#underground designer

Junji Ito Slug Girl bomber jacket

Size L

1 of 1

Instagram: underworldkingpin

https://depop.com/underworldkingpin

SURGING FASHION is lucky enough to ask the brand 3 questions that help us understand the creative mind behind the brand.

1) How do you approach blending your artistic expression and practical functionality in your designs?

> Men’s fashion to me has always had a practicality to it. When conceptualizing the brand, it was important that clothing would be produced in a traditional way, allowing for variations in the textiles so that each piece has its own personal identity, but not in a way that would make production impossible to scale. The artistic expression comes from the unique vintage textiles and materials we use to produce our work.

>

2) If you could design a collection inspired by any era, culture, or place in the world, what would it be and why?

> I have always had an affinity for 1970s rockstars, or just the 1960s and 1970s in general. That’s been a huge source of inspiration for N Palmer. That time was the rise of what we would call fast fashion through the industrialization of clothing manufacturing, and synthetic fabrics, mail order clothes, I love looking at vintage catalogues of high street menswear. However, there was also the counterculture DIY movement. I think what I like about it is the experimentation in how people expressed themselves, and the psychedelia of it all; it’s an era I think anyone can find something they love about that time in fashion and design.

>

3) How did you first come up with the idea of N PALMER?

>It was during lockdown here in London. I needed to do something as an escape from the reality of what was going on; the world felt bleak. I needed to create something in complete opposition of that, something optimistic. But because of what was going on I needed to invent an alternative supply chain for creating pieces, which without the internet would have been impossible. <