Oliver Spencer might be most readily associated with Britishness – his career began with a stall on London’s Portobello Market and his subsequent eponymous label is synonymous with British tailoring and craft – though a new summer collection sees the menswear designer look further afield, towards the colours and architecture of Cuba and Colombia.
Designed after a recent trip to the countries, Spencer looked towards Cuba’s distinct menswear culture as starting point – a longtime fascination of the designer – in particular, the pleated guayabera shirt and its mix of ‘decorative elements and utility‘. Here, riffs on the style arrive in the designer’s typically undone style, largely crafted from organic cotton and linen. ‘The shirt has become a national symbol of Cuba, so I’ve tried to honour it by creating a modern homage to it,’ says Spencer.
