to wear her clothing and has always bought, rather than borrowed, the pieces, according to Rose.
Last year Rose dressed Kendrick Lamar for his Big Steppers tour. Earlier this year, Lamar picked up his Grammy award wearing a pair of Martine Rose x Nike Shox sneakers.
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