SET IN a neon-lit old bus depot in Hackney, Mark Fast presented his audience with a sporty, pop fusion of knit textures and bright colours. The collection was born from Fast’s time in lockdown, spent reflecting on his “original fashion fascination and cultural aspiration”. It is a collection which evokes retro gyms, ‘80s club euphoria, and Fast’s signature knitwear craft.
Skin tight, finely woven, super-short mini skirts were worn with sweatshirts or boxy jackets and sock-stilettos: partially knitted footwear that reframed the sports sock as fiercely sexy. This is what Fast is known for – his exciting, sensual reimagining of knitwear.
Mini skirts at Mark Fast SS21
The show included Fast’s emerging menswear and unisex pieces. Men wore tracksuits and casual wear in day-glow colours, emblazoned with enlarged, scribbly MF motifs and topped off with Mark Fast branded high-tops and retro sports socks.
Menswear at Mark Fast SS21
A standout piece amongst the boyish trousers and flirty skirts was a stripy roll neck in eye-watering green, orange, lilac and baby blue, shot through with black. Unisex but skin tight, the stripes and outsized neck toyed with gendered proportions triumphantly – a joyful and androgynous exploration of Fast’s knitwear mastery.
Mark Fast SS21
The collection is euphoric – neon-coloured and retro, sporty and futuristic.
By Connie de Pelet