On Sunday London’s Oxford Street Selfridges played host to House of Holland’s first ever menswear collection. The brand has previously ventured into a mens underwear line, but this is new territory for the witty brand.
On the second floor of Selfridges car park was an exhibition dedicated to not just HoH new line, but the partnership of the collaborator and photographer Martin Parr.
White walls adorned with campaign images, a Selfridges food van serving typical northern food of sausage rolls, cheese toasties with tomato garnish and mini cheeseburgers and at the end of the venue models wearing the reason for the show.
The presentation had an air of fun about it as Manchester 90s band like the Happy Mondays echoed around the room. To top the northerness off the campaign imagery was shot in Henry’s home town of Ramsbottom, just one of the inspirations behind the subcultural collection.
Drawing ideas from sportswear where HoH has created a football shirt and shorts with “Lover” across them in burgundy and white stripes, to rockers with leather jackets in black with orange zip details, to preppy chic with smart tailoring in purple and orange banding with a single double button front.
No HoH collection would be complete without some semblance of cheek or whit. Henry has used the slogan “I just want to enjoy myself” onto a duffle bag and T-shirt, hailing back to his first collection, One Trick Pony, where the text graphic was bold for all to see. The other one in typical HoH fashion is “your banter is bullshit” across a small clutch bag and a phosphorescent orange T-shirt.
One thing Henry has carried across from his womenswear line is the use of bold patterns, incorporating monochrome checks on a coat, red tartans into a T-shirt and shirt with House of Holland on the rear, and black and white zig-zags into a pair of knee-length shorts as well as a suit jacket with zip pockets, with matching trousers in full zig-zag print or plain black with banding down the outer leg created a chevron effect.
As mentioned previous House of Holland are known for their use of text either in slogan or one word wonders. The collection carries that theme through, with the cementing three words “Lad, Legend, Lover” embroiled across jumpers, long-sleeved pink shirts and shorts and sportswear.
The collection is everything I wanted the first menswear collection to be, it remains true to brands traditional fun and almost whimsical roots. But now for Henry’s first venture into menswear it’s breathed new life into the already well-established brand, and trust me when you see the pieces (which are online to buy now) they’re anything but “bullshit”.
