TQS StaffYou know, there’s a reason why autobiographies are always at the top of bestseller lists. A person’s history, retold in retrospect, captivates readers across demographics – be it the story of a shining starlet of old Hollywood, a modern sporting icon, or a boundary pushing recording artist. Autobiographies inspire us to be great, whilst allowing us to personally connect with luminaries of the past, and the celebrities of today.
The more prolific social media becomes in our everyday existence allows us to create our own autobiographies in real time. Facebook’s new timeline feature allows us to look back at ourselves from previous years, and cringe at our often ill-advised hairstyles. Twitter, YouTube and blogs just like this one, create continued histories of ourselves as we leave our digital footprint across the web.
Because of this, we at TQS were particularly interested when we saw the #clstory hashtag crop up on Twitter. It’s being used by new men’s fashion label Chess London to tell their story as they move toward their launch in March.
Chess London produce high quality, design led modern menswear – a British label that takes its leave from classic tailoring. The tailoring in their suit separates is clearly of a high calibre, but cooly side steps Saville Row stuffiness by injecting slick design details such as lapel piping and flashes of colour hidden under collars. It’s not just smart attire either – from the hints we’ve seen by following the #clstory hashtag, we expect to see more casual pieces in their March launch collection, including jumpers and outerwear.
The approach Chess London have taken allowed us to see some great behind the scenes glimpses not only into the emergence of a fashion label, but also into the lives of its creators – from their fabric hunts around Scotland, their race to get a suit to one of their brand ambassadors, basketball player Luol Deng, to their recent project turning their garage into a studio and their take on the latest trends at fashion weeks around the world.
Followers of fashion will have poured over the stories of Dior, Saint-Laurent and Westwood, but it’s rare that they are able to become part of that narrative. Chess London’s unique approach allows us to immerse ourselves in the fabrics, design, and beginnings of a brand in a way that perhaps has not been done before.
You can follow the #clstory on Twitter, and also on Facebook.
