Young men's fashion goes DIY

Hand-drawn graphics, sketchbook scrawls and graffiti is making its way into the young men's fashion arena. Think powerful messaging 90s style, a new movement of communicating and perhaps rebellion, via clothing and fashion. It began with Raf Simons playing with boldly placed text and photos on clothing, such as on tailored coats and sportswear, but it has now been adopted by directional streetwear brands and filtered down to the high street, as seen at Topman.

For spring summer 2016, designers took to their sketchbooks to create rough hand-drawn fonts to voice messages with attitude. Doodles and short sharp slogans are applied to denimwear with pen, paint and chalk for a punk-inspired look. The multi-patch trend evolves with DIY style placements and font-heavy badges inspired by old punk flyers.

Quirky illustrations are complemented with subversive messages

Quirky illustrations are complemented with subversive messages for a playful punk approach, noted WGSN. Scribbled conversations and texts combine a multitude of hand-drawn fonts, crossed-out statements and doodles using a palette of black, white and ecru with the occasional primary overlay.

Particularly relevant are off-kilter placements for graphics, such as under sleeves or off-centre on the back of denim jackets. Printed patches and badges are sporadically placed or haphazardly clustered for a DIY aesthetic.