When it comes to making an impact on the menswear market, newly reinvented British heritage label Kent & Curwen has two aces¹ up its (nonchalantly rolled up) sleeve. Firstly, it boasts a lively history going back to 1926 of making ties and sportswear for institutions such as Oxford² and Cambridge universities, and secondly, David Beckham is at the helm.

说起对男装行业的重大影响力，旧貌换新颜的英国老品牌肯迪文(Kent & Curwen)有两大秘招。第一，自己深厚的历史底蕴——早在1926年就为牛津及剑桥大学(Oxford and Cambridge)学生制作领带及运动装束；第二则是大卫?贝克汉姆(David Beckham)主持设计了专门的时装系列。

The former footballer became a business partner in Kent & Curwen after retiring from the game three years ago because he wanted to start “owning and building businesses,” he explains on the phone from New York. But while there’s no pretence³ that he’s started sketching⁴ sweaters himself, it’s clear that he’s hands on. He helped hire creative director Daniel Kearns, an alumni of Alexander McQueen, Louis Vuitton and Yves Saint Laurent. “David is involved in all aspects of the business,” says Kearns, “from the collection to the packaging.”

这位昔日足坛巨星三年前挂靴后成为肯迪文的商业合作伙伴，原因是他想“自己创业打拼”，他从纽约打来电话解释道。他已经开始自己设计毛衣图样了，除此之外，很显然他也有一线工作经验。他帮助聘请了丹尼埃尔?卡恩斯(Daniel Kearns)担任创意总监。对方是亚历山大?麦奎(Alexander McQueen)、路易威登(Louis Vuitton)以及圣?罗兰(Yves Saint Laurent)的校友。“大卫全面参与公司各项业务。”卡恩斯说，“从服装设计到包装风格。”

The details of Kent & Curwen’s ownership aren’t exactly simple: Beckham and his business partner Simon Fuller share a 50-50 stake in a partnership⁵ called Seven Global with the Hong Kong-listed Global Brands Group. In 2015 Seven signed a five-year deal with Kent & Curwen, owned by Trinity Ltd, which retails⁷ luxury menswear in Greater China and Europe.

肯迪文的产权关系详情实际上并不简单：贝克汉姆与商业合作伙伴西蒙?富勒(Simon Fuller)在与香港上市的环球品牌集团(Global Brands Group)合创的品牌Seven Global中各占50%股权。2015年，Seven Global与肯迪文签定了一份五年合同，肯迪文是大中华区及欧洲区主打奢侈男装的利邦公司(Trinity Ltd)旗下品牌。

Beckham has also put himself forward as the face of the brand’s campaign. Click on Kent & Curwen’s new website and you’ll find a black and white video of him sitting on a bench by the river Thames wearing a military coat with brass⁸ buttons, chunky lace-up boots and his trademark⁹ mild and moody¹⁰ knitted brow. Did it feel strange to be in the imagery for his own brand? “I didn’t think I wanted to be in the campaign,” says Beckham, “but then working so closely with Daniel and seeing what he has produced I’m now really happy about it. I love the clothing and it’s what I would wear day in day out anyway, so, I just thought, why not?”

贝克汉姆还自任品牌形象代言人。点击肯迪文新网址，诸位会发现这样一段黑白视频：贝克汉姆端坐在泰晤士河畔的长凳上——身穿黄铜扣军大衣、脚穿厚实系带靴，标志性的眉头紧蹙，显出些许忧郁神情。充当自家品牌形象代言人是否有些怪异？“我当初并不希望出现在广告片中。”贝克汉姆说，“然而与丹尼埃尔亲密合作、亲眼目睹其设计的作品后，自己如今对此真的很满意这部广告片。我酷爱这些服装，它们正是我每天会穿的行头，所以嘛，我就想，为何不自己代言一把呢？”

Clearly, it would have been an own-goal for the label not to make the most of the footballer’s appeal. Beckham’s charisma¹¹ was in full effect at the Fashion Awards in London at the start of December when he presented an award to Ralph Lauren and only had to walk on stage in black tie to elicit¹² enthusiastic¹³ whooping¹⁴ (and some swooning) from the audience. He rocks a suit, but after 20-odd years in the limelight (with some entertaining sartorial¹⁵ experiments along the way), he’s honed a strong off-duty look. It’s this casual style that Kent & Curwen has taken as inspiration for the new collection, so if you want to dress like Beckham you won’t get closer than this.

