Mark Eley and Wakako Kishimoto called their spring collection "local," and used their Brixton neighborhood as the inspiration for an Afro-Caribbean-flavored show—a bit of a trend in London this season. The focus was on batik-like prints in eye-popping colors (one incorporated tower blocks from the street on which they live), with one motif also used for the wall coverings against which the usual mad mix of patterns was being shown. The boldest prints were the highlights; less successful were the Western-inspired pieces and the jogging jackets, which looked like leftovers from the team's new collaboration with Ellesse.
From a business perspective, this collection represented an important step forward for Eley Kishimoto. The duo has just signed a licensing deal with an Italian company, meaning production will no longer be mom-and-pop-style—nor local.
