Who Fathers Your Thoughts? || Art Comes First

WHO FATHERS YOUR THOUGHTS ?.

AVEC CES FRERES F16

Those who follow Avec ces Frere and Art Comes First have witnessed the steady natural style evolu>on of co-­‐creators Sam Lambert and Shaka Maidoh. As is oEen the case in the design world, it can be difficult to separate the duo’s collec>ons from the men themselves. Those paying aKen>on, including their 150+K IG followers, have seen the two designers traverse influences from London Rude Boy/2-­‐Tone style, the aStude of the Jamaican Rockers and, most recently a hard-­‐bop spin on the sartorial stance of the 1950’s Subterranean Beats.

The signature ethos of the A.C.F. can be described simply as “tailored” or, in their own parlance; “correct”. A highly trained design sense combined with a refined understanding of cloth, cut and detail honed during their years on Savile Row have provided them with a unique tool box. This is further empowered by their individual personali>es and word-­‐views resul>ng in a sort of A.C.F. design-­‐filter through which their ini>al inspira>ons are pressed and purified.

PUNK TAILORING. Also described as “Sart Core”, Punk Tailoring describes both an element of confronta>on (punk) and of harmoniza>on (tailoring) that dis>nguish their work. Their references to punk, hard-­‐core or even militancy are never about random frustra>on-­‐triggered aggression. Instead their ideals reflect the common links between the sub-­‐cultures they celebrate; The brotherhood across color and cultural lines promoted by 2Tone, the One Love of the Rockers and the importance of personal and collec>ve crea>vity advocated by the Beats. It is these beliefs, energized through art and music that they then harness to their own purposes using their ample skills in tailoring, concept crea>on, fabrica>on, detailing, styling and art-­‐direc>on.

THE SON OF A TAILOR. It was not so long ago that Sam & Shaka were sharing a live/work space in a barely converted London garage. In those days they availed their space to local ar>sts as a free exhibi>on gallery, demonstrated razor sharp refinement in their day-­‐jobs on the Row, and manifested enviable an degree of personal sartorial finesse on the London scene. This was all done on modest resources where friendship and respect were the more abundant currency. Sam used to sum up his aStude simply by asser>ng; “I may never be a rich man, but I’ll always be the son of tailor,”

BEATS IN BLACK - WHO FATHERS YOUR THOUGHTS?.

The influence of the A.C.F.’s most recent obsession, the Beats, can be felt in the cool mix of tonal and textural black fabrica>ons. The Punk Tailoring ethos is in full effect whereby improvisa>on, toughness and elegant informalism are sharpened, corrected, and balanced with a tailor’s eye to produce a blend suited equally well for the city street as the recording studio, execu>ve office or jazz club. A focus on black and dark tonality carries a double meaning with the recent passing of Lambert’s father. The event was followed by a period of reflec>on on the debt of gra>tude that most sons owe their fathers. It is from a father’s example, admoni>on, invita>on and encouragement that we begin assembling our tool box.

While there is a melancholy in such reflec>on, it is also inspires a renewed hunger for life, expression and collec>ve interac>on. So the black is both one of mourning and medita>on as well as for confidence and cool.

COLLABORATIONS. A devout commitment to the idea of the crea>ve collec>ve, the A.C.F. con>nue to co-­‐produce projects with friends and collaborators. The new collec>on is accented by work done with Denham the Jeanmaker as the most recent House Guest Ar>st featuring their spin on signature styles from Denham’s 5-­‐Pocket and Essen>als styles. The A.C.F. have also worked with Fred Perry on special edi>ons of their iconic polos. Finally, the new range includes an experimental capsule done with Harris Tweed using all-­‐black weaves from the legendary wool label. As well as our actual fathers, our friends and peers can father our thoughts and these collabora>ons give seasonal shape to that belief. .

ART COMES FIRST RECORDINGS – THE LAI LAI EP. Sam and Shaka have begun work on a recording project which brings together a diverse range of musical talents from around the world all responding to a single shared inspira>on. En>tled LAI LAI in honor of Nsigi Lambert, each track represents a unique sonic explora>on of a single fundamental ques>on: “Who Fathers Your Thoughts?”. Planned for full release later in the year, the final album will feature varia>ons on this theme as interpreted by respected ar>sts including; HypnoOc Brass Ensemble, Baloji, Yaneka and others.

A musical work-­‐in-­‐progress mo>vated by the A.C.F.’s Inspire2Inspire crea>ve ethos and rooted in improvisa>on and collec>ve expression, ini>al treatments of LAI LAI are bing premiered live at the PiS Uomo in Florence as part of the Alterna>ve Set schedule.

Mr. Pius Maidoh always cared about how he presented himself. .

Mr. Nsigi Lambert always cared about how his clients presented themselves. .

MEN OF DAKAR IN AVEC CES FRERES BY CAMILA VALQUEZ.

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ENERGY PLAN CREATIVE. CAMILLA FALQUEZ. OMAR VICTOR DIOP. MANE FAMILY. PEOPLE OF DAKAR. SUPERDUPER HATS. THE SOCIAL STUDIO, MELBOURNE. ALBERTO SCACIONNI. DAPO CIANCHI. PITTI UOMO. KHADIM WORKSHOP. YANEKA. HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE. DAVID PATTINSON. JOPPE ROG. MERIEM TALBI FALL. HARRIS TWEED. DENHAM THE JEANMAKER. FRED PERRY.