OutThere Magazine OutThereStyle SS15 Special Issue

Fashion is in a relentless race towards the future, so much so that designers have become soothsayers of sorts, predicting and shaping what’s next for menswear. Ideas that take shape in their studios and sketchbooks will be presented on models walking down the catwalk; and, if seen to be viable by buyers, will appear in stores – the ultimate chequered flag and measure of success, providing everything sells well. When worn, it’ll be snapped on smartphones and shared the world over, defining the moment and eventually becoming a signifier of our past.
So many factors affect what the future holds for menswear, the geographical origin of the designers, where they studied, who they trained with, the development of new fabrics, the advancement of new techniques and production, the insights of so-called trend spotters and a new crop of fashion influencers, with digital media as their weapon of choice.
The future is a place where multiple possibilities coexist, it encompasses our hopes and harbours our fears. Utopia and dystopia are but a matter of perspective. In this issue we have gone forward in time and explored some of these possibilities. We’ve created nightmare visions where your soul can, and will, be consumed by the ‘Cult of Proteus’ and exalted the shape of the evolved, water-bourne human in ‘Man 2.0’. We’ve also hacked into a future Bangkok in ‘Neuromancer’ and seen ‘Time Travellers’ explore London’s changing landscape.
Feature-wise we’ve examined the future influence of emerging Chinese designers Sankuanz and Six Lee and paid tribute to visionary futurist Pierre Cardin. Closer to home, we’ve looked at our own futures and explore ways to tailor our grooming regimes to cushion ourselves from the ageing process.
We hope that you’ll be inspired by our ride forward in time. It’s the future, we’ve seen it and it’s OutThere. The question is, are you?