Top image: Hood by Air FW15

Last year Shayne Oliver, who founded Hood by Air back in 2006, won €100,000 and a one-year mentorship at the annual LVMH Prize. They say that the only way is up, and Oliver shows no sign of losing traction.

On Monday it was announced that Hood by Air was the winner of the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s (CFDA) Swarovski Award for Menswear. The brand has gone from underground-label status to international stardom in a matter of years – for all of the right reasons.

HBA’s dope flair is instantly recognisable – it stands positively solitary in its aesthetic. Good design is its concrete foundation: notched collars are puffed-up; garments slashed and gashed; and the ‘HBA’ initialism plastered conspicuously. That’s just a few sartorial extremities that are remedying traditional menswear protocols.

The artist-dominated team, directed by Oliver, make considerably large strides towards a masculine silhouette that blasts conventionality out of the sky. Subjectivity is the key driver here – it’s all about redefining identities, meaning, and engaging bravely with masculine tropes that today’s men are tired of donning. Normality doesn’t exist in the world of HBA – being dope does.

Stay tuned to HERO come June for full fashion-week coverage, from London, Florence, Milan, Paris and New York.