Warm, welcoming and comfortable was the atmosphere of the Francisco Van Benthum showroom at 45 Park Lane Hotel Mayfair, the first thing I noticed where three gentlemen (including Mr. Van Benthum himself) that were well dressed and groomed, ready to take on the media and buyers. As I shuffled through the collection I noticed a blazer that was very structured with a design that was very minimal and sharp with very distinct and unique materials used. This same level of detail and quality flowed throughout the collection from the cashmere coat to the trousers.

 An important thing to point out is that Francisco Van Benthum designed this collection with the mindset and application to detail as an architect would with his blueprint. This is a collection where form meets function as the pieces can all be worn and translated to various personal styles: for example the blazer with the bright pink material on the reverse of the collar adds a lot of humor and expression as this can be worn formally and informally. Also there were quite a few pieces with Velcro that adds a sporty look and also the material mixes seen throughout the collection made this collection very functional.

 The choice of materials as well as the overall design of the collection showed Van Benthum’s versatility and intuitiveness, with a very minimal touch Van Benthum did one thing that many designers could find challenging as he resisted overcompensating the minimal design and cuts with more unnecessary features, leaving us a very sophisticated functional collection.

The Illustrations