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Showcasing the more sustainable edge of Oliver Spencer’s 2019 collections

Words by Will HALBERT

For 250 years, The Royal Academy has existed to champion art and artists. It has provided an immersive space for artful appreciation and meaningful discussion for the most outspoken and forward thinking of individuals. During last month’s London Fashion Week, it proved to be the perfect venue for Oliver Spencer to showcase both the alpine charm and the sustainable edge of his upcoming AW19 collection.

We’ll be delving deeper into the perennial styles and staple pieces of Oliver Spencer’s AW offerings in due course. For now, though, let’s talk about Oliver Spencer’s continued dedication to sustainability, a dedication that is particularly evident in the imminent (like, hot-off-the-press, dropping-this-month imminent) Spring-Summer collection. Aptly titled ‘Wildflower’, the largely eco-friendly collection not only boasts a range of styles perfect for the warmer months ahead, it also strives for a more prominent use of eco-fabrics and low-impact production methods. 

The light, loose and deconstructed tailoring for which Oliver Spencer has become renowned makes a welcome return, of course, with seersucker checked suiting demanding particular attention. Edging toward a more casual versatility are standout garments like the Carrington Jacket, while the Pablo Polo and the Grandad Bib Collar Shirt offer familiarly lightweight and breathable trans-seasonal staples that are bound to see some serious, year-round wear. But by all accounts, it’s the more prominent lean towards a more sustainable edge that has the collection feeling particularly fresh.

In many ways, the Spring-Summer collection feels like an extension of the collaborative art project between Oliver Spencer and award-winning, multi-sensory artist, Wolfgang Buttress. Taking place at Oliver Spencer’s Soho store on Berwick Street last summer, the ‘Reverie’ installation drew inspiration from mankind’s evolving relationship with the natural world. It’s this relationship with the natural world that has no doubt stoked Oliver Spencer’s interest in more environmentally responsible production methods. This was clear in the subsequent ‘Wildflower’ Spring-Summer show, where a flurry of flower-clad models wearing Oliver Spencer’s summertime offerings revealed further callbacks to Wolfgang’s stylistic synergy between Man and Mother Nature.

Now, it’s almost impossible to talk about sustainability without coming off pious and preachy. But Oliver Spencer handles it with a modesty and an openness that makes the subject all the more approachable. The fashion industry isn’t exactly known for its regard for Mother Nature, but Oliver Spencer is dead-set on environmental progression throughout the business, which includes the implementation of low-impact fabrics into the collection (think GOTS certified organic cotton and undyed wools). 

It’s a refreshingly candid angle: By his own admission, Oliver Spencer is trying his best, picking his battles, and striving to make sustainability an industry standard rather than a cynical selling point. In Oliver Spencer’s own words: ‘Making small changes will make a big difference to the planet we live on, and will help the next generation live a life with more opportunity’.

Merging premium tailoring with relaxed modern styles and silhouettes, the new Spring-Summer collection pretty much speaks for itself. But its clear message on sustainability makes Oliver Spencer a particularly easy brand to get behind. And that’s exactly what we’ll be doing in the months to come. Over the course of the next few issues, we’ll be delving a little deeper into Oliver Spencer’s 2019 offerings, looking not only at the collections themselves, but the steps that Oliver Spencer is taking as a brand to be as sustainable and as accountable as possible. In short, we’ll be keeping an eye on Oliver Spencer. And we think you should be too. So watch this space. EJ