Item 2021.3 - Martine Rose Bristol Family Tree Shirt

Identity area

Reference code

2021.3

Title

Martine Rose Bristol Family Tree Shirt

Date(s)

  • Autumn Winter 2019 (Creation)

Level of description

Item

Extent and medium

1

Context area

Name of creator

Martine Rose
(2007-)

Administrative history

Martine Rose was founded in 2007 by designer Martine Rose (b. 1980), who launched the brand with a collection of ten shirts at Blacks private members club in London’s Soho. Martine Rose developed a distinct aesthetic inspired by 1990s South London subcultures, which drew the attention of Lulu Kennedy of Fashion East. Kennedy assisted Martine Rose in creating an installation for the first menswear day of London Fashion Week in September 2010. The label’s collections were then exhibited as part of the collective MAN shows until September 2012, when the brand debuted its first solo runway show. In 2012 Martine Rose was awarded NEWGEN sponsorship by the British Fashion Council for four seasons. Martine Rose was nominated for the ANDAM Award for emerging designers in 2017 and shortlisted for the LVMH Prize. She served as a consultant for Balenciaga’s menswear line from 2017 to 2019, collaborating with creative director Demna Gvasalia. Tomorrow London Ltd, an international fashion distribution and sales company, acquired a 60 per cent stake in the label in October 2021. Martine Rose received an undisclosed equity stake in the Tomorrow business as part of the deal. The label has collaborated with Gucci Vault, Tommy Hilfiger, Timberland, Nike, Caterpillar and Napapijri.
Sources: Drapers; Business of Fashion.

Repository

Westminster Menswear Archive

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Content and structure area

Scope and content

Short-sleeved viscose shirt featuring an all-over print depicting a pattern of parrots, portraits, writing, palm trees, ships, islands, and the sea.

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      Physical characteristics and technical requirements

      100% Viscose

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      Note

      With this print and two others from the collection Martine Rose has said it was about 'honouring the Jamaican family I come from. My grandparents are from the Windrush generation.'

      Note

      From Inside the Westminster Menswear Archive:

      BRISTOL FAMILY TREE SHIRT
      Martine Rose
      Autumn Winter 2019
      At first glance, this vibrantly printed shirt could be mistaken for one from Hawai‘i. The Hawaiian shirt has become an archetype of men’s fashion – short sleeved and brightly patterned with tropical motifs of flora and fauna from the mythologized Pacific. For this shirt design, Martine Rose has subverted this by referencing the complicated history of migration from Africa to the Caribbean and to the UK. She described the prints in the collection as honouring the Jamaican family she comes from and her grandparents, who were part of what is known as the Windrush generation – those who were invited to move to the UK from the Caribbean after the Second World War.
      Viscose
      Archive no. 2021.3

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          Sources

          Sarah Mower, ‘Martine Rose Fall 2019 Menswear Collection’, Vogue.com, 20 January 2019

          Accession area