Okay, so some designers perhaps aren’t best at talking about their own work. Tillmann Lauterbach’s faded colours and casual tailoring have become a trademark for him now, but the difference between the press release for Spring/Summer’s HUMANimal collection and what actually emerged was so different to leave you scratching your head a bit.

Mostly head to toe, dipped-in-colour ensembles, what actually emerged was a series of vaguely animal-print coloured jeans teamed with jersey jackets, with hoodies and “fur-esque” sweaters popping up throughout. With simple silhouettes, much of the interest came from the fabrics themselves- cashmere in the blazers, panelling, jacquard weave shirts and reversible shirts in egyptian cotton. As in many collections this season, a roughshod ethnic feel ran through the proceedings- a pair of crushed leather wellies was a reference to ‘emerging from the river of life’, trousers were inspired by rice-pickers garb and a sort of awkward shirt/trench hybrid felt vaguely exotic.

Even if the mix felt a bit half-baked, then there were some interesting ideas that Tillmann could push further. Many of the bags and belts were made from scrap crocodile skin from luxury houses, and the weight of the clothes was designed as a ‘protection’ against global warming and our summers becoming cooler. By focussing down on a few more of these concepts, perhaps he could find a better balance for next time.

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