Why menswear needs Martine Rose – FINANCIAL TIMES
Fri 15 Sep
By Louis Wise
Martine Rose created her namesake label 16 years ago, working in pubs and clubs to fund her first collections. Slowly, incrementally, she has shifted from cult outsider to industry heavyweight, worn by Rihanna, Drake or Kendrick Lamar – who gave her the ultimate accolade of namechecking her in a song. Long-rumoured to be in the running to replace the late Virgil Abloh at Louis Vuitton, she has hardly been held up by losing out on the gig to Pharrell Williams. She made her international debut at Florence’s Pitti Uomo in January, her latest collection for Nike was unveiled during the Women’s World Cup, and she was recently announced as guest creative director for Clarks – the shoe company’s first in 200 years.
"I love menswear – there are so many rules to push up against."
Martine Rose
Outside investment from “brand accelerator” Tomorrow, which acquired a 60 per cent stake in the business in 2021, has turned the independent outfit into a feasible financial proposition, with 15 employees (and nearly as many regular freelancers) and 181 stockists in 27 countries. The company is still small and doesn’t reveal its turnover, but its influence is huge: the designer’s consulting for Balenciaga menswear, melding her aesthetic with that of creative director Demna, was a key part of the brand’s vast growth.
“For me, she’s in the top two best menswear designers that exist right now, with Raf Simons.”
Stavros Karelis
“For me, she’s in the top two best menswear designers that exist right now, with Raf Simons,” says Stavros Karelis, whose boutique Machine-A has stocked the brand for more than a decade. “People are talking nonstop about Martine in China right now. Our store in Shanghai is almost a barometer of popularity among the 88 brands that we stock – and Martine is one of the most requested.”
In her studio, the woman herself doesn’t give the impression of eyeing world domination. “I’m not a planner.” She shakes her head. “I’m not a strategist.” Has she ever tried to be one? “No!” A small, warm presence, Rose sits in a swivel chair at her desk, dressed in a faded black T-shirt, camouflage combats and black Nike trainers, various pieces of smart gold jewellery on her fingers and wrists. The open-plan HQ is crammed with clothes, photographs, boxes, prototypes; an image of the Stella Artois logo sits on a photocopier, hinting at a future collaboration. “When I first started the business, people were like, ‘Who’s your target audience?’” she recalls. “And I really tried to be methodical and to plan. And I lost my instinct, or something. It becomes flat. So I like to fly by the seat of my pants."