Christopher Shannon

Designer name: Christopher Shannon

Origin: Liverpool

Design background: Christopher is a graduate of MA Menswear at Central Saint Martins. He first received NEWGEN MEN sponsorship in autumn/winter 2010.

Design signatures: “They seem to evolve all the time. My collections feature performance fabrics, clean silhouettes and just the right amount of drama.”

How would you describe the Christopher Shannon man? “I’m never quite sure… I don’t like to second-guess our customer, I think it is more important to keep the work interesting. Also, I think we have different men - some who like the mainline while others who will go for the jersey or collaborative pieces. I prefer not to know.”

Career highlight: “Seeing the label continue to grow internationally feels essential to moving forward, as well as very rewarding.”

Trademark piece: “Hard to say… I suppose the sweatshirts and sweaters are always present in different forms. I love going back and working into ideas.”

What’s next for your brand? “The jersey line goes into stores in January, then we start work on a few international projects for release spring/summer 2013.”

Three autumn/winter 2012 inspirations: “Sinéad O'Connor, John Maybury and Derek Jarman.”

What does 2012 hold for your brand? “More of the same and loads of new things.”

What is your favourite decade in fashion? “I suppose the eighties as it so dense with visuals.”

Where do you go in London to seek artistic inspiration? “Smaller galleries, a few independent photography book shops and just aimless wandering of the streets usually throws enough ideas up.”