Mans Madrid Fall 2023 Collection

Jaime Álvarez likes a challenge. At the helm of Mans, the Spanish designer’s seasonal starting points tends to be ideas he doesn’t quite agree with at first. “We try to get out of our comfort zone by taking a concept and making it our own,” he said. For his fall collection, he tackled minimalism, a style he has never been passionate about. It formed the backbone of a proposal he described as concise and essential: “It’s a bit New York City in the ’90s, an era of designers like Jil Sander, who often used flat colors, with practically no prints,” he said. Nineties-era New York was a trend that permeated the Madrid runways, but the aesthetic also fits with the philosophy of the Mans label: “I think that’s something everybody looks for: long lasting, high quality pieces. That’s what I wanted to convey,” Álvarez said.

The collection featured pretty relaxed silhouettes, with a tendency towards oversized shapes. This could be seen in the languid, extra-long mohair coats, sometimes worn with several thin belts. Tailoring, which is at the core of the brand DNA, was updated by means of a less-is-more rule: “It’s about refining classic tailoring,” said Álvarez. In pursuit of this aesthetic neatness, breast pockets were removed, collars and typical blazer pockets were shrunken, and outer buttons were sewn inside. In shirting, he added different types of collars and combined opposing textures and colors: “It’s an understated game which is invisible at first sight, and you only can appreciate it later when you see it in detail,” he said.