CHESS LONDON LAUNCH

By Adam Bennett

So I was lucky enough to get an invite to the launch of Chess London’s first collection at Home House, in London’s Portman Square last week. Glass of Moet – check. Stylish Crowd – Check. Good Venue – check. Cool – ish “miniature” food. Check.

You get the idea.

I took along a friend of mine called David who is a fantastic web designer and works a lot with the Premiership. He always dresses nicely, better than me anyway, so I thought I’d take along someone who would be seen as a Chess London client and get his take on it.

Our first impression of the clothing was good – it’s approachable, wearable, every-day sort of clothing. Classic lines, earthy colour pallete made up of what most of us wear on a daily basis – navy, white, grey and taupe. If I’m completely honest upon first impressions, it didn’t blow me away. Only when I got up close, felt the products and seen the detailing did it strike me what a cool brand this is! Then I was sold.

It looks normal but it’s not, so if you’re one for shouting about labels then it’s probably not for you. If you’re someone who enjoys comfort and quality-feeling fabrics then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t invest in a few pieces. It’s endorsed by numerous athletes and footballers (I'll try not to hang around this point too much as I’m sure that actually detracts from the want to wear it – I'm sure none of us want to dress like the average premiership footballer). Whilst these are handsome men, fashion-wise I'm not so sure.

I had a catch up with the designer of the collection, Ali who blew me away with his striking hair and gentle manner.

Ali explained that there had been a gap in the market for good fitting clothes of great quality and infinite comfort. Ali himself is athletic and so kept this in mind when designing the collection. He wanted to create something with a classic British look that wasn’t a replica of something else. He breaks it down into three aspects – quality, feel and appeal. He likes to think of Chess as sitting between bespoke and high street (every piece has a limited run and the website is going to be introducing new pieces throughout the year). Each piece can be seen as an investment due to the quality and the fact that it’s limited but it’s still affordable. For instamce, the buttons are all hand-stitched showcasing the effort they have put into getting as much quality into the brand as possible, I’ve labelled it semi-bespoke.

Aside from feeling like I’d stepped into a premiership Club Lounge, I really think that we could be seeing Chess London as a real staple-factor of the fashion conscious male’s wardrobe, alongside the likes of Uniqlo, COS, Hilfiger and Ralph. I personally, however wouldn’t mind seeing something a bit more daring in the coming collections.

To shop the full collection visit www.chesslondon.com.

Follow Adam on Twitter @benedict_adam