Hed Mayner‘s Fall/Winter 2024 collection is a whisper of rebellion woven into the very fabric of menswear. Forget rigid codes and ostentatious displays of status – Mayner’s garments whisper an intimate tale of lived-in elegance, crafted with a subversive wink at tradition.
This season, the Israeli designer eschews the runway format in favor of an intimate presentation. The muse? A vintage dressmaker’s dummy, aptly named “Adam,” who became a ghostly inhabitant of the studio. More than just a mannequin, Adam became a symbol of deconstruction, his form shaping the clothes, with rounded elbows and slouchy backs that tell stories of lives worn comfortably.
Gone are the sharp cuts of traditional tailoring. Mayner sculpts his fabrics, draping them around blocks made in Adam’s likeness. Tweed jackets and wool raglan coats emerge with a lived-in ease, their sleeves gently curved to nestle under outerwear. Chunky knits treated with heat hold their shape, exuding weight and texture. It’s a tactile experience, an invitation to touch and feel the story woven into every stitch.
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Clever pleats and folds blur the lines of collars, adding to the already beloved aesthetic. A pinstripe coat masquerading as woven fabric is revealed as a printed stretch masterpiece, its lines perfectly sculpted around the body. Shirts with rounded sleeves become companions to their outerwear counterparts, each piece whispering to the other in a secret language of comfort and ease.
But Mayner’s rebellion isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s a subtle defiance of social norms, a rejection of clothing as a badge of status. Wide-legged pants, cinched at the waist and with exaggerated pleats, slouch with intention. “The concept was more difficult to apply to pants,” Mayner admits, “it was mainly concentrated on the knee,” his words hinting at a subtle jab at the power dynamics often embedded in men’s fashion.
This season’s collection is deeply personal, born out of the shadow of war that loomed over his homeland. “War was always something your father and grandfather talked about,” Mayner confided, his voice echoing the generational shift in perspective. But amid the uncertainty, he found freedom in the distance, in the absence of readily available references and expectations. “I felt I could deform things without breaking any rules,” he explained, his words a manifesto of creative liberation.
The result is a collection that celebrates the familiar but twists it with playful irreverence. Classic herringbone peacoats, reimagined in chocolate brown, reveal an exposed back seam, a subtle defiance of the often rigid rules of tailoring. A four-way stretch fabric masquerading as a pinstripe suit morphs into a “human form” when draped over coats and trousers, a sly wink at the artificiality of social constructs.
Mayner’s ongoing collaboration with Reebok adds a touch of rebellious nostalgia, reimagining a brutalist ’90s sneaker with a contemporary edge. It’s a fitting coda to a collection that embraces comfort and individuality, challenging the very notion of what menswear should be.
Read more: Robert Geller joins Rag & Bone as Head Menswear Designer
©Photo: Hed Mayner
