by Brian James
Wishing to avoid the swarms-in-the-streets hyperbole that surrounds London Fashion Week Leo Prothmann chose to show their A/W 25 collection “Finca” in fashionable Fitzrovia but amidst the peaceful serenity of the Mandrake Hotel’s Jurema Terrace, an urban jungle of ferns and flora just a few minutes walk from the retail madness of Oxford Street.
In a world where we’ve never been more attuned to our wellbeing , staging “Finca” at a more adagio pace than the high-energy histrionics which accompany most shows, was an act of self-care for a designer whose recent familial circumstances have left him in reflective mood. While the setting may have been subdued it didn’t detract , and in fact enhanced, an assemblage of pieces that married heritage craftsmanship with exciting and exceptional genderless design.
Flanelle spoke to Leo about the influences and inspirations behind “Finca” , the love of art which informs their creative vision and the voyage of self-expression and self-discovery that’s taken the eponymous label to this juncture in its journey.
Why did you give this collection the evocative title “Finca”?
The direct translation is an old Spanish farm. I grew up on an old Spanish farm. I was born in Germany and when I was one year old I moved to Spain and grew up in the Finca for sixteen or seventeen years. This season , we’ve had really ups and downs in the last couple of months , we’ve had two losses so that’s why we’ve decided to do a silent show.
Going back home to the Finca during Christmas and over Winter I was thinking what am I doing here in Winter, what do I want to wear , what are my activities going to be. We’ve got horses and donkeys and are in an agricultural environment so I really wanted to use those references to have a certain element of rain, of gloves, of hard leather. Also a really nice suit and coat for any occasion. It was really important to introduce my horse riding a bit more, especially the horse duvets and the prints and patterns from it. The heaviness of the wool , the organic flow of them and the quality , the sustainable approach to it.
So that’s basically what I’m trying to show, my life on the Finca when I was there until I was sixteen. Even when I go back now it’s obviously very different to London, so that’s what I’m trying to do, inviting everyone to come and see the Finca, the Spanish home.
The collection’s underpinned by a sustainable ethos so could you talk us through the specific sustainable practices and ethical practices you used to make it?
If we buy leather it needs to be a by-product so that’s the first step and then how has it been treated. So everything is naturally Veg-Tan , which means there’s no aggressive chemicals being treated with it , it’s only vegetable treated. The vegetable skins get boiled up and then tanned with that. For the coating , we have a slight wax coating , there’s also synthetic wax coating which isn’t good for the environment , so we use oil from a specific fruit and coat it with that.
We use a lot of off cuts so all the showroom pieces are from my supplier down in Whitechapel. I always buy locally, it comes from Italy but it’s local and it’s all off-cuts which we then sew together to create the textures. It’s an insane amount of work to be honest but I love the materials and that’s our sustainable approach to working with leathers and furs. Of course , all the denim is fully cotton denim , the boiled wool on the bomber jacket is Army wool so they’re all deadstock. We bought rolls and rolls. I like the texture , it’s warm , it’s something I would wear on the Finca. All the handbags we make are from the off cuts so literally when we make the jackets , we put the pattern from the handbags into it so it’s zero waste pattern cutting.
Painting is a passion of yours, what’s the interplay between it and the creation of your garments?
I think when it comes to painting, I’m quite free with it, I just sort of go into it. And with a machine it’s quite a different process , you have to be very controlled when you’re doing a pattern or else it’s not going to fit properly or look good. I used to use a lot of dark, a lot of black, a lot of grey but I love colour and I think that I’m okay with it. I want to keep on pushing colour.
It always starts with the painting and then I leave the clothes and go back to painting. One picture here ( at the presentation) I painted for three years, leaving it and coming back to it, doing layers, layers, layers. So that’s my approach . In the print it’s always nice and I apply that to my boots which we made, so it’s a great exercise to experiment and to be free.
In terms of accessories such as handbags, is this something that you feel you’re moving more into?
Absolutely, my partner who’s also my muse says I have this incredible ability to work with leather and she kept on saying I want more bags (laughs). So, I started designing bags and developed a small belt bag and I think it’s a nice practice to have. It’s easy for people to wear , because not everyone wears unconventional clothing so it’s a bit more of an expansion into people being able to wear something without feeling that they look outrageous.
