FHM’s Spring/Summer 2014 Style Awards

Meet our top dogs of the fashion world…

Best accessory brand: Eye Respect

From James Dean to Jack Nicholson, Johnny Depp to Jay Z, there’s a reason why sunglasses have long been the ‘glamourflage’ of choice for the rich and famous: they’re effortlessly cool. Also, they hide your eyes, which can be handy when you’re gazing in directions you shouldn’t and not looking hungover when you really are.

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Shades crafter Eye Respect oozes cool. Only it calls it ‘sprezzatura’ – ‘the effortless combination of style and attention to detail that is inherent in both [English and Italian] cultures’.

All the frames are designed in London and handmade in the firm’s family-owned workshop in northern Italy.

And to pile on the panache, Eye Respect has collaborated with two of Britain’s most stylish menswear designers, namely Oliver Spencer and Adrien Sauvage. Both collections put most other sunglasses brands in the shade. Simple but edgy, they come in a bunch of styles and colours, and one is bound to take your fancy.

So whether you want to hide a hangover, eye up a pretty girl, or actually protect your eyes from the sun, Eye Respect’s got it covered… and you’ll look like a film star in the process.

Shirt, £35, French Connection. Sunglasses, £185, eyerespectdirect.com

Best newcomer: Native Youth

The Manchester brand has only existed since 2012, but Native Youth is already smashing it – because it makes clothes guys actually want to wear. The label’s aim is to create a socially relevant brand that showcases the eccentricities of British design while keeping it ultra wearable.

It has a growing celebrity fan base too: Tinchy Stryder and Jake Bugg have been seen sporting NY’s signature style.

It’s bold, it’s bright and it’s British. And we reckon you’ll be seeing a lot more of this rising star in years to come.

Jacket, £65, Native Youth at asos.com. Hat, £30, trainerspotter.com

Best brand: Boxfresh

More so than with any other British label, the story of Boxfresh is the story of youth club and music culture. The name itself was born from the ’80s hip-hop scene – a slang term for trainers that look ‘fresh out of the box’.

While similar brands have come and gone, it’s been Boxfresh’s ability to think outside the box that has kept it at the vanguard of street fashion for the past 25 years.

Launched by Roger Wade in 1989 from stalls in London’s Camden and Greenwich markets, the brand’s vintage printed T-shirts proved an instant hit within the capital’s dance-music scene. Ravers and DJs alike leapt on the label’s slick designs, thrusting it into fashion’s spotlight as one of music’s leading fashion brands.

By the early ’90s, Boxfresh had opened its flagship store in Covent Garden, and started to spread its tentacles into Japan and the US.

Within a few short years, it had become a must-own for anyone ensconced in ’90s rave culture and continues to adorn the dance floors of clubs, festivals and warehouse parties across Britain – and the world.

This decade has seen Boxfresh up its game even further, not just with some of the best designs it’s ever produced, but through a string of high-profile collaborations including Manchester’s rave-Mecca, The Warehouse Project.

In short, Boxfresh represents way more than nostalgia. It’s woven into the very fabric of Britain’s music scene and is now as much an institution as it is a brilliant brand.

Jacket, £130; hat, £30, both boxfresh.com

Best sportswear: Le Coq Sportif

This year the Tour de France will hit British shores once again, while its long-time sponsor Le Coq Sportif hits the sartorial sporting heights it’s famed for. Whether you’re rocking its technical clobber in the gym or donning its latest bad-ass trainers, you’ll definitely take the yellow jersey for cool.

Top, £85, lecoqsportif.com

Best high-street collection: Topman Design

If style were a sandwich, Topman would be the meaty filling that’s been in favour for the past 20 years.

First opened in Leeds in 1978, it has bred 185 stores across the UK and more than 60 worldwide, defining the way modern men shop.

But 10 years ago, Topman upped the ante, adding a sumptuous, thick-cut relish to that sandwich. It called it Topman Design, and it first appeared at London Fashion Week as the event’s only menswear showcase. Within four years, it had become a show in its own right, and has since contributed to the launch of the careers of countless young designers through collaborations.

Now Topman Design offers high-end fashion you can afford, from silky shirts to gun-metal brogues.

So twist open the lid and spread Topman Design thick over your wardrobe. It’s classy and very, very tasty.

Jacket, £200; sunglasses, £40, both Topman Design

Best comeback: Russell Athletic

The word heritage gets banded around in the clothing world far too much, but where the American sportswear don Russell Athletic is concerned, there’s no more appropriate term. In its time, the 100-year-old brand has made everything from ladies bloomers to Major League Baseball uniforms. It’s this rich history that the brand has drawn upon for its latest collection, with retro graphics and slogans aplenty. And if you think this return to form is impressive, wait and see what it’s got planned for winter.

Jumper, £95, Russell Athletic at peggsandson.com

Best formalwear: Ben Sherman

Every man looks better in a well-tailored suit. It makes us look taller, cooler and, er, manlier. Here’s another fact: no one makes suits better than the British. And what brand is more British than Ben Sherman? Its modern styling and refined fits have the power to unleash the sartorial Superman in us all.

Jacket, £125; shirt, £55; tie, £40, all bensherman.com

Best retailer: Scotts

Scotts has been a pioneer of branded menswear since 1984. And, on its 30th birthday this year, the clothing chain is having a party.

To celebrate the milestone, it’s launching a series of limited-edition collections with brands including Fred Perry, Original Penguin, Paul & Shark, Fila, Adidas Originals, Pretty Green and many more.

Scotts sells the kind of clothing you wear when Saturday comes, in the stands of your favourite football team – so raise a plastic glass and a pie to another 30 years in top-flight men’s style.

Jacket, £59, Fila at scottsmenswear.com

Photography: Dan Matthews; styling: Ange Hughes