Prepare for tough times ahead with cosy crochet

As the post-Brexit era signals tumultuous times ahead for UK-based fashion brands, designers turned to turbulent eras in Britain’s past for inspiration at London Fashion Week Men’s.

The Seventies loomed large at JW Anderson, the lauded Northern Irish designer. Granny squares were made cool in crocheted psychedelic colours, replacing pockets on cardigans or sewed to the toes of skate shoes.

Flares in flowing cotton or smart navy wool had whispers of the Bay City Rollers and were worn with printed thigh-length shirts.

Despite his retro inspirations, Jonathan Anderson’s genius is in his originality. Trousers chopped short and sleeves extending far past the fingertips gave any vintage elements of the collection a decidedly modern feel. The First World War influenced the Mayfair outfitters Private White VC, who presented military jackets adorned with carabiners and belts made from climbing ropes.

At E.Tautz, which is headed by Patrick Grant, presenter of The Great British Sewing Bee, slouchy suits and Harrington jackets were based on Peter Mitchell’s bleak photographs of 1970s post-industrial Leeds — clothes for keeping cool in the apocalypse.