A good handbag is always important. It was a really nice exercise and we’ve also collaborated with Oakley. I’ve been wearing Oakley since forever and they’ve supplied us with some beautiful sunglasses.
Going back to the start, what was the childhood dynamic that made you want to become a designer?
This is going to sound very,very basic but I’m not going to lie to you, when the music video “Born this way” came out from Lady Gaga when I was twelve and then I saw that McQueen show I thought I love this.. I love that energy. It was so fun.
Then I started sewing , growing up as a boy, it was a bit difficult , being creative and being slightly flamboyant and pushing the boundaries of what’s considered normal . and then I really never let go of that. I was always a horse rider , I was very professional until the age of minteen when I moved to london. That’s when I said I’m moving to London, I’m doing fashion. I started working in Hotels doing late night shifts to be able to afford Uni and just went for it.
In terms of that emerging fashion career you interned with Craig Green and Matty Bovan. What did you learn from those experiences?
Matty is just a great person, we went to Milan together, he took me to all his shows and showed me a lot with his colouring. He’s just mad with his colour and having fun and being who you are, feeling not constrained
At the end of the day . we’re making clothes not saving lives, my partner is a psychologist so she’s properly saving lives. Matty has this incredible elasticity , and I thought this is great, I need to learn from this process.
Craig is just meticulous. I was working there for six weeks and they asked me if I wanted to stay and I stayed for another eight months. We were sewing incredible pieces. That’s where I learned how to make a bomber jacket like the one in the collection. I’m not saying it’s perfectly made but for me it’s great. His studio showed me so much, it was an incredible experience.
You describe your work as “All genders” , so what does that mean to you?
I live in a community where we don’t really have gender specific roles, Of course I have some mates and girlfriends who identify as female and male but my community is heavily all-genders with pronouns they/them so I never really want to pinpoint anything. So, often I’d wear something like I’m wearing today and some people might think that’s a woman’s look but everythings all genders for me , including shoes.
How did moving to London and being exposed to its subcultures influence the brand?
I think that London is so funky and fun and I used to take myself too seriously. I lived in Berlin for quite a while and I love Berlin , it’s such a good city and I love how they dress there , but I feel that London has always been on my side. London’s my home , it’s just a cool city. When I walk down the street , there’s all languages, everyones here, everyones having a good time. No one takes themselves too seriously, everyone sits at the pub together which I love. Everyones sitting having a pint , no matter who you are, and it’s great.
I’ve been here six years now and I want to stay, I want to build my brand and really immerse myself into this fashion system which is very difficult to get into but I love it here.
We were sorry to hear about the recent loss of your grandparents and also your brother’s illness. Can you tell us more about what you’re doing to raise awareness for the illness he suffered?
We just did a collaboration with Seniz Jones , a resident here in London who does graphite drawings. My brother Max got diagnosed with a brain tumour two years ago in 2023 which happened out of the blue and he had chemo and laser therapy. We did this initiative where we did a T shirt which we called the “M” for the first season and then another one and now we’ve asked Seniz to join us on the T shirts. We’re selling it with all proceeds going directly to the British Brain Tumour Research Foundation.
We’ve raised so much in the past years and it’s something we want to continue as we were so lucky to have really good support and there’s a lot of people who’d benefit from some support. Brain tumour is such a harsh thing, especially for young people as well. We try to be not just fashion and glam but also spread awareness.
Whats next for Leo Prothmann , what are your goals and aspirations for the rest of the year
I think that 2025 for me is really to refine on the vision I’ve got and the work I’m making , really identifying what I’m strong at and what my weaknesses are. Really thinking about how I can develop better. We’ve got some good things coming up , I think, and really pushing my business in a way that it’s a sustainable business. We’re not a stocked business , because we’re made to order, made to measure. I think I’ve figured out a good strategy for that. Keep going, keep pushing and keep learning and making new things. I’m looking forward to Spring/Summer and coming back to the Mandrake on the Terrace.
For Leo Prothmann. “Finca” has been a creative and cathartic experience, one which has demonstrated his resilience and given them pause to reflect on recent experiences. A collection that’s inculcated with a storied sensibility, Leo Prothmann continues to refine an aesthetic that places them both under the radar but also in the know. “Finca” is a celebration of where they’ve come from and where they’re going.
With this collection the designer invites us into their childhood home. We look forward to receiving many more invitations into Leo Prothmann’s world
