Top image: Still, ‘Drunk in Mallorca’ by Glamour Girls

Christopher Shannon knows what he’s into and does exactly that. It’s the hallmark of a great designer, the no bullshit approach to reference and concept. And when it comes to Shannon, it translates as nothing but total magic. Take his tragic footballers (FW14), his CAT booted emo teens (SS15), his iconic ciggy knits and last season’s Tesco bag ‘Save Me’ and ‘Thanks 4 Nothing’ updates.

Shannon took a few minutes out of the pre-show chaos to tell us what we can expect from his latest instalment, and fair to say he’s got our anticipation levels at an all time high. While other designers are returning to the same burnt out art books Shannon is Googling pics of pissed Liverpudlians on tour (Shannon himself hails from the city – it’s okay). Crack open a canned cocktail and get in the spirit, Shannon’s lining it up the best way he knows.

Christopher Shannon SS16

“I’m always quite reactive to the previous season, FW15 was quite dark in mood for me and was designed in a time of mixed emotions,” says Christopher Shannon of the new collection. “For SS16 I felt quite red top, I was kind of bored of the same book dealers that everyone in fashion goes to, I just wanted to look at images of drunk people in Marbella. I want to go into summer a bit more upbeat.  There’s a film by Chris Bernhard that I’ve wanted to see for years, it’s called Where The Bad Girls Go, it’s a really early short documenting girls on holiday in Tenerife.  I’ve never been able to get a copy so I sort of made it up using other imagery of what I’d hoped it might be.

This collection is maybe a reflection of all the holiday places I would never go to but am completely fascinated by. That and working around our DNA as a brand to develop the signature pieces and keep moving forward. It’s about ideas developed from the last few seasons and with what also feels like a return to my early shows, quite graphic simple and athletic.

I’m working with CAT again this time on a trainer, I’m so into it, I love that they trusted what I wanted to achieve. Judy has been working on a few pieces, more graphic and a bit more contained but still very Judy, and Leslie Winer has done the music again. It’s nice to work with my favourite creatives, it helps make the work make sense to me.”

Christopher Shannon shows his SS16 collection at LCM at 5pm this afternoon, Friday 12th June. Stay tuned to HERO for full fashion week coverage, from London, Florence, Milan and Paris.