Nik Thakkar and Ada Zanditon’s eponymous Ada + Nik debut collection launched yesterday for London Collections: Men at St. Martins Lane Hotel.
The collection featured the Remus and Romulus tops, bringing a bit of edge to the classic menswear button-up. The collars on these two garments bring to mind business wear, accommodating a suit jacket, perhaps. The innovation lies in the concept of the shirts, however, as they are open-backed. Nik shares with Glass that for this collection, he and Ada were inspired by the mythological Grecian and Roman eras, when men wore gladiator style kilts and their garments were inspired by today what we would deem traditional women’s wear. In that vein, the open-backed menswear look offers a translatable ‘dinner-to-after party’ look with an unprecedented twist on a classic.
The collection also impressed in its detailing. The men’s shorts have leather pocket detailing, and each tee is cusped with a leather seam. Further details are in the artistry of the collection, which features a printed short of photographed rose petals rubbed with charcoal, saturated and made fabric. The look is brilliant, unforgettable.
Both industry veterans, this was Nik’s first design collaboration and Ada, seasoned shower at Berlin Fashion Week, made for the perfect companion for the launch of a menswear collection. Their SS14 collection video iterates the high quality production value of the team, and stars the legendary Aiden Shaw.
by Emily Rae Pellerin