By Sophie Hollands
Photography: Caleb Nelson

Manchester based clothing brand Dead Legacy and the MCR Fashion Industry hosted an evening full of fashion and glamour at the trendy Spinningfields bar and restaurant, Neighbourhood.

The local brand showcased their AW17 collection, which according to Dead Legacy owner James Featherstone, was intended to be “innovative and disruptive”. James also revealed how he founded the brand with his wife, Julie Featherstone:

“Originally, I founded Dead Legacy with two brothers, we then bought the two brothers out 18 months ago and my wife Julie runs it now.” James added: “We’re a premium lifestyle brand and I’d like to think we’ve put our own stamp on Dead Legacy in the last 18 months.”

As the models adorned the marble catwalk and the glamorous guests took to social media to share the Dead Legacy showcase, we soon began to see an innovative take on classic menswear silhouettes.

James and Julie Featherstone

The first catwalk focused on luxe loungewear, with co-ordinating tracksuits taking centre stage. Creating a different spin on your traditional tracksuit, the trousers had a slim, tailored fit, adding a slightly smarter feel to a loungewear classic. The matching hoodie had a more relaxed fit, but nothing too oversized which complemented the fit of the joggers perfectly. Dead Legacy put their stamp on it with discreet and classy embroidery of the brands initials ‘DL’, which was cohesive throughout the entire collection.

The colour-way had monochromatic elements, with pops of burgundy and navy, two really on trend colours that we have seen everywhere this season. All of the clothing can be mixed and matched to create several different looks. There was an addition of boyfriend style t-shirts that were worn with the joggers, a look that would be perfect for a warmer autumn day.

The second catwalk introduced Dead Legacy’s take on the band style tee, which is a huge trend seen on the high street and in high end collections this season. Gucci inspired snake motifs were the stand out and a clever way to add a designer feel to the collection. The addition of rock band and tour merchandise style t-shirts allows the consumer to express themselves and perhaps their music taste through what they wear. The t-shirts were paired with suedette bomber jackets, which stood out tremendously due to the luxurious look that the material naturally creates. Dead Legacy strive to use premium quality material in their clothing and the suedette bomber jackets are a true representation of this ethos.

The third catwalk showcased the smarter elements of the collection. Collarless shirts created a more formal look, without deviating too far from Dead Legacy’s casual streetwear aesthetic. Another stand out piece was the jersey style shirt. The use of a casual, comfortable material on a smarter silhouette was a clever twist but still in keeping with the rest of the AW17 collection.

The finale was a perfect end to the showcase, with the introduction of oriental inspired motifs on the front and back of the t-shirts, bomber jackets and hoodies, something a little different to what we had seen from the showcase already. The colour palette was consistent throughout the collection with dominant neutral bases and accents of reds and blues that highlighted the intricate motifs and designs on the clothing.

James Featherstone added: “We’ve seen fantastic growth in the last two seasons but AW17 is a coming of age for us, it shows how far the brand has come in a relatively short space of time and hopefully it’s a sign of what’s to come in the future.”

In the rapidly expanding menswear market, Dead Legacy has certainly made a mark with this collection, with the right price point and on trend styles it’s an exciting showcase of what this modern Manchester brand is capable of.