Ehud Men AW10: Home From War.

Interning isn’t all lugging bags of clothing here, and sending press releases and invites out there, you do learn a lot in the process. Aside from the countless nuggets of industry knowledge I’ve acquired so far, I’ve also been introduced to several new designers and labels, thanks to a helpful boss who’s sole concern is not – thankfully – piling on the donkey work.

Just last week I was poring over stylists’ email requests for shoots when I came across the lookbook for Ehud. Founded by CSM grad Ehud Joseph, the label sets out, like many other new labels attempting to carve out a niche in this fast-growing market, to disregard the staid conventions of a lot of menswear and re-define the term for the contemporary man. Although there’s a sneak-peek of Joseph’s SS11 collection already available for view online, it’s the AW10 collection I’m fawning over, here.

Enlivening classic tailoring with eye-catching prints, Ehud succeeds in offering a collection that derives its appeal from its wearability as much as it does from its understated flamboyance. Inspired by an architectural sensibility, Joseph ensures his silhouette isn’t staid by ranging from the slim and body-conscious (a printed rollneck) to the more traditional (the trenchcoat further below). I caught up with the Amsterdam-based designer to talk motivation and inspiration…

After I finished art school I tried to be an artist but I found that expressing myself through art didn’t work. Initially I trained in the technical aspects of garment construction for fun but as I started making clothes I found that I was able to express ideas, stories and moods more affectively through clothing than I ever managed to through art.

Once I started making collections I also found that I enjoyed the immediacy of the process and the way I could reinvent the story every few months.

Where did you train?

I did a degree in Fine Art in New Zealand. My main fashion training was a Masters at Central Saint Martins.

What other brands/houses did you work for before establishing your own label?

What inspires you?

I find small snippets of life, experiences, either real or made up, as the most potent starting point. Once a story comes into focus I try and build a fuller picture through visual research. I love uniform detailing, traditional structuring and the architectural aspect of garment cosntruction, so drawing through these ideas and seeing where they go is a very exciting part of the development process.

I am also increasingly interested in fabric treatments and manipulations.

Your AW10 collection seems to strike the optimum balance between outdoorsy ruggedness and an understated but still ornate chic. What was your starting point for the collection in terms of inspiration?

I wanted to create an imaginary wardrobe of a soldier returning home from a war. The past lingers on in the way he dresses showing the influence of his previous experience as he embarks on a new, urban life.

The designs tried to combine uniforms and performance clothes and then alter them into classic city styles. This ranged from reversible coats with a protective coating on one side, and a classic wool on the other, through to army style pants in noble fabrics. We also developed modern camouflage which was inspired by early computer graphics from the 80’s.

Find the rest of the collection here.