LouLou Hicks

Premium street wear, with a sports inspired aesthetic is leading a new generation of menswear. Growing up around the world of sports and athletes, I generally find it crucial how a piece of clothing feels when worn and the functionality of garments.
I have commonly chosen men's clothing in my personal style, drawn to the relaxed silhouette and lived in feel they exude, which I capture in my designs.
I am inspired by the authenticity I observe and absorb from London street culture, providing a conversation between the geometric structures of the city, and the everyday people rooted in the current culture, at a style level particular to now.

To me, conveying current issues, may it be political or environmental, through conceptual design gives my clothes character and distinction.
Primarily focusing on the practical and emotional implications climate change has impacted upon Inuit settlements, my collection deals with the seam that runs between the diversity of function, from the Inuit’s traditional culture to modern day luxury sportswear.
I carried out in-depth research into specific regions of Alaska, which are first hand experiencing the rapid transformations of global warming, prompting my investigation to Americas largest coal burning power stations.
Due to their extreme overload of carbon emissions, certain power stations are due to close years earlier than expected, due to their dramatic contribution to climate change.

During the design process, I like to work on the stand, discovering source pieces, typically sportswear, in this instance I also used vintage fur coats to create my silhouettes before drawing them into designs. Hybridizing materials such as jersey and neoprene along with sheepskins has allowed me to capture the authenticity of the Inuit heritage and the athletic aesthetic of my design hand, creating a blend of the two materials into garments, yet still maintaining a strict groove between the textures.
I personalize and individualize my designs through the finishing and detailing of garments. Throughout my collection I have looked at the Everest expeditions as an outerwear reference, drawing on the functionality of the finishings and manipulating them into my own designs. I extracted the geographical coordinates of the closing power stations, and Alaskan city, Barrow, once quoted “Ground Zero for Climate Change”. Printing these quotes onto polyproplene tape, paired with D-rings, imbues my designs with function and form, with a minimal aesthetic.

I look for a quality in the details of source pieces, which encourages me to alter old silhouettes and details into a modern yet relaxed structure, tugging together the threads of traditional sportswear, into clothes that are meant to be worn everyday.
To me, sportswear is timeless within menswear - generating sportswear luxe designs for a young brand, embracing the now in a sophisticated manner, whilst representing the best of our modern day heritage of functional design.