很显然，肯迪文如若不最大程度利用这位昔日球星的巨大影响力，就好比是球场自摆乌龙（自毁长城）。在去年12月初举行的伦敦时尚大奖颁奖典礼(Fashion Awards in London)上，贝克汉姆大放异彩：他当时身穿晚礼服款款走上舞台给拉尔夫?劳伦(Ralph Lauren)颁奖时，引发观众席一片点赞声（甚至迷倒了有些人）。他的西服有些摆动，但经过近20多年明星生涯（曾愉快地试水过时装设计）后，他早已练就一副闲适神情。肯迪文正是从这闲致风格中获取了设计新系列的灵感。诸位若想穿出贝克汉姆的那种感觉，穿肯迪文的西装就合适得很。

This isn’t edgy¹⁶ fashion — it’s a contemporary take on daywear; where a military greatcoat with brass buttons and epaulettes costs ￡1,200, a Shetland wool lumberjack-style jacket is ￡1,000, and rugby shirts in thick cotton with subtle distressing¹⁷ around the collar are ￡200. Pricewise it sits alongside brands such as Acne or Kingsman, and British materials and manufacturing are used where possible. “We wanted to create a masculine aesthetic¹⁸ which felt contemporary” says Kearns, “like a rugby shirt worn with a skinny jean and a boot, or a tailored coat with a distressed¹⁹ T-shirt. We wanted it to chime with David’s personal style rather than fall into associations with the regatta and the traditional preppy college look.”

这并非潮装——这只是当前的寻常装束：一件肩章式铜扣军大衣销价1200英镑，一件伐木工人款的雪兰羊毛夹克售价1000英镑，而一件领口有意仿旧的厚棉质橄榄球衫售价为200英镑。其售价与艾克妮(Acne)及Kingsman等品牌不相上下，而且优先采用英国本国面料及生产商。“我们希望打造与时俱进的男性时尚。”卡恩斯说，“比方说与紧身牛仔衣裤以及靴子搭配的橄榄球衫或是用仿旧款T恤搭配的定制外套。我们希望契合贝克汉姆个人时尚风格、而不是落入那些赛艇会以及传统私立学校装束的俗套。”

Kent & Curwen was started in 1926, two years after Eric Kent and Dorothy Curwen met on Savile Row, where the brand still has its headquarters. It became known for neck wear, supplying ties to Oxford and Cambridge universities, and by 1930 the brand was producing ties for smart London clubs such as the Embassy Club, Eton & Harrow and British regiments²⁰ around the world. Colour combinations were often inspired by the flower market Eric Kent would pass on the way to work. He would pick up bright bunches of blooms and throw them on to the table to create arresting juxtapositions²¹. His personal flair²² allowed him access to some rarefied circles (the Duke of Windsor was a friend) and informed his business. “That whole idea of reappropriation was something he pioneered,” says Kearns. “He would wear a cricket sweater into Mayfair. He took elements of traditional sports and brought them into different lifestyle concepts.” His cricket outfits²⁴ were also worn by members of the Hollywood Cricket Club in the 1930s, including Errol Flynn, Laurence Olivier, and C Aubrey Smith. Now the cricket sweater has been updated, and it epitomises Kearns’ approach of “reinvigorating iconic menswear staples²⁵ into a contemporary wardrobe”.

1924年，艾里克?肯特(Eric Kent)与多萝西?柯温(Dorothy)结识于伦敦的萨维尔街（公司如今的总部仍在此），1926年，肯迪文创立。它以领饰著称于世：为牛津及剑桥大学生制作领带（结）；到1930年，公司为Embassy Club等伦敦高档会所、伊顿与哈罗公学(Eton & Harrow)以及大英帝国在世界各地的军队供应领带。领带颜色搭配的灵感来自艾里克每天上班途中经过的花市。他经常把随意采摘鲜艳的花束随意扔在办公桌上，打造出别具一格的混搭造型。他才华横溢，因此能出入某些达官贵人圈子（温莎公爵(Duke of Windsor)是其好友），也让其生意如虎添翼。“他是混搭理念(reappropriation)的始作俑者。”卡恩斯说，“他经常穿板球毛衣出入伦敦梅菲尔上流社会(Mayfair)；他汲取传统体育精华、并应用在不同生活装束中。”他设计的板球装也成为上世纪30年代好莱坞板球俱乐部成员的常备行头（包括了埃罗尔?弗林(Errol Flynn)、劳伦斯?奥利佛(Laurence Olivier)以及奥布里?史密斯(C Aubrey Smith)）。如今这款板球装已有了升级版，这集中体现了卡恩斯“再造顺应当代时尚的经典男装”的理念。

Beckham’s eye meanwhile was caught by another piece of the brand’s heritage, the three lions insignia, which appears on plain and striped long-sleeved rugby shirts and was taken from the heraldry of Eric Kent’s family crest²⁶. “The brand is known in China as the three lions, and over the years this emblem²⁷ has been a huge factor in my life,” explains Beckham, who also introduced another heritage motif²⁸ from the archive; the English rose.

与此同时，贝克汉姆高度关注肯迪文另一项富贵遗产：长袖素色条纹橄榄球衫上的三狮标志，它源自艾里克?肯特家族徽章的纹章图案。“肯迪文的三狮图案在中国家喻户晓，这个标记多年来一直是我生活的重要组成部分（他多年来代表三狮军团英格兰队比赛）。”贝克汉姆解释道，他还在设计的时装中引入了英国另一历史悠久主题——玫瑰。

Kent & Curwen already has a strong retail⁶ business in Greater China with more than 130 stores in Asia. The challenge now is to bring the brand back to Europe. “It’s a $100m business in China,” adds Beckham, “so we wanted to reboot that in Europe, especially in London.”

肯迪文已在大中华区开设了大量零售门店，在整个亚洲开有130多家门店。如今面临的挑战是品牌重回欧洲市场。“我们在中国的年销售额是1亿美元。”贝克汉姆补充道，“因此我们希望能在欧洲、尤其是伦敦市场东山再起。”

Following the launch of Kent & Curwen on Mr Porter at the end of November, and an e-commerce site, 50 new points of sale are planned by autumn 2017. “To grow this business it has to be wearable clothes,” says Beckham, “Us men are very simple — my wife tells me that every day — we like to see clothes that go together. All ages can wear the collection. My 17-year-old son Brooklyn was coming down for breakfast in one of the rugby shirts the other day.”

肯迪文自去年11月底在Mr Porter网店上架以及开通自己的网店后，计划至2017年秋季开设50家门店。“业务量要稳步增长，服装就必须经久耐穿。”贝克汉姆说，“我们男人穿着崇尚简单至上（我妻子也每天不厌其烦地这样说），我们喜欢互搭型服装。各个年龄段都适合穿。我家17岁的大儿子布鲁克林(Brooklyn)有一天就穿着橄榄球衫下楼吃早餐。”

Beckham’s personal style is not only at the heart of the brand — it will be key to its success. “Menswear is about that fine balance between something that makes a statement but isn’t too much, and David is perfect at achieving that,” says Kearns.

贝克汉姆的个人着装风格不仅是肯迪文品牌的首要关注点——更是成功与否的关键。“男装的关键就是如何把握含蓄展现流行时尚的‘度’。贝克汉姆是这方面的完美典范。”卡恩斯说。

Beckham believes his dress sense is more “mature” now. “When you get to a certain age there are things that you should stay away from,” he says. “At 41 I definitely wouldn’t wear the matching leather outfits I wore with Victoria 15 years ago. It was all right back then and it looked kind of cool at the time but when I look back now I think, ‘Yep, maybe that was an interesting decision.’ I might have a midlife crisis and pull on the leather outfit²³, but I don’t think so, maybe for Halloween. My dress sense is probably going to be classic from now on.” Classic, casual, and now easier to emulate²⁹.

贝克汉姆认为自己如今的着装风格属“成熟男人”范畴。“人到一定岁数后，有些事就得规避。”他说，“如今41岁的我肯定不会再穿15年前与维多利亚(Victoria)互搭的那些皮草行头。当时穿象模象样，也挺酷，但如今回过头看我觉得：‘没错，当时决定这么穿或许是为了引人关注。’假如现在有了中年危机，我或许会穿皮草装，但我没有中年危机；或许万圣节那天我会穿皮草。从今往后，我的着装很可能秉持传统风格。”传统、休闲，而且更易于仿效。