After studying fashion in Los Angeles and working with Jeremy Scott on 4 collections, California-born designer Shaun Samson continued onto Central Saint Martins, where he earned a BA and MA degree in Fashion Menswear. The talented designer showcased his first collection, F/W 2011-12, sponsored by Woolrich as part of London Fashion Week in February 2011. In this collection he mixed Latino street culture and American workwear, introducing oversize Scottish tartan and plaid flannel shirt seamlessly joined with wool fabrics, a visual allegory linking different aspects of menswear from prison uniforms to traditional American wool plaids. The collections uses top of technology knitwear techniques that could probably only have been possible for a young designer to explore with a partner like Woolrich. I am thoroughly impressed by the concept and execution of this collection and look forward to seeing what Samson has in store for Spring. See more in TrendWatch.