A. Sauvage's Black Volta

Cast your minds back to the busy month of May last year, where I zigzagged my way across the capital for various press days and viewings to help see what AW10 would bring, one of the real highlights and favourites was A. Sauvage. I've kept a close eye on the development of the brand ever since. For those of you with short memories, the label is the brainchild of Adrien Victor Sauvage who whilst working as a creative realised that the stylish demands of his clients were not being met so set about meeting them with his own designs. Simply put, the label works on the deceptively simple principle of perfecting cut and concentrating on fit.

As his SS11 collection begins to land in Harrods and Matches, I'm pleased to share the look book shots for Black Volta. Once more, to make matters even easier for the every man he has practically created an fool proof guide of creating ensembles within his look book. Of course there are a myriad of ways each piece can be worn but for those less confident, he has created a look book of colour co-ordinated assembly line-esque, everyday dressing...

Now, one of the methods Sauvage has used to tell the creative narrative of the label has been through his intimate portrait photography. His exploration in the field of portraiture began with the Captain and Native series which really captured the imagination of the blogosphere. I personally loved the questions that the photographic project asked about sartorial individualism. What does a suit mean to you? How do you wear a suit? It managed to document the intriguing relationship between A. Sauvage's tailoring and interesting names from the art, literary and film worlds. To celebrate the launch of his SS11 collection, Black Volta, Sauvage presents a new series which will soon be available to view on his journal. To whet your appetite I can offer the following image of Anthony Bonsu.

Black and white photograph by Adrien Sauvage.

Anthony Bonsu wears 000-9 from 000-1- 000-11 Kente D.B Tuxedo Jacket and white tuxedo shirt
All images courtesy of A. Sauvage.

After an eleven year absence Sauvage revisits Ghana, capturing the inspiration for Black Volta in the process. Here his portrait photography of family, friends and the surrounding neighbourhood, sees natives dressed in the collection. As in previous series, the designer and photographer invites subjects to wear garments from his collection and encourages them to express who they are whilst wearing a suit with no directorial interference. Having established the loose parameters of the experience it is left up to each subject to decide what to wear, diverse as they are, from the collection. By revisiting his heritage a new story begins yet the collection builds on the same principle of perfecting cut, concentrating on fit and adding pieces to the range as season and need demands. Look out for more from the series over on his absorbing journal.