For NATAAL, Belgian-Congolese photographer Gabriel Cambier travelled the SS27 menswear calendar, from Pitti Uomo in Florence to Milan Fashion Week and onto Paris Fashion Week Men’s, to capture shows by some of the most emerging Global South designers alongside the big names. These street style, catwalk and behind the scenes images present moments of honesty, delight, vulnerability and at times, searing beauty.

Sagaboi

In Milan, Sagaboi revealed ‘Jammin’, an exploration of the Caribbean people’s alchemical ability to turn difficult circumstances into what creative director Geoff Cooper calls “a source of our greatest creativity”. He goes on: “For me, joy is not the opposite of hardship. In the Caribbean, joy often exists because people refused to be consumed by hardship. For example, Carnival is not remarkable simply because it’s colourful. It’s remarkable because people created it despite everything. And Calypso wasn’t simply entertainment. It became a way of documenting history, challenging power and preserving memory.”

The collection eschews stereotypical codes of Caribbean dress and instead exposes something far more complex. “My own heritage spans First Peoples, African, Indian, Spanish and Chinese ancestry, and I'm also a descendant of the Merikins. I've inherited many cultural narratives and Sagaboi exists where those histories meet,” the designer explains. As such, the clothes feature a considered mix of craftsmanship, from Madras checks and Chikankari embroideries through to ikat tie-dye and handmade crochet.

The heady results expression the nuances of the designer’s lived experience and his refusal to be boxed or limited by labels. “I am not interested in making work that reduces the Caribbean to either trauma or paradise. I am interested in exploring the space where those realities coexist, because that is where the Caribbean lives. Much of our greatest beauty was created under our greatest pressure.”

Garcias

Nicola Martin Garcia has become the first designer from Colombia to show at Milan FW with his brand Garcias. Titled ‘Dreamers’, Garcia says the name of his SS27 collection has a double meaning. “As Latin Americans we are always dreaming. We dream of achieving different goals in our lives, of creating a new future. But also, my aesthetic is very dream-like. You will see some sparkling that reminds you of something very oneiric. It’s more than just a word for me to be a Latin dreamer.”

The sparkles came in both obvious forms such as diamante buttons, rhinestones on collars of jackets, and overwrought shiny appliques on trousers. But the dreamy state was most convincingly achieved in the general softness and femininity of the silhouettes and fabrics: naval-exposing woollen cardigans in pink and sky blue, and slouchy pyjama trousers and twin sets, almost beckon you into a starry-eyed state. Here, Garcia is advocating strongly that men should allow themselves dream, just as he has achieved his own by showing in Milan.

Saul Nash

London-based star Saul Nash continued his exploration of movement-based design in Milan. Shown in Forza e Coraggio, one of Milan’s oldest sporting societies, the ‘Stance’ collection highlighted a compelling mix of sportiness and sensuality. “My starting point was researching archival imagery of sports figures and male pin-ups, examining how masculinity is constructed and performed through both clothes and gesture,” Nash says.

At the heart of offering were nipple-exposing singlets, which were worn with wide-legged nylon shorts and long rain coats that floated intoxicatingly on the body. Tight cycling gear featured ergonomic prints that made the most of the male form while elsewhere there were nods to equestrian, fencing and wresting pastimes. Nash completed the exhilarating scene with a street-wise helping of semi-sheer tracksuits, knitted bomber jackets and loose denim pieces.

LAD/

Following last season’s debut collection, Congolese-born Ladislas Mande presented his new brand LAD/ as part of the main calendar at Paris FW for SS26. The clothes focused on elegant, relaxed tailoring, reflecting his time spent between Japan and Italy. But there remained an unashamed Kinshasa flair about them too thanks to a play on the 1970s-style Abacost suit, originally made famous by former President Mobutu Sese Seko. The warm colour palette also reflected Congolese assets such as coffee beans, cobalt and copper. Built in collaboration with creative directors Art Comes First, the result was an impeccably-made and forward-facing collection.

“Living between different cultures has given me perspective more than a specific aesthetic,” Mande shares. “I've learned that inspiration can come from anywhere – a building in Milan, a conversation in Tokyo, tailoring in Naples, art in Paris, or memories from Kinshasa. That freedom is important to me because creativity should have no borders and this collection reflects that. It's shaped by travel, craftsmanship and culture, not by one place.”

The fact that LAD/ has been so warmly received so quickly is testament to this wide-open approach but he’s not resting on his laurels yet. “Paris is where many of the greatest luxury houses have built their history, so being invited onto that stage is both an honour and a responsibility. I remind myself that one show doesn't define a brand.

The real work starts now. We're thinking about where LAD/ will be twenty or thirty years from today.” We’re certain the brand’s slogan ‘Kinshasa to the World’ will be heard (like the Congolese rumba playing during the show), for a long while yet.

Prada

Finally, a Milan stalwart. Prada showed a typically self-assured collection that bucked at current trends: skinny jeans with a slight flare at the leg were the cornerstone of the collection. These were then paired with some Raf-favourites: deep V-neck sweaters, lots of colourful leathers in everything from cropped bomber jackets to shirt-jackets cut short on the forearm. Mrs Prada grandma prints also made an appearance, as did a striking all-white jacket and pants look whose transparency emulated that of the Perspex floor on which the models walked.

Whether any of the emerging designers Cooper followed through these fashion capitals become the next Prada or not is less important than the fact that they are on the same stage yet telling their own unique stories and taking authorship of those narratives. Prada, watch out.