Counting down to the 23rd... Martine Rose and Mr Hare

We realise that the blog has become overrun with posts dedicated to London Fashion Week but we offer no excuse, we are purely excited about what is to come! Following on seamlessly from Tuesday's Counting down to the 23rd post, we serve up another two interviews with designers who are part of the Fashion East Menswear Installations collective. The twelve designers picked by Fashion East feature some of the most exciting design talent in the capital and Martine Rose and Mr Hare are two of our favourites.

Martine Rose portrait by Ben Beonliel

For her third season Martin Rose presented a collection of men's shirts for Aw09 entitled 'Pieces' inside the Fashion East MAN house. Her designs played with sportswear in a more formal piece of a man's wardrobe and to great effect. Next Wednesday, Martine Rose will take her place amongst the eleven other designers showcasing their designs in the East Wing and Vaults of Somerset House.

SS: What were your inspirations for the collection?

Martine Rose: Parachutes, zips, colour and function.

SS: What are you most looking forward to showing on the 23rd September?

Martine Rose: Challenging the notion that shirts have to be just in cotton!

SS: Have you got any anecdotes of making the collection that you can share?

Martine Rose: ...erm god no, definitely not an authority on that, different things jump out every season to bite me on the bum

SS: What item of clothing (if any) do you wish that more men wore?

Martine Rose: SHIRTS!

SS: Aside from your own, which collections are you looking forward to seeing?

Martine Rose: Ooh I will be like a kid in a candy store there are so many this season, Blaak, Louise Gray, Danielle Scutt... the list is endless!!

Mr Hare, portrait by Ben Beonliel

Mr Hare should need no introduction. His debut collection blew us away and now Steve refuses to ever take off his Stingray Orwell's. We have seen a sneaky preview of his SS10 collection and we predict that a few of you will be shocked (in a good way) by the second helping. We can't wait to catch a whiff of new shoes in the air again next week...

SS: What were your inspirations for the collection?
Mr. Hare: How to fight the urge to just rock slouchy shoes in the summer months. Plus that age old dilemma of what to wear to a central American/Carribean dancehall as a shoeist. Oh and how to move through a room like Andrey Arshavin.

SS: What are you most looking forward to showing on the 23rd September?
Mr. Hare: Here's the clue. You can burn my house. Steal my car. Drain my liquor from an old fruit jar. Do anything that you wanna do, but uh uh honey lay off of them shoes and don't you step on my...

SS: Have you got any anecdotes of making the collection that you can share?

Mr. Hare: There are two styles in the collection that had the guys in the factory in stitches from the moment they saw the pictures. Everytime we had a meeting they would ask me if I still wanted them to make them. After three meetings plus the initial presentation they finally made them. I think they are ill. I think they just questioned their Italian male sensibilities a little.

SS: What item of clothing (if any) do you wish that more men wore?
Mr. Hare: I have to say shoes, but it is true.

SS: Aside from your own, which collections are you looking forward to seeing?

Mr. Hare: Seeing everybody's take on the immediate future is the big buzz for me. London's creative generation putting forward their expressive viewpoint. I walk in blind and walk away inspired by all of them.