CREATIVE COLLABORATION: Agi & Sam for TOPMAN – The Owls

Oo! Oo! Hopefully you interpret that as the sounds made by the nocturnal bird that can turn its head 180° without even flinching. ‘What on earth does an owl have anything to do with fashion’ you asked? Well, everything. Especially if you live in one of my favourite fashion worlds. The land of Agi & Sam.

As one of my favourite pairs in the world right now, this duo has produced a 20 piece collection – exclusively – for TOPMAN. Undeniably some of their best work yet, the collection was incited by London hosting the last Olympics.

“When London was knee-deep in the Olympics the idea of sportswear kept creeping into our minds”, explains Sam. “ Particularly the game that lives in the hearts and minds of most Brits, football. We were talking about football kits and there was a really weird period between 1990-92 where they all had these amazing prints.”

The kits translated into the seeds for the collection. The water for this seed was the duo’s thought of who would the best man to personify this collection; to wear it – George Best – was the ultimate icon for the collection. As Agi explains ‘The premise for the collection was calling the football club “The Owls”. All the prints were inspired by owls themselves, egg shell, feathers, nestling and then utilized through print throughout the collection.’

By then the collection had found its existence through the tailoring, suits, shirts, jersey and outerwear adorned with owl, nest, feather and eggshell prints which were cleverly combined with exquisitely cut smarter pieces with retro sportswear in both block colours, beautifully hand drawn watercolours and their renowned digital all over prints.

“We’ve been watching these two talented young designers grow and mature over the past few seasons under our sponsored initiative MAN and feel their aesthetic is very much in the Topman world with colourful clashing prints and a young silhouette that sits comfortably alongside our own ranges. With this collection the boys have demonstrated everything that has made everyone sit up and take notice and whilst sticking to their very specific personal brief, they have been careful in their consideration of the Topman consumer”, said Gordon Richardson, Topman Creative Director.

This beautifully crafted and well thought-through collection is currently available at the TOPMAN store at the V&A Waterfront. Make sure to get yourself a few pieces before they sell out.