Why patches and mishmash patterns have been clustering around the fashion shows – and six ways to work the trend into your wardrobe.

If you were to cast your eyes over what the stylish chaps attending the world’s most recent fashion weeks have been wearing, you might have noticed a trend steadily sewing itself together. Patchwork squares appeared slapped on jeans and coats in paisley and herringbone, adding texture and patterns, quickly becoming one of the most surprising trends we’ve seen on the street this year. If you want to get in on the patchwork penchant yourself, look to brands such as Sacai, Junya Watanabe, Kapital and Craig Green, who have all been doing it for ever. And, if you’re seeking for some style inspiration on how to wear it, here are six different examples from the men who are doing patchwork particularly well.

Japanese designer Sacai holds patchwork clothing (along with juxtaposed prints and multi-layered silhouettes) as one of its USPs, and this guy’s bomber jacket from the brand combines military-green panelling with checked wool to great effect. Is the bomber-jacket-blazer hybrid the coat of the season? It’s certainly multifaceted.

Patchwork doesn’t necessarily mean a hodgepodge of fabrics and textures thrown together – it can look cohesive, too. And although the pattern on this man’s coat may slightly resemble a woolly 1980s bus seat, we’re nonetheless won over by its subtle patchwork charm.

A patchwork duvet of paisley bandanas, or an eye-grabbing coat? This variegated jacket is a bold take on the patchwork trend to be sure, but this chap has tempered it well by sticking to a pair of plain black drainpipe jeans, and some Off-White Nike high-tops (plus a cohort of sartorially loyal pals to co-ordinate with) make it all come together.

It’s true that this trend mostly appears on coats, but this guy proves that it also looks great on jeans. Here, herringbone and checked patches are sewn onto traditional washed denim to suggest an element of tailoring to an otherwise casual look. Oh, and the New York Yankees-print Gucci sneakers don’t hurt, either.

Perhaps the reason patchwork looks good is because it’s a way to liven up what would otherwise be boring. A grey or black cable-knit sweater? Meh. A cobalt-blue one? Not bad. All three iterations patched together in various square sizes? Suddenly, it’s the sweater of the season. Worn over a simple blue shirt and with a pair of black trousers means it doesn’t compete with the rest of this chap’s outfit, and the sneakers keep it sufficiently low-key.

Still, just because low-key patchwork might be easier to pull off, that doesn’t mean the trend shouldn’t also be an opportunity to show your colours. This man – bedecked in an orange Heron Preston rollneck and blue shell trousers – is a walking parachute, and he looks great.

The men featured in this story are not associated with and do not endorse MR PORTER or the products shown

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