Overview
Martine Rose is a London menswear label founded in 2007, initially as a small shirting project before developing into one of the most influential independent voices in contemporary British fashion. Rose’s work is rooted in community, subculture and the ordinary spaces of London life: markets, bedrooms, cul-de-sacs, clubs, offices and neighbourhood gatherings have all entered the brand’s runway language.
Its force comes from reshaping menswear without leaning on polished luxury codes. Tailoring, sportswear, rave references, football culture, workwear and awkward proportions describe real social identities in place of abstract archetypes. The label has become influential beyond its own size, sharpening conversations around casting, styling, venue and the dignity of people and clothes that fashion often leaves at the edge of the frame.
Philosophy
Martine Rose works through distortion, intimacy and social observation. She takes recognisable menswear categories—suits, shirts, tracksuits, leather jackets, football tops, denim, loafers—and bends them through warped proportion, sloped shoulders, enlarged collars, twisted seams and styling that feels funny, tender and slightly uncomfortable. The clothes often appear borrowed, misremembered or worn into another life, which is part of their force.
Casting and show locations are not decoration around the garments; they are part of the method, returning clothes to communities and bodies that give them meaning. Rose treats subculture without museum distance, turning the awkwardness, humour and menace of British style into a serious menswear vocabulary.
