“[…]Can we doubt that individuals having any advantage, however slight, over others, would have the best chance of surviving and of procreating their kind? On the other hand, we may feel sure that any variation in the least degree injurious would be rigidly destroyed. This preservation of favorable variations and the rejection of injurious variations, I call Natural Selection. Variations neither useful nor injurious would not be affected by natural selection, and would be left a fluctuating element […]”.
Inspired by Charles Darwin in the Origin of Species, John Park created a menswear brand focusing on the necessity of constant evolution in a world in which only the strongest and most valid can survive, naming it “Natural Selection”. After a A/W 2014 collection with Art Deco references, the brand introduces some variations in order to evolve and adapt to the surrounding changing circumstances–this time–embracing the work of the abstract artist Tim Woolcock.
Irregularity leads throughout, in the form of shirts speckled with polka dots and classic tailoring made of tweed, chambray and denim for a casual yet masculine man. Silhouettes remain neat across shorts, sweaters and single-breasted jackets. Macs and hooded capes have also an important role in these “Garment Species” teaming up with long shirts that turn traditional layering on its head.
Despite the expected, colors don’t stick to the conventional summery spectrum as its main characters are navy, taupe, grey, khaki, light blue and some pinches of tie-dye, remaining us of Woolcock’s landscapes. In conclusion, and as Darwin would state, Natural Selection London goes one step ahead in the menswear process of evolution, proving that innovation and quality can walk alongside with elegance and functionality, turning the brand into a pro in the art of casual wear.
Posted by Paloma Canseco.
