Christopher Shannon. Mexican Pom Pom sweatshirt, early 2010s.

Black cotton-nylon sweatshirt with multicoloured panels, bands of shell-suit fabric, and pompoms.

Given by Charlie Porter

This is part of a group of early 2010s menswear donated to the V&A by Charlie Porter, one of the most influential British menswear fashion journalists of the early 21st century. In 2000 Porter became deputy fashion editor for The Guardian, and since then, has worked as an associate editor for GQ and deputy editor for Fantastic Man. He currently writes for The Financial Times as their menswear critic, in addition to his freelance work, DJ-ing and maintaining an active blogging presence online. Porter is particularly known for his understanding of contemporary menswear and familiarity with developing streetwear and alternative trends.

At the time of the donation, Porter provided commentary on many of the pieces. He said of this piece:

"Mexican pompom sweatshirt – This top has such an amazing mix of frivolity and a stone face. The pompoms and tassels push the boundaries of taste, especially in menswear. To have them cut across a super straightforward garment – the sweatshirt – and then have them bordered by black, either sweatshirt material or cheap nylon, makes the audacity of the pompoms an incident. It’s a very knowing work, and one that I wore often, in the most normal situations possible – it seemed fitting."

- Daniel Milford-Cottam
20/05/2016

T.92-2015