Craig Green on scaring himself and plotting his runway return

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Tuesday morning around 120 invitees will enter the old Carlsberg-Tetley brewery in Silvertown, Newham, to witness the return of Craig Green to London’s runways after an absence of two years. As well as hosting a raucous weekend rave scene, the building has — for seven years — been home to Green’s studio, which is precisely where the show is being held. When we catch up the week prior, Green concedes he’s becoming increasingly nervous at the prospect, then adds: “I wanted to do something this season that kind of scared me. And it’s very much not me to invite everyone into my personal space.”

Pushing the boundaries of space through exploring extreme dichotomies in masculine dress is one of the attributes that made Green the most influential British menswear designer of the 2010s. That title isn’t just hyperbole — Green won the British Fashion Award for Menswear Designer in 2016, 2017, and 2018. His trophies rest on the bookshelf behind his desk.

By the end of the decade, following Burberry’s withdrawal from the men’s schedule under Riccardo Tisci, Green was the biggest draw on London’s menswear calendar: its tentpole. Then, in January 2020, he made the step across to Paris for an epic show that seemed to signal his supremacy’s easy export — until Covid hit shortly thereafter.

Since then, Green’s shows and presentations have been held between the two capitals, every 12 months. “But now we’re changing again. Going back to two a year, with one especially big moment.” This off-schedule London show, says Green, is the opening beat in a rhythm of which its shape and tempo will become more apparent next January and June. Holding live shows, he adds, is a key part of that. “I’ve always loved the physicality of a show. It’s part of what attracted me to fashion in the first place — going to see Gareth Pugh shows as a student was so exciting. And it speaks to the idea of bringing together your community, and feeling that energy. Which is partially why this show is happening in the studio,” he says.