Christopher Shannon, the Central St Martins MA graduate, started his eponymous line with menswear, but after winning the inaugural BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund in June 2014, it wasn’t long before he ventured out and debuted womenswear for SS15. Now, however, it’s time for a second.

Twin caught up with the rising talent to find out more about his pre-fall line, inspired by Young British Artist Henry Bond.

With this being your second, tell us a little about your decision to start a womenswear collection?
It happened as weirdly as we had a little space in the schedule at the studio. For years I had drawn up women’s ideas and then decided it was the wrong time. Suddenly it seemed like the right time, or just the time when it was actually do able.

What was it about YBA Henry Bond’s work that caught your attention?
His book ‘The Cult Of The Street’ has been a fave of mine for years, I think I picked it up in a charity shop. It just really captures a time. I don’t really know much about his other work.

The plastic bag motif has been carried over from the menswear line. Will all future collections be reflective of the men’s?
I think it’s always nice to move ideas back and forth, just the context of seeing men’s pieces on women starts you thinking of them in a different way. My work is kind of unisex I suppose, it’s never really going to look that draggy.

Do you design with a certain type of woman in mind?
I think that’s a little bit simplistic, I think I know that it definitely isn’t a certain type of woman, but that again is quite limiting. I always think of women I know or work with and what they would wear. I think I’m really working on offering an alternative to dressy or pretentiously ugly.

In a way, you fuse luxury with streetwear to create modern and unique pieces. What are you favourites from the collection?
I love the shortened knit and the tracksuit with the ruffles, they just have a modernity and an ease.

christophershannon.co.uk